Disaster Recovery Tip #21

Build a team.

It's a tall order to expect one person to efficiently develop a comprehensive recovery plan by themselves. After all, they have to account for every reasonable interruption across the entire business. There are just too many moving pieces. There is power in numbers and at worst, two heads are better than one. Assembling a team will give you the ability to share information, brainstorm, and create a natural sounding board to bounce off ideas.

During an actual recovery, having a team provides additional advantages. If the team leader is not available, others will be familiar with the plan and can execute it. This built-in redundancy to your recovery response helps ensure a quick and efficient return to business as usual.

Google TV service announced

Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.

Link for more images.

Disaster Recovery Tip #20

Keep a local emergency list.

Be sure to include contact information for local resources in your recovery plan. This includes the obvious: police, fire department, poison control; and the not so obvious: local government agencies, as well as state & county emergency management offices. Employees should have access to local emergency agency information (phone numbers, email, etc), particularly in the event of unexpected disasters and terrorist attacks.

Disaster Recovery Tip #19

Diversify your supply chain.

During a large-scale regional event, your business may experience delays in the receipt of goods and services. To avoid diminished efficiency, develop a list of redundant vendors for key supplies. For example, if your internet provider experiences an extended outage, you will want to have other options ready to go immediately (Cable, DSL, Air Cards, etc). Make arrangements with “backup” suppliers and vendors to obtain resources needed to facilitate critical operations and key functions.

Paintings with Cell Phone Jammer

Painting Cell Phone Jammer with Remote Control - covertly and completely blocks mobile phone signals in an 80 meter radius. Powerful and effective, this cell phone jammer effectively disables any cell phone and will stop all signals on the GSM, CDMA, DCS, PHS, and 3G bands without interrupting any other electronic device. With the included remote control, users can turn the device on and off for instant jamming and unjamming. Also included is sensitivity control for partial and selective blocking of any mobile phone signal. With a working radius of up to 80 meters, this device can be used in any location, but is found primarily in places where a phone call would be particularly disruptive because silence is expected or needed. The inconspicuous painting design effortlessly blends in with (and easily mounts on) the wall and is ideal for churches, hospitals, libraries, museums, movie theaters, class rooms, and for business meetings and legal proceedings. This unique and high powered cell phone jammer is available in our warehouse now for single and bulk order purchases. Order today and we'll express ship it out tomorrow, brought to you by the leader in China Electronics - Chinavasion.

At a Glance...

• High powered signal jammer designed for use against mobile phones
• Jams GSM, CDMA, DCS, PHS, and 3G signals - separately or all at once!
• Works in an 80 meter radius
• Remote controlled
• Additional 3D painting cover

Read more at the original post here.

Disaster Recovery Tip #18

Be decisive.

Too often during interruptions, we see businesses take a wait-and-see approach to executing their established disaster recovery plan. If your plan calls for you to "pull the trigger" within the first 12 hours, but instead you second guess yourself and wait, you put your business at risk. Delays in executing your recovery plan can set in motion a cascading series of failures that are difficult to stop once they’ve begun. During a disaster, the domino effect is magnified.

We understand that putting your recovery plan in action is not an easy decision; the manpower, resources and expense can be intimidating. But that’s where the benefit of planning and testing shines. A detailed plan will help you make a solid rational decision in a very emotional time.

Trust your plan. It’ll save your business.

MedCom wins the ATSI Award of Excellence

MedCom Professional Service is pleased to announce that each of their office affiliates have won the prestigious ATSI Award of Excellence. The award ceremony was held at the 66th Annual ATSI Convention & Expo at the Westin Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, CA. Read below to find out more about the Award of Excellence program and watch the acceptance videos. MedCom has achieved this award for 13 consecutive years.

Introduction
The telephone answering service industry has matured in communications technology and sophisticated consumers. Bureaus now must face the realization that they are already in a niche market for the consumer who requires live operator services. With competition from virtually every angle, only the best service will keep the consumer happy and loyal. While most bureaus in the industry most certainly provide good service, we are searching for that which goes beyond. The cut above will be rewarded with our coveted Award of Excellence. Here is how we determine that level.

Our Description of Excellent Service
Excellence requires a level of service that considers the caller first in every aspect of the call. Excellence make a caller believe they are the most important person (or their problem is the most important consideration) to your operator/telereceptionist. How the operator handles every call, from beginning to end determines the success of your client relationship an the level of repeat business. No matter what is happening at your bureau on any given day, the caller should never feel your operator is too busy to give them the best service.

Benefits of Participation
If successful in achieving an 80% overall average score, participants will enjoy:

• a plaque for the office wall to remind both customers and staff of their accomplishment.
• a press release to send to the appropriate media and use in sales kits and staff/customer newsletters.
• a photo op at the presentation ceremony to accompany the press release
• a sheet of logos to use in advertising, sales kits and other promotional material
• team accomplishment and pride.
• the ability to improve further by using the evaluation sheets and audio tape of calls to find areas that still need attention

This program was designed as a measure of quality control. The success of the program however has not been based on "winning" the Award. If unsuccessful in achieving an 80% overall average score:

• it is a chance to regroup and find areas to improve
• each participant receives evaluation sheets and an audio tape of calls which are the best tools to establish areas in need of attention.
• management and staff rally together to win it next time.

The program was started in Canada in 1989 and has been slightly modified every year since to remain relevant to our changing industry. ATSI adopted the program as a member service in 1995 with great success. Over 20,000 calls have been made to many participating companies yielding many winners.