Tom Merriott

Owners and managers take note; weather is happening. This might sound silly, but good and bad weather is all around us all the time and yet we wait to react until things get extreme. This behavior really needs to stop. As service professionals, we need to get out in front of the extremes in our climate that effect our work. I get calls and emails all the time from contractors concerned about weather events. Usually it’s because they are surprised by an extreme and don’t know how to cope with the increased workload.

There is no easy solution when things get crazy, but we can prepare for the next time using the problems we are go through when it is crazy. As an example I like to have people write down everything that didn’t go well during the spike in business. This is best done with a running list updated at the end of every day. Then when the workload drops back down to normal levels you can begin to look at and plan to fix the things on the list.

Planning is the key to not only surviving but thriving during weather extremes. First, you need to have someone in your business who owns the weather. This person or team is responsible for being completely plugged in to one of the largest factors influencing your business and they need a system to report it to the rest of the team. Once someone is watching and reporting we have hopefully taken some of the surprise away.

Next up is an extreme situation plan for every aspect of the business. If the phone is ringing off the hook and everyone in the building is answering, then they need to know what to say. Also, they need to know that some of the daily tasks will have to wait until the extreme subsides. You should have rules in place to dictate what type of calls you run and how many per day. Depending on the event, special gear or safety rules might need to be in place. I hope you get the idea.

Every year we are faced with extremes in our climate and the difference between surviving and success boils down to planning.