Tuesday, 12 January 2016

Crafting Effective Real-time Responses During Crisis

When faced with a crisis, whether due to a sudden event or bad publicity, companies are behooved to respond. In the age of social media, staying mum could further damage credibility.

The key is preparedness. An organization, no matter the size, is vulnerable to crises. The following are tips for crafting effective responses during crisis:  

Be open and honest. Honesty and openness are indispensable, and are still the most important virtues in crisis management. People’s reaction to say, a disaster or an accident, is all human nature. Allison Canty, a social media and community manager, in a blog post, explains, “Give your customers the information you have. If you don't have any updates, tell them that too. Your customers will appreciate the honesty –even if they don't seem like they do.”  

Image source: www.eurocontrol.int

Act fast. Today, with social media, it takes a matter of seconds for customers to share and respond to a bad review or news about a company. Hence, it is critical to respond in a timely manner. Address issues as soon as possible.

As stated, it’s all about preparedness. Anticipate potential crises and establish methods on how to deal with them any time they could occur in an organization.

Image source: www.recognitionpr.co.uk
Marc Slavin is a California-based communications consultant, specializing in organizational development, internal communications, and public outreach. Follow this Twitter page for more about communications and crisis management.

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