A strong corporate reputation is recognized as a valuable asset, one which takes years to build, and requires constant nurturing to maintain. A crisis, whether a product safety scare, an environmental incident, labor relations, management scandal, property management problem, or online attack, put that reputation to the test. The outcome can be devastating, but it doesn’t have to be.
Rigorous preparation is the most important factor in protecting the corporate reputation in the event of a crisis. More than that, research shows that thorough preparation actually reduces the likelihood of a major crisis happening in the first place. This is because the preparation phase highlights flaws and vulnerabilities that can be addressed, and creates a heightened sense of crisis awareness and vigilance that acts as an early warning system to snuff out potential crises before they escalate and emerge to cause financial damanage. So engaging in crisis preparation and prevention is one of the best investments you can make. What are the key areas you should address? Here are some of your first steps to protect the corporate reputation:
* Compile a list of reputational risks – involve business colleagues from different functions in this process to ensure you cover as many threats as possible. Encourage people to think worst case scenario rather than adopting an attitude of “it could never happen here”.
* Identify your stakeholders and partners – these are likely to include emergency services, regulators, bodies, employees, even competitors
* Work out the best communication methods to reach your stakeholders in a crisis – this can vary from simple telephone calls, emails
*Social Media Support – Don’t overlook online channels: for example, have Twitter and Facebook social media accounts set up and ready to go.
* Form a crisis team – convene a small team of individuals with the relevant expertise and personal qualities necessary to handle a crisis. But remember, you will still need to run the rest of your business, and ensure you have deputies for all team members.
* Identify and equip a training room – a dedicated room containing items such as computers, network
* Prepare a crisis manual – a set of clear processes and materials is an invaluable aid to effective crisis management. But make sure it is not so large and detailed that it is unusable in a real incident.
* Train the corporate crisis team – make them familiar with crisis procedures, test them using simulations, and put spokespeople through professional media training.
* Make your crisis planning come alive – re-visit the manual regularly, plan a schedule of training courses, and build bridges with your stakeholders before a crisis occurs. Preparation is essential if organizations want to protect their corporate reputation in the event of a crisis. Sound
Crisis management strategy has become a flourishing industry. Unfortunately, it is a necessity
The Importance Of Corporate Crisis Management
This is not a task for the faint-hearted as it comes with incredible responsibility. Depending upon the size of the organization and the type of industry involved the physical safety, emotional well-being, corporate reputation, and even environmental safety may rest upon a well-developed crisis corporate reputation management policy.
What Characteristics Should Be Included?
No matter who is responsible for developing and implementing the policies and procedures that must exist, there are certain characteristics that will be included in a successful business crisis management plan. Some of those characteristics are:
* Team creation – You must have a designated team of personnel that is in charge of handling. skillful should include expertise in executive, marketing/product management, operations, legal, human resources, information technology, finance, PR or media.
* Command center – A command center should be established which will serve as the central location for all incoming and outgoing communications.
* Problem dissection – The team must break down the problem into manageable sectors and assign those sectors to appropriate team members.
* Incoming communication – You must establish a telecommunications call center if necessary to handle concerns and possibly information from employees and members of the public if necessary.
* Outgoing communication – A single person (CEO or agency of record for example) should serve as the voice of the organization, whether you run www.seniorsforseniors.ca, The Hearing Room, the best online secondary school, or any other exceptional business. This top leader must be properly informed and prepared before providing any necessary public updates. It may also be necessary to communicate directly with employees or their family members as well.
* Resolution & control – Damage control must be handled promptly and effectively. This will not only be necessary for public safety, but also for corporate reputation management. A resolution when applicable should be employed. In addition, you must determine what steps can be established to prevent a similar situation in the future. When you employ the services of a professional crisis management team to develop and assist your new business in implementing the necessary policies and procedures to prepare for a crisis organization recognized these bases should all be addressed.
*SEO & Social Media Reputation Management – These days the damage that can be dealt on social media, Google, and other influential websites can be as severe as what happens offline. It could even be more so. You need to have a plan in place to deal with social media attacks, black hat SEO work, negative online reviews, and other digital marketing related matters.
Utilizing programs like an Instagram bot can help to automate certain processes that otherwise would be very time-consuming and/or expensive to scale. It will be well worth the investment when it comes to PR and reputation.
If you determine to undertake this project on your own, you must make sure that your plan contains all of these characteristics. Regardless of who will shoulder the responsibility of developing plans, procedures, and teams you must do it today. Do not put off preparing a successful crisis management plan until it is too late. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
The biggest contributing factor to the successfulness of crisis communication and a crisis management plan is preparing in advance. While no one ever wants a crisis to happen, when it does being prepared allows for it to be handled in a manner that controls the damage to your reputation and helps those that are affected to minimize the negative personal effects.
If you can’t improve your personal or corporate reputation then it could end up putting you out of a job. If failed reputation management costs you your job, then you might need to apply to new jobs for business managers and get back on the horse. Remember that corporate reputation management should always be a top priority in business.
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