| Thankfully, more and more businesses are | | | | are prepared |
| recognizing the need for business continuity plans | | | | - Table of Contents only – showing your client |
| (BCP) and disaster recovery plans (DR). This | | | | the table of contents is an excellent overview of |
| means that more companies, such as yourself | | | | your plan and gives you some easy talking points |
| actually have BCP and DR plans. | | | | - FAQ – prepare an list of questions and |
| But it also means that your clients and potential | | | | answers for the client that address how you |
| clients are aware of the need for such plans… | | | | handle specific situations |
| So what do you do when a potential or existing | | | | - Contact Information – give the client a |
| client asks to see your BCP or DR plan? Is this | | | | reliable set of contact information. This way if |
| information private internal material or should it be | | | | something does happy, the client has peace of |
| made "public"? | | | | mind of knowing that he can contact you when |
| Private or Public? | | | | he needs to |
| This is a tough situation to be in. On one hand, | | | | The Client |
| you're lucky that you're prepared and have | | | | Of course this brings up an interesting question |
| considered how your company will react, survive, | | | | – what about the client? Is your client |
| and maintain continuity of operations in the face | | | | prepared with a BCP and DR plan? It is worth |
| of disaster or disruption. Being prepared such as | | | | asking this question as well… Remember, |
| you are has actually become a marketing and | | | | business is a two-way street – you need to |
| sales tool. When you need to differentiate your | | | | guarantee continued service but you also want |
| company from your competitors, you can speak | | | | assurances of a consistent revenue stream. |
| about your BCP and DR plans – highlighting | | | | If you're prepared, but your client isn't, now |
| how you can guarantee continued service, | | | | you're the one left without knowing if in the |
| product, and business relations in the event of a | | | | event of a disaster, your client will be able to |
| disaster. But on the flipside, often these plans | | | | maintain business, continue to generate revenue |
| involve private internal data that really is not for | | | | and in turn pay invoices and continue to be a |
| external knowledge. | | | | revenue for you. |
| This decision really is up to you but there are a | | | | So when a client asks for your BCP or DR plan, |
| few measures you can take to ensure that all | | | | be sure to do the same of your client. Both of |
| parties are happy and protected: | | | | you can rest easy at night knowing that you're |
| - Non-Disclosure Agreement – the client should | | | | working with reliable and forward-thinking |
| sign such a document before seeing your plans | | | | businesses. Being prepared goes a long way in |
| - Excerpt the plan – you don't need to show | | | | protecting your business and confirming to outside |
| your client the full plan. Rather excerpt it and | | | | eyes that you're here to stay for the long-term. |
| highlight the key points that emphasize how you | | | | |