How to Prevent Downtime in the Midst of Disaster

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A massive snow storm prevents employees from coming to work. A backhoe rips through the phone lines in your industrial parkway. Or your phone system just decides to stop working. Regardless of the type of disaster or what facet it affects (your lines or your system) here are some tips to prevent or minimize downtime.

For the phone system:

1) Have a battery backup on your phone system. Simple but often overlooked. Battery backups can be as inexpensive as a few hundred dollars purchased at an office supply store and can keep your system up for hours. They can also be used for both phone and computer systems.

2) Have an analog line outside the phone system. This could be your fax line but make sure there's an analog handset associated with it or have an analog phone nearby to plug into the fax jack so you can at least call out to alert customers. Alternatively, some phone systems can be configured to provide basic dial tone to one handset or more for incoming calls.

3) Enable remote access into your phone system. If the office is operational but no one can get there, remotely access your phone system to re-record your auto attendant greeting or re-route incoming lines to cell phones or alternative numbers.

For phone lines:

1) Have Internet phone lines as backup. A relatively new option, these lines can be provisioned for as little as $15 per month per line. If your phone lines go down but you still have Internet, you can call forward your traditional phone line to the Internet number temporarily.

2) Ask your carrier about setting up an Alternate Number.  Some carriers allow you to set up an alternate number (i.e., cell phone) in advance so if your land lines become unavailable they failover to the alternate number automatically.

3) If your lines are down, call your carrier immediately to call forward your lines to an alternate number. Get a Trouble Ticket number for later reference and tracking. Also request a time period for expected resolution or follow-up.  

Finally, make sure you have a written procedure for handling telecom outages. It should include support numbers for your carrier and your phone system vendor as well as all your account number(s).