YOUR last client of 1999 has just left the premises and the shop door is now locked. Before you rush off to join the revellers, there are a few things to tick off the list if you want to have peace of mind over the holiday period – and a trouble-free start to next year.
Agents should make backing up their computer system a high priority. And it is not just client records that need backing up on disk, it is the software programmes that run the business too, according to Chauntry Corporation managing director Theresa Hughes.
She said: “We recommend that agencies back up the software as well as the data. It should be the last operation you do before you close for the holiday period. In the event that your machines stop working on January 1, you can at least go out and buy new hardware and use the back-up disks to load the software. If you’re not sure how to do the back-up, you should contact your supplier.”
Agents should take special care with the back-up – any glitches that go unnoticed could delay you when the shop reopens after Christmas.
“Don’t do what you normally do and walk out the door assuming the back-up will finish. You need to watch it finish, for your own peace of mind,” said Paul Richer, senior partner at travel technology consultancy Genesys.
Richer advises shutting down PCs before Christmas, rather than leaving them on to run through the New Year.
He said: “If there is a problem when the date ticks over to the new century, it is better if someone is there to see the error messages and note them down. Otherwise, you may not notice they have rolled over to the new century incorrectly and they are posting accounts information to 1984 instead of 2000.”
For extra peace of mind, agencies can take out a special maintenance and service contract to cover their machines during the holiday period. Chauntry’s Hughes said: “Agencies should check their normal hardware and software maintenance contracts – they may only be covered between Mondays and Fridays. Besides which, a lot of technology companies are not going to be open over the New Year period. Other companies are stepping in to offer extra cover,” she added.
Having paper print-outs of important information could also help smooth the situation if there are glitches in the computer system on January 4 when most people return to work.
Galileo general manager for sales and marketing Peter Grover advised: “Make sure you print out your schedule for January, customer appointments and accounts for example, otherwise you’ll kick yourself for not having made a simple click of the mouse if you can’t access your systems on January 4. It’s also good to print out your customer contacts.”
Make sure you have the phone numbers of your software and hardware suppliers to hand. “It’s no good if all your phone numbers are stored on the computer that won’t work,” he added.
Apart from PCs, other machines need attention too. “Just in case the phone system doesn’t work, make sure that you have an ordinary standalone phone ready and that you know where a phone socket is. That way you will still be able to make calls if the switchboard/PBX is not working,” said Genesys’ Richer.
He added: “Make sure your fax machine is well loaded with paper.
“Clients may be trying to fax you if they have been stranded overseas or if they have problems with their hotel such as the heating or air conditioning not working due to the millennium bug,” said Richer.
Before the party, don’t forgetÉ
n Back up your computer programmes as well as your customer records and accounts.
n Keep a list on paper of your hardware and software suppliers’ phone numbers in case you need to contact them on January 4.
n Print out customer contacts, appointments schedules, accounts information and anything else you cannot live without on the first business day next year.
n Consider getting extra maintenance cover if you are worried about your systems failing over the holiday period
n Make sure the fax is loaded with paper for clients faxing in from overseas with millennium-bug related problems