Everyone has an interest in the weather. The old saying of “a little preparation goes a long way” holds true in just about every facet of your life.  Deciding what to wear in the morning shouldn’t be the only reason you check the weather forecast. For instance, have you considered what effect weather will have on your business?

If your company primarily works outdoors, you almost certainly take what you wear into account. Did you know weather has tremendous consequences on businesses that operate indoors as well? Most don’t consider this until it’s too late to take any real action. Having a partner that provides decision support on how weather may impact your operation will create an opportunity for you to truly focus on your business.

In today’s economy, every dollar counts. Consider adding weather to your budget, so you can make more informed business decisions. Employee and customer safety is a concern that every company considers, but let us all be honest for a moment and admit that it is also about money. Without that, there is no business and there are no customers to serve.

Let’s start with a scenario of a landscape company. Will the area you serve receive enough rainfall to sustain the mowing portion of your business? What days will be too windy to apply fertilizer? Is it actually going to snow or do I throw money out the window paying for staff and fuel to wait in plow trucks?

What if your business is a call center? You primarily operate indoors so weather is not a big deal, right? Wrong! Very few companies are completely insulated from the financial impact of weather. Where are your customers located? How the weather is impacting them could also affect your business. If you do outbound sales for vacations or time shares, call areas where it’s gloomy. If you provide overflow services, how is your client's center going to be impacted?  Are you prepared to handle the additional volume, if they are short staffed or need to close early? 

 If you manage outdoor sporting events, concert or festivals, you most certainly take into account the weather, but are you receiving the right? Will it actually rain? How long will the rain last? Is the lightning over? Will there be room to shelter everyone from the storm? Do we need to cancel the event?

This article contains a lot of questions. WDT and its world renowned staff of expert forecasters and business professionals can provide you with the answers.