What is a typical consequence of prolonged downtime for a company?

Prolonged downtime for a company typically leads to reduced customer trust. This occurs because when customers experience interruptions in service or product availability, their confidence in the company's ability to deliver reliable services diminishes. Trust is a crucial component of customer relationships; when it is eroded due to frequent or extended outages, customers may look to competitors, leading to a potential loss of business and reputation.

Customers expect a certain level of reliability, and consistent failures to meet those expectations can turn them away. In contrast, other options such as increased sales, growth of market share, and improved employee morale are not likely consequences of downtime. Sales and market share are often adversely affected due to lost business opportunities and dissatisfied customers, while employee morale may decline as staff deal with the pressures caused by operational disruptions. Thus, the most accurate consequence of prolonged downtime is indeed the reduction in customer trust.