5 BAU tips for a well-thought out BCP

By: Bea Lim, Managing Director

It is undeniable that the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted not only the lives of the people, but businesses and industries as well. While authorities are taking care of containing the spread, it is important to consider that natural or man-made disasters may also strike. These instances highlight the importance of having business continuity plans (BCP) in place, to primarily keep the employees safe, but also to keep the company moving.

Recently, more and more businesses are shifting their operations, adopting an indefinite work-from-home scheme as a precautionary measure and to ensure that work will still progress amidst this health issue. But how do you make it work? How will you be able to track the work being done? Is it really sustainable for businesses?

For companies and agencies who are struggling to make ends meet, here are five digital solutions that you can consider as part of your business continuity plans to ensure that your employees are safe while keeping your business going.

1. Streamlined tasks for optimized performance. There are a lot of performance trackers out there that can help you monitor your own as well as your team’s tasks. From Trello to Asana, you can list down as many deliverables as you can in order to manage your day or week. It’s like having an interactive checklist. You can notify members of your team by tagging them on your progress or even send yourself reminders should a deadline be approaching.

2. Digital office in one group chat. As the world becomes more digital, communication has now become easier thanks to messaging apps. The same can be said for work. A lot of things can happen in a group chat from sharing the latest announcements or even some minor non-work-related exchanges. Need something checked? Tag your supervisor from the previous tip, or just send them a quick chat. The key is striking a balance between a mess and organized chaos.

3. Embrace technology with teleconferencing. Coming from messaging apps, you need to be creative when it comes to reduced physical contact and that includes meetings. Teleconferencing via Google Meets/Hangouts, Zoom, or Skype grants you face time wherever the meeting parties are and this includes your weekly meetings with your team or even clients. This is also useful when you are organizing events, talking to different suppliers, and handling logistics and procurement.

4. From attachments to shared documents. Thanks to Cloud technology, you do not need to attach files multiple times or even store them on flash drives anymore. With the right link, anyone can access your online document. From an article you are writing to the design assets you need for your advertisement, the Cloud has it all; given that you uploaded them, of course. Accessing files has never been this easy! But of course, always keep data security in mind.

5. Accountability in accounting. While the rest of your company may already be working from home, your finance team also needs to be safe from harm while ensuring the company’s finances are in order. According to our resident IT expert, providing them with laptops equipped with their accounting platform and access to company servers will be of greater help, especially in these trying times. Now, they can also enjoy the work-from-home scheme.

These are just some BCP tips from TeamAsia to help companies continue delivering excellent service during these trying times. Using the available technologies, you get to prioritize the health and safety of your teams and still maintain business productivity. We hope these tips are helpful in working through this latest outbreak with commitment, accountability and a sustainable business future.

The transition may not be as easy at first. If you need a partner in this tech journey, we would love to collaborate. Let us know how we can be part of this journey at info@teamasia.com.