According to a 2007 business dependence report by Business Roundtable (BR), there is major concern that when it comes to having an online business, many companies are not ready or prepared to handle Internet-related disruptions that may arise.  You might be thinking, “So, what’s the big deal?” Well, as stated in my previous blog, when things go wrong with the Internet such as misinformation, glitches and the like, it makes consumers lose faith in that particular company, thereby causing the company to lose business.  In certain instances, this can be a crushing blow. 

Some of the things that catch businesses off guard include:

• Lack of awareness- For example, most businesses aren’t even aware that they have an “addiction” to the Internet until something happens to negatively impact the ability to conduct necessary business functions.
• Failure to plan- Since many businesses don’t view the Internet as something that could possibly work against them, a lot of their company plans don’t include a place for a “backup plan” should something actually go wrong with the Internet.
• Everyone suffers- If you fail to plan, then plan to fail; and plan to take other businesses with you.  The Internet is a social network, allowing for the exchange of ideas, products and services.  It’s a “web” and therefore, we’re all connected.  So, if something goes wrong with your business, plan to have it directly or indirectly affect your neighbors.
• Credibility- Credibility is so extremely important to the success of a business.  If there’s an issue with the Internet and information isn’t properly transmitted (especially if this is not the first time it’s happened), then this can and probably will have a negative impact on your company.

How Do We Fix the Problem?

Prevention is better than cure.  You cannot prevent most Internet problems from happening; however, you can be better prepared, so that when they do occur, you have all your bases covered.  When companies are established, or when annual reviews are done, businesses should address Internet dependence and assess all of the risks involved.  They should be  more proactive in seeking out the partnership of other businesses so that they can strengthen organizational response time in the event that something goes wrong.  BR also suggests that corportate executives ensure executive-level engagement with governement to set and communicate expectations about early warning and threat notifications for the business.

For more information on Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Business Building, Business Networking //