As a small business owner, you know that every decision you make can impact your bottom line. This is why it crucial to be proactive and be aware that disasters and events can happen. By taking care of your property and keeping a plan that is communicated to employees, you can ensure you can make it through a disaster as smoothly as possible. Learn more about outdoor maintenance tips, how to plan for emergencies that impact your small business, and crucial information about submitting damage claims.
Outdoor Maintenance Tips
Whether it is your home or a building, ensuring that customer-facing exterior is in good condition is important. As a first impression, you want your business to be welcoming. If you have outdoor signage, make sure your sign is clean at all times. Also, make sure there aren’t any trees or shrubs near it that could hinder someone from finding your business as they are pulling up.
Next, you will want to make sure there are clear walkways for customers. From debris in the way to cracks, you want to make sure your area is safe to avoid accidents from happening. Â It is also important to make sure the structure of your building is sound. Complete manual checks around the building to look for any cracks in the foundation or warning signs. In addition, make sure to inspect your roof a few times per year. You will want to look for cracks or missing shingles as leaks can lead to costly fixes down the road.
Planning for Emergencies
If you do not have a plan of action in the event of an emergency that could impact your small business, you need to make this a top priority. To start, research common disasters and events that could potentially happen to the structure of your business.
Use this to review your insurance and make sure you are properly covered for potential scenarios. Next, make sure you have a plan of action in case your business will have to be closed—both short term and long term. Have a list of contacts readily available that include employees and anyone else you normally work with to inform them about the situation. This also includes informing your customers.
It is also important that your small business have first aid kits and other tools available on-hand in case of an emergency with an employee or customer. If you need help with your plan, use the American Red Cross’ get started: emergency preparedness checklist for small businesses.
Submitting Claims
Included in your emergency plan should be a step-by-step guide on how to submit a claim upon damage to your small business. First, make sure you understand every element of your insurance policy. After an event has occurred, take time to make sure the area is safe. Next, you will need to review and assess the damage. Be sure to take detailed notes on the damage, and include pictures. Keep this to inform your insurance company and once you have taken these measures, contact them to file a claim. From there, an adjuster will be sent to your business to investigate your claim.
When your customers are submitting claims for an emergency, you may need more claims adjusters to handle the volume of claims. Hire Aspen Claims to help, we are the premier nationwide independent claims adjuster. Learn about the Aspen difference and call us today at 888-819-5904 to see how we can help your company with claims adjusting.
