As a country we love to talk about the weather but there’s one thing that sends a shiver down the spine of any commuter across the UK and that’s signs of snow! Just a couple of inches is enough to leave some parts of the country inaccessible and decimate any chance of making it to work until temperatures warm and the ice melts.

Whilst snow days can seem like a bit of fun on the face of it, research has recently estimated that snow over the past two years has cost the British economy a staggering £1 billion per day! So, what can you do to make sure the show goes on and that people contacting you are communicated with in the best possible way, no matter what the weather?

In the event that your office is closed!

The nightmare scenario is that the skies have opened, the blizzards have descended and nobody is able to get to work! Your phone system should allow you to remotely add a message that lets any callers know that due to adverse weather your office will be closed for the day.

We also recommend that any message also provides them with an alternative number to call in the event of an emergency, or allows them to leave a message for you to pick up on your return to the office, depending on the nature of your business.

The key thing here is that you’re able to add this remotely, otherwise that phone’s going to ring and ring, much to the consternation of the person calling!

In the event some people have made it in!

A slightly more common scenario is when some, but not all, of your employees are able to brave it through the commute and make it into the office. In this case you’re likely to face a different set of issues, largely around staff capacity and flexible working.

Your phone system should allow you to easily create ring groups and hunt groups which will allow for calls to ring on certain sets of phones. This means that you can make sure that the resources you have in the office are best placed to handle the nature of the calls coming in.

The system should also allow you to forward calls to those team members in the office, or to mobiles if they’re working from home during the inclement weather. Either way, the key here is to ensure that no matter which phone rings, the right person will still answer it in a timely manner.

Our phone systems are able to meet the needs of organisations of all sizes, whatever the weather.  For more information please give us a call on 01237 420010