Time Is A Crisis Solver

Not wasting time is the essence of every success story. Time is one of your most valuable resources as a business. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to be highly volatile. Therefore, it’s essential for companies to have a plan of action to make the most of every 24 hours. 

Time-saving strategies typically involve prioritization, team and task delegation, strategic resource planning, and realistic performance goals. You’d be surprised to know that time management is not so much an issue for normal day-to-day operations. However, when things take an unexpected turn, small companies can find themselves unable to adjust. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a revelation. Indeed, when face-to-face interactions were not possible, companies needed to think fast and transform their processes overnight. Unfortunately, businesses that failed to adapt quickly have struggled to survive the crisis. 

In a crisis, saving time could save your company. Here are 5 situations where fast reactions can make a huge difference.

#1. Unexpected natural disaster

You can’t predict the weather. One day, your business is afloat, and the next, it is literally floating amid flooding water. Yet, you can’t afford to waste time by trying to solve the situation yourself. Getting in touch with a water damage cleaning company as soon as possible will help prevent further damage and protect your building. Restoration companies are available 24/7 because they know how much difference a few hours can make to your premises and livelihood.  

#2. Seasonal work fluctuations

Every company is familiar with seasonal sales and activities. For instance, eCommerce businesses need to prepare themselves for Black Friday and Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire new staff. But rather than driving your current team to exhaustion and high stress, you can focus on smart time-saving tricks to manage extra work, such as outsourcing or automating some processes. 

#3. The server is down

When a server crashes, your business and your customers are left without any access to essential data. Ideally, you want to have a plan B to survive IT issues as a business. Working closely with a managed service provider can ensure you’ve got a recovery plan and can restore functionality rapidly. Additionally, the business needs a backup plan to ensure essential processes can still run. 

#4. Bad weather prevents visits or appointments

As exciting as snow days can be, they can keep your customers away. Essential services, such as healthcare, education, or even legal support, need an alternative solution to keep in touch with their clients. Thankfully, most businesses have made the move toward a digitally friendly environment, so it’s easy to set up a video call when you can’t go to work. 

#5. The business has been vandalized

Nobody wants to discover in the morning that someone painted obscene graffiti on the wall or threw stones at your windows. While you can rely on your business insurance cover to help with repair costs, it is likely to be a long process. In the meantime, the priority is to keep your customers engaged despite the damage. Social media communication can be the most effective solution. As a business owner, you can prepare a short video introducing the issues and letting your customers know that the business remains open. You can also use social media to track down the culprit. 

Reactive businesses can survive crises by finding quick and effective solutions. The longer you wait, the more damage your business sustains in terms of revenues and reputation.