• Have current contact info. Ensure all contact information is correct and current. Since people move from roles and the company, it is important that your Business Continuity group is in communication with the various teams to keep all information relevant and current. Having old data with non-existent contacts does not help anyone during a time of disaster recovery.

LAURA SIKORSKI

Many times, I am asked what contact center operational and technological procedures should be in place in case of an emergency. Emergency failures can be( and to):

• Infrastructure: data center environment, connectivity, voice( cloud), data systems, networks, servers.

• Electrical power: to the location( s) and employees.

• Fire: in your building and your city / local areas.

• Natural disasters: water-related( flood, snow, mudslides, hurricanes, tornados, etc.,) wildfires, earthquakes.

• Office building environment: loss of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning( HVAC).

Some of these can be responded to and planned for in advance. Examples include backup generators and local uninterruptible power supplies( UPSs), data center backup storage for critical system data, and rerouting contacts to other contact centers and remote agents.

But quite honestly, my answer is always based on answers to the following questions:

1. How long can your company stay in business without receiving and / or responding to customer interactions?

2. Where are your contact centers and other business user groups located?

3. What is the monetary impact of any emergency lasting an hour, a day, a week, or a month?

4. Do you have access to your CRM software? If not, what type of customer interactions can you handle?

5. Can you remain competitive in a“ down” situation?

6. What departments must remain operational during an emergency for the contact center to conduct business?

7. How will staff be affected – remote and on-site workers— and what types of emergency notification methods will be used for updates? Also, will hotel accommodations, expense accounts, and transportation be available to a central site?

While these are basic business questions, the answers will determine how much money your company should spend on disaster recovery / business continuity planning, including the possibility of a“ hot site” or a standby BPO to manage minimal or all customer interactions.

A Business Continuity department is recommended. Their charter should be to develop and formalize, test, update, and if( and when) necessary, execute operations and technology recovery plans for all user groups by location.

The testing element is critical. No matter what crisis management strategies and contingency plans you put into place, they are only good if they have been tested, retested, and evaluated again.

The best plan is useless if no one is responsible for keeping changes in technology, equipment, and departmental operation requirements up to date. It is extremely important that all employees and departments know what is required of them during any type of emergency. Their lives, as well as their company, depend on it.

When disasters happen, post-failure debriefs are necessary with all department heads to review what went well and what areas need improvement. That way the company is better prepared for the inevitable next time.

My hope is that all contact centers have a business continuity plan. And if not, they must initiate one as soon as possible.

Brendan Read is Editor of Contact Center Pipeline. He has been covering and working in customer service and sales and for contact center companies for most of his career. Brendan has edited and written for leading industry publications and has been an industry analyst. He also has authored and co-authored books on contact center design, customer support, and working from home. Brendan can be reached at brendan @ contactcenterpipeline. com.

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