PI Brief Update

Marketing your Practice: Business Continuity - Jenny Cotton, Mortons Marketing

04/05/12. Crisis? What Crisis? Be prepared or face the consequences. After years of careful strategic planning and staff training is your practice really prepared? Can plans be flexed quickly? Who predicted a swimmer at the Oxbridge Boat race? Are the University of Delft experts correct that Iceland is due another and much bigger volcanic disturbance than that of 2 years ago? The CMI Chartered Management Institute members’ recent Business Continuity survey results indicate likely issues identified and plans prepared. Is your practice ready?

With all plans the ”want of a nail” can have unintended consequences with far reaching results. After the Boat Race incident, which had immediate and highly visible impacts, we are left hoping the best for both crews, grateful the outcome was not worse and querying what if there any are the implications for other high profile events in 2012 and beyond. Less than half of CMI members nationwide  expect business disruption due to the Olympics/ Paralympics but in London this confidence drops to less than a quarter who expect to be unaffected. Typical preplanning claimed includes 25% offering staff flexible hours and 17% remote working during this period.

Some research for this article is far from encouraging. Ever since the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull two years ago Dr Andy Hoper, Delft University of Technology working with the University of Iceland have been modelling forecasts of future volcanic “events”. Two years ago millions were left stranded across Europe, the cost to airlines was estimated at £250m a day for six days and alarmingly those currently studying the neighbouring  Katla caldera report signs of high activity likely to indicate an eruption which they claim has “much more damaging” potential. Reports of the 1783-1784 Icelandic eruption are claimed to have created so much volcanic debris that the world temperature dropped by 3C. A fifth of Iceland’s population are stated to have died, even in Britain poisoning and extreme cold caused fatalities. Is it difficult to take full precautions?

The CMI members’ survey covered 1021 respondents who were in general management rather than in BCP, Business Continuity Planning ie those working in the organisation rather than the specialist crisis teams. These respondents were largely aware of the BCP in their organisations 81% claimed to know of the planning but 39% indicated they would need to check up on their own role and responsibilities. How about your practice members’ awareness?

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