If you are a forward-moving company that has already developed a Crisis Strategy, then you are ahead of the game. Research shows that only 49% of American businesses have a crisis intervention plan in place. The purpose of the plan is to proactively think through challenging and unique situations that could negatively impact several aspects of your business. Now that you and your team has done the work to put strategies in place, how would you gauge the efficacy of it? Follow these steps to ensure the success of your plan.

Know when it’s really a crisis

Every ordeal your business goes through is not a crisis. Your plan should only be used when an issue escalates to a crisis level, and several moving parts of your company or departments are affected. It might be helpful to identify threats to your company before creating your plan. Collaborate with your departments and figure out how these threats could impact them, then create portions of your plans around these concerns. Figure out what your company can and can not handle before the plan can be implemented.

Make sure everyone knows their role

People tend to panic when they don’t know what is going on, and it’s best to predetermine protocols and steps to keep everything in order. Have real conversations with the people in your company about what’s really at risk and what these risks look like in every department. Conduct training for your staff and stakeholders so everyone knows their role in the plan should it need to be used.

Revisit the Plan Frequently

As the times change, so must your plan. You must keep the plan up to date as your company experiences changes in technology and human capital. Incorporate it onto your new hire protocols so that new personnel knows what it entails and if they have a part in it. Make the plan easily assessable to all stakeholders.

Post-crisis communication

Should you ever have to implement the plan, take notes during the process. You will want to document what worked well and what didn’t. The protocols that did not work well will need to be revisited immediately after the crisis has ended and updated in the plan. Be transparent with your stakeholders about the efficacy of the plan you had in place and what changes will be made going forward.

Has this blog helped you with managing your brand through a crisis? Connect with us today at info.brandexperts@gmail.com and let us know how we can help!