Crisis Management
Crisis Management Short summary
What is Crisis Management?
Every organisation will eventually face some unexpected and disruptive event. Crisis management refers to the way leaders identify and respond to these threats. Robust crisis management planning begins long before the crisis is revealed. It is an ongoing process of preparation, refinement, and training.
Why is Crisis Management Important?
Any crisis puts stress upon an organisation. In this type of scenario, with the additional pressure, leaders may make poor decisions. Or, they may take too long making critical decisions making the situation worse.
Well-planned crisis management helps leaders recognise the issue and facilitate better decision-making. The preparation for crisis management helps avoid threats, identify them as early as possible, and improve the response. Solid crisis management planning can also help reduce anxiety and increase focus while facing a crisis.
Key components in Crisis Management Plan
A Detailed, Written Plan – A written plan should be developed and made available to all key stakeholders. The written policy should include the following:
- The plan’s purpose – Includes a clear explanation of why the plan is needed and what it covers.
- Activation criteria – Identifies what circumstances will call for activation of the plan and who has the authority to activate it.
- Procedures – All of the steps that are to be taken in the event of a crisis. These should include details regarding the people responsible for the actions and what tools they will use.
A Crisis Communications Team – A team should be pre-selected and ready to jump into action in the event the plan is activated. The team will collect and disseminate information, facilitate the use of necessary tools and resources, monitor the response, and keep key stakeholders informed of all developments. They will also assist in the creation of messaging and oversee communication with the media.
Internal Communications Protocols – Before a crisis hits is the time to plan for how all stakeholders will be notified and kept up to date. It is vital to identify which communication platforms will be used and who will initiate messaging. It is essential during this planning to realise that, during a crisis, standard communications channels may be unavailable.
Depending on the situation, an organisation can lose access to phones, internal networks, and the internet. Therefore, it is critical to have an emergency notification system in place.
Emergency Notification is an Important Part of Crisis Management
Efficient communications are critical to keeping people calm, focused, and aware during a crisis. The best way to effectively deal with communication during a crisis is to have an emergency notification system already in place. By automating this critical task, organisations can be sure messages get out promptly, even if usual communications channels are not available.
RapidReach can provide both on-premises or SaaS (software as a service) systems that will be standing by when a crisis hits. Alerts can be activated via a mobile web page, a phone call, email, custom notification panel, or a panic button. Employees and other stakeholders can be notified by an emergency app, voice call, text message, desktop app, speaker, notification panel, pager, or fax.
Contact RapidReach today for a demonstration, trial, or more information.