By texasmerchantservices November 26, 2025
Power outages and network failures can happen at any minute, which can shut down your store operations if you are not prepared. The best way to safeguard your business is to plan ahead so that transactions go on without a hitch, along with efficient communication and customer service. With the proper backup systems installed and clear steps to follow, your store will be able to remain active and reliable during unexpected downtime.
Growing Risk of Power Outages
The frequency, duration, and disruption from power outages are increasing significantly today. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t understand the severity of the issue until their operations unexpectedly shut down and the financial impact begins to build by the hour. In fact, a majority of business interruptions that customers report involve the loss of power.
Power failures generally come in three categories. Firstly, a brownout is when power is not fully cut off, but the voltage drops, causing lights to dim and equipment to malfunction or fail. Secondly a blackout is a complete loss of electricity over a wide area, usually because of major damage to power systems, and can take hours—or even days—to restore. A permanent fault happens when a major disruption, such as a damaged power line, occurs, but once the issue is repaired, electricity comes back right away.
This can be triggered by multiple factors, such as equipment breakdown, electrical failure, damage by animals to the power systems, and other possible causes. But the largest driver of them in recent years has been extreme weather. Between 2000 and 2021, the majority of outages were caused by weather events, and the estimated economic losses from these events reached tens of billions of dollars per year.
While there are major investments in renewable energy and improved infrastructure, they are not progressing fast enough to match growing demand. Similarly, fossil fuel shortages and high fuel prices add more pressure. All these factors make long-lasting power outages a real threat to businesses of every size.
Gone are the days when companies needed only to prepare for short power blips. Today, they have to be prepared to respond to extended downtime. A single power failure can result in lost revenue, damaged equipment, frustrated customers, and a long-term operational setback without a response plan. Having a strategy in place now is key to business continuity and resilience for prolonged outages.
Common Causes of Power Outages
Understanding the reasons for power outages can facilitate better preparation and quicker responses of a business when an outage occurs. Each company has an individual level of risk, so this knowledge of likely causes is the first step in the emergency plan. Most of the outages emanate from external issues that occur outside the building, such as storms, high winds, hurricanes, or snow damaging the lines and equipment. Sometimes, utility company failures occur, or during those times of high demand, the power grid becomes overloaded, which can result in some planned blackouts.
Other outages originate inside the business. These include faulty wiring, blown fuses, or circuits being overloaded by too many high-power devices running at once. These internal problems are usually fixed by a licensed electrician. When businesses understand both external and internal risks, they can take the right precautions to reduce downtime and keep operations safe and running as smoothly as possible.
Challenges and Considerations
Power outages can cause severe disruption to store operations when you rely on connected POS systems, digital payments processing, and constant communication with suppliers and customers. Meanwhile, planned shutdowns to reduce grid risks are becoming increasingly common in many regions, although the long-term impact on sales and operating expenses is as yet unclear.
Training your team about what to do after an outage is helpful, but it alone is not sufficient. Backup power plans built on DIY tools may seem affordable at first, but often fail when it really counts and may get prohibitively expensive later. Plus, once a regional outage hits, it gets tough to buy equipment quickly because suppliers run out fast.
What to Do Before a Power Outage
Every small business should have a plan for what to do in the event of a power outage. Your employees need to understand exactly what to do when the lights go out. In fact, a power outage response plan will not just keep your people safe, but it will also protect your equipment and appliances from getting damaged.
Firstly, start with some safety considerations for employees and customers, and ensure that no one uses elevators or escalators in case of an outage. If the power lines are down near your store, warn everyone to stay away and avoid driving near them.
Secondly, have on hand an emergency kit in an accessible, easy-to-reach location. It should include bottled water, first-aid supplies, flashlights, rope, and other basic emergency items. Workers should be informed as to where it is stored and how to use the contents in case of need.
Thirdly, check your backup safety systems. Emergency tools, such as smoke alarms, sprinklers, and exit signs, require backup battery power. Be certain these systems can remain operational during electrical outage situations.
Additionally, learn how to operate a generator safely. Generators can keep key operations running during an outage, but they need to be used with caution. Always operate them in a well-ventilated area to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet directly and never use it in wet conditions. Always let a generator cool down before adding fuel.
