Re-posted from Jan. 2009
In my previous 2 posts I discussed developing a backup plan in case of a telecommunications outage. Depending on the structure of your company, there are different ways to set-up your backup plan. I discussed the traditional strategies for a company with only one location. During this post, I will probe the opportunities that exist for companies with multiple locations.
In this case, I am assuming that your preference is to have location number two receive calls for location number one in the event of an outage and vice versa. The solution is pretty simple. Its similar to what you would do with backup pots lines in that you would forward your main number to the other locations main number.
There are a few keys to successfully implementing this plan. First, as with all backup plans, it needs to be in writing. There should be a one page instruction sheet that lists the step by step process for forwarding your phone numbers AND un-forwarding them. If you have more than one published phone number, be sure to include those numbers. Second, the steps should be practiced and tested prior to an emergency. You may want to consider asking the person responsible for implementing it to test it every three months as part of his/her job duties. Part of the test should be to make MULTIPLE calls to the phone number you are testing. You want to make sure that you can receive multiple calls at the same time because some carriers only provide one call path when forwarding your numbers.
Once you know that the forwarding plan will work, you want to make sure the backup party knows how to receive those calls and what to do with them. They may have to take a written message. Or you could set up a general voice mail box where the message desribes that if they are leaving a message there, it means that “there is a serious phone outage but that you are aware of it and all message will be responded to quickly”. You have to make the judgement as to the volume of calls and the patience of your callers to determine if this is a good option for you. Then someone would have to check the mailbox and take appropriate action. Another alternative is to have the person receiving the calls “transfer” calls to the party’s cell phone. This would require that the person has a handy list of cell phone numbers. It would also require that your phone system can transfer a live call to an outside number. You can also get this service from most phone companies but you would definitely want to ask them to activate the feature and provide instructions on its use……..and practice it. If you can get this service from your phone company, I would recommend going that route as opposed to using your phone system because my experience tells me that the quality of the transferred call is much better when done by the phone company.
This process may sound complicated but the alternative is to have your callers receive a “this line is temporarily out of service” message. As I have stated before, every company who is out of service tells me that they are losing thousands of dollars per hour because of all of the business they are losing. It’s not quite as complicated as it seems once it is practiced a few times.
Another way to transfer calls to a different location revolves around using VoIP or some other modern technologies to forward your phone calls. Some phone companies will allow you to set-up a forwarding plan in the event of a T-1 outage. This plan will automatically go into effect if there is a T-1 outage and can be very comforting to know that it is in place. Some companies will charge a nominal fee for this service and others won’t. Other phone companies will allow you to set-up a pre-determined re-routing plan that you would activate in the case of an outage. There are pro’s and con’s to this service but the main advantage to this option is that you can activate it in any circumstance, particularly the situations that may not be automated with the aforementioned automated plan. Also, there are companies that allow you to login to an online portal that gives you the power to re-route your calls at any time. Obviously, you would need Internet access but in the worst case scenario you can have someone access the Internet from home, a second office or even with a wireless cellular plan.
If you are using a hosted VoIP service, you may be able to have all three of these options available to you. One of the main advantages of hosted VoIP is the ability operate almost seamlessly in the event of an outage at one of your sites. I won’t spell out the details here because there are too many but this is one of the reasons I am strongly in favor of PROPERLY DESIGNED hosted VoIP for companies with multiple locations.
My next post in this series will discuss some other ways to set up your backup plan for companies who are larger and/or operate a call center and cannot afford to be out of service for any period of time. If you have any questions about setting up a backup plan for your company, I can be reached at [email protected].
In this case, I am assuming that your preference is to have location number two receive calls for location number one in the event of an outage and vice versa. The solution is pretty simple. Its similar to what you would do with backup pots lines in that you would forward your main number to the other locations main number.
There are a few keys to successfully implementing this plan. First, as with all backup plans, it needs to be in writing. There should be a one page instruction sheet that lists the step by step process for forwarding your phone numbers AND un-forwarding them. If you have more than one published phone number, be sure to include those numbers. Second, the steps should be practiced and tested prior to an emergency. You may want to consider asking the person responsible for implementing it to test it every three months as part of his/her job duties. Part of the test should be to make MULTIPLE calls to the phone number you are testing. You want to make sure that you can receive multiple calls at the same time because some carriers only provide one call path when forwarding your numbers.
Once you know that the forwarding plan will work, you want to make sure the backup party knows how to receive those calls and what to do with them. They may have to take a written message. Or you could set up a general voice mail box where the message desribes that if they are leaving a message there, it means that “there is a serious phone outage but that you are aware of it and all message will be responded to quickly”. You have to make the judgement as to the volume of calls and the patience of your callers to determine if this is a good option for you. Then someone would have to check the mailbox and take appropriate action. Another alternative is to have the person receiving the calls “transfer” calls to the party’s cell phone. This would require that the person has a handy list of cell phone numbers. It would also require that your phone system can transfer a live call to an outside number. You can also get this service from most phone companies but you would definitely want to ask them to activate the feature and provide instructions on its use……..and practice it. If you can get this service from your phone company, I would recommend going that route as opposed to using your phone system because my experience tells me that the quality of the transferred call is much better when done by the phone company.
This process may sound complicated but the alternative is to have your callers receive a “this line is temporarily out of service” message. As I have stated before, every company who is out of service tells me that they are losing thousands of dollars per hour because of all of the business they are losing. It’s not quite as complicated as it seems once it is practiced a few times.
Another way to transfer calls to a different location revolves around using VoIP or some other modern technologies to forward your phone calls. Some phone companies will allow you to set-up a forwarding plan in the event of a T-1 outage. This plan will automatically go into effect if there is a T-1 outage and can be very comforting to know that it is in place. Some companies will charge a nominal fee for this service and others won’t. Other phone companies will allow you to set-up a pre-determined re-routing plan that you would activate in the case of an outage. There are pro’s and con’s to this service but the main advantage to this option is that you can activate it in any circumstance, particularly the situations that may not be automated with the aforementioned automated plan. Also, there are companies that allow you to login to an online portal that gives you the power to re-route your calls at any time. Obviously, you would need Internet access but in the worst case scenario you can have someone access the Internet from home, a second office or even with a wireless cellular plan.
If you are using a hosted VoIP service, you may be able to have all three of these options available to you. One of the main advantages of hosted VoIP is the ability operate almost seamlessly in the event of an outage at one of your sites. I won’t spell out the details here because there are too many but this is one of the reasons I am strongly in favor of PROPERLY DESIGNED hosted VoIP for companies with multiple locations.
My next post in this series will discuss some other ways to set up your backup plan for companies who are larger and/or operate a call center and cannot afford to be out of service for any period of time. If you have any questions about setting up a backup plan for your company, I can be reached at [email protected].