Expert urges businesses to remain in contact with customers amid riots

Date: 11th August 2011

Small businesses that have seen their operations affected by the recent riots around the UK have been encouraged to keep in close contact with customers and clients.

This, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) claims, will ensure the quickest route back to normality following the recent violent outbreaks seen in cities across England.

James Crask, PwC's business continuity senior manager, has urged firms to keep their customers and clients updated and to take their time before deciding on an appropriate course of action.

"For many, the impacts will be wider than direct damage and losses caused by rioting, and a successful recovery will be driven by the actions taken in the immediate aftermath of these events," he commented.

"It is crucial for businesses to take a proportional approach to the threat, because a knee-jerk response could be more damaging to the recovery than the threat itself."

The riots started in north London last week before spreading around the city, with subsequent outbreaks of disorder reported in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol.

Posted by Thomas Fletcher