Pro tip: If you don’t own a generator, take the time to compare features and find the one that’s just right for your business
What to Do After a Power Outage and Network Drop
The first step after a workplace power outage is to ensure that power has been fully restored before you restart your operations. When the electricity comes back, do not immediately switch on major appliances. Switch on a light first as a test, and after 10–15 minutes, you can start using heavy equipment in order to avoid sudden electrical damage. Once things are stable, check all appliances and machines carefully to determine whether something has been damaged.
Give extra attention to plugs, wiring, and electronic ports. If you were using a generator, then shut it down safely by following the proper procedure, and never unplug equipment before the generator is turned off. After the store is secure, start evaluating business losses. This might be damaged equipment, lost inventory, or even downtime.
Review your business insurance policies and file claims when necessary. Do not forget digital loss, too, restoring or recovering business data that might have been affected. Such steps help get your business back on track and better prepare for future outages.
How to Communicate with Customers During an Outage
When the power is out and your store is affected, the fastest way to avoid frustrated customers is to keep them in the loop. People understand emergencies, but silence leads to confusion and lost trust. Try to update customers via more than one channel so the word gets around. If possible, send out a short notice on social media, and also send an update through text to loyalty members; adjust your Google Business hours to reflect any temporary closure or delays.
If the phone lines remain open, record a simple voicemail explaining what happened and when you expect to reopen. For those waiting on online orders and pickups, message them immediately about possible delays to prevent surprises. Clear, honest communication reassures customers you care, and most will gladly wait as long as they know what is going on.
How to Keep Business Operations Running Remotely During a Power Outage and Network Drop
Your store does not have to shut down operations completely just because the lights go out. With a smart plan in place, work can continue even when the physical location is closed. Keep in place an emergency plan where store managers and other key team members have the ability to log in to the internal business systems through secure VPN logins while away from the location.
This keeps inventory checks, vendor communication, payroll, customer support, and other daily tasks running without risking sensitive information. Equip essential staff ahead of time with mobile hotspots, fully charged power banks, and backup communicators so they are not stuck waiting for power to return.
During long outages, quick and direct communication is crucial, wherein sending mass SMS alerts is usually more reliable than email because most of your employees might not have internet access. With the right preparation and backup tools, your team will be able to keep running store operations smoothly at home-even when the storefront is temporarily offline.
Best Practices for Power Outage for Every Business
Firstly, one of the smartest ways to protect your business from unexpected power cuts is to invest in a generator, as this will keep important equipment running and save you from costly production delays. Seeing as though generators are a big expense, it is well worth researching the different types available before making such an investment. That being said, diesel generators remain a firm favorite because they last longer and use fuel more economically.
Secondly, in addition to reliable power backup, it’s also very critical to get a clear emergency plan trained into the minds of your people so they can keep safe and maintain work continuity once the lights go out, especially if the elevators stop or visibility remains poor. Thirdly, a surge protector is another good, practical investment; power often returns with a strong voltage spike that can damage computers and machinery. For that reason, protection at hand can save you from some pretty costly repairs.
Another important issue is doing backups in advance on secure hard drives or cloud storage so that nothing is lost during an outage. Finally, communication should never come to an end when power goes out, which means employees need to be prepared to revert to alternative options like using landlines or even text messaging once the computers and internet facilities are offline during an outage.
Conclusion
Preparing for power outages and network drops is not just about avoiding downtime; it’s about keeping your business as reliable as possible when customers need you most. With backup power set up and a well-trained staff on what to do in case something goes down, your store can keep running with confidence even during unexpected disruptions. The more you prepare now, the fewer stressful situations your team and customers will have to be put through when a real outage occurs.
FAQs
How can my store stay open during a power outage?
Use backup power, offline payments, and trained staff to continue serving customers without internet or electricity.
If the power goes out, what should employees do first?
Switch to outage check list, Secure systems, notify manager, and switch to Offline or manual billing if necessary.
Is it safe to handle card transactions without the internet?
Yes, an offline-capable POS stores the transactions securely and syncs automatically once the network is restored.
How frequently should outage drills be conducted?
Run practice drills every few months, so staff know what steps to take and remain confident during actual events.
What tools help during network drops?
Mobile hotspots, battery backups, offline POS, SMS communication tools, and manual receipt books provide strong backup support.