Severe weather can effectively shut down an entire region. When a blizzard hits, businesses feel the effects both before and after the storm. What is most telling is the fact that the most well prepared companies can end up increasing their business revenues within the same time period. With the right plan, your business might actually begin to look forward to weather reports of the next big, upcoming snowstorm.
Getting Into Action Before Severe Weather Hits
Business owners generally have at least a few days to prepare before snow begins to fall. Companies may change their hours of operation in order to better accommodate staff and customers, sometimes taking special orders and supplying workers with provisions. Think about what you need to do keep your business open for as long as possible, both before and directly after the blizzard hits. Map out how customers can get to your place of business via public transportation, by driving, and on foot. Businesses with parking lots don't just have to clean the snow away—they also need to determine where they can safely put the snow. Using heavy-duty snow plows to clear your parking lot will enable you to keep your parking lot accessible to customers and workers, while your business remains open. If your business doesn't own a snow plow, contact a company like Koenig Body & Equipment Inc to learn about the available models.
Making It Easy For Customers To Get To You
While snow plows can prevent snow banks from forming where your customer park, you still have to deal with the stairs, paths, and walkways they will use to come to your business. Salt can help to prevent ice from forming, but it's not very effective against large piles of snow. You may be required to shovel the walkways leading to your business several times in order to make it convenient for shoppers to reach you.
Cleaning Up After The Storm
When the snow stops falling, people who have been staying in will slowly begin to emerge. This increase in foot traffic can turn snow into a sloppy, dirty sludge, washing away the protective layer of salt you put down on the walkways. More dirty snow sludge can be tracked inside of your place of business, creating a safety hazard and generally making a mess of things. You may be able to use snow plows attached to company pickup trucks to push the snow sludge into the gutter, or a nearby authorized area, away from your business.
Until all of the snow dissipates, cleanup efforts must continue. If customers find that your business stays in operation while a blizzard is in effect, they will come to depend on you when the next one hits.
