Crisis Communication: Are You Ready or Not?
The Beatles once sang, “Help! I need somebody, not just anybody. Won’t somebody please, please help me.” Managers, C-suite, and employees can surely relate to these words, throughout their career.
There comes a time when all enterprises must face a crisis, be it big or small. One that has affected the globe is, without a doubt, Covid-19. However, crises have come and gone well before Covid-19, and not all enterprises have been as successful as KFC to overcome them.
As Warren Buffet said, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
In today’s uber-connected world, there is ultimately no room for error when it comes to getting on top of a crisis. Even the cost of reacting too slowly, or ineffectively, grows by the minute. BP Oil and Volkswagen know something about this.
A crisis is often complicated, and it is impossible to understand how long it will last. As the crisis unfolds in real-time, circumstances can radically change, as will the requirements, roles, and responsibilities of the various people involved.
The types of messages will also change when in crisis mode, and the information audiences need and how they need to receive will be different to day-to-day operations.
When it comes to communicating during a crisis, the tools at your disposal become key in the success or failure of overcoming it.
We have come to learn as “crisis experts” that the damage caused by a crisis is not so much its nature but rather how well it is handled once it is at your door. There are three crucial elements to successful crisis management:
- Readiness.
- Fact-based approach.
- How effective (if it all!) stakeholder communication is.
Messagenius offers admins Incident Rooms, Systematised tasks, Location Finder, and many more fundamental features that are not only helpful but are necessary to face a crisis head-on.
Expected and Unexpected Crises
There are contingencies that many enterprises take to avoid minor/major crises. Let’s take hospitals, for example.
There are times that sudden peaks for emergency care are expected, such as Saturday nights and flu season. Then there are the unexpected, like a horrific crash on the freeway.
However, there can also be expected and unexpected variations internally, such as vacation time or last-minute sick leave. Traditionally, the patients are often made to absorb the effects of this gap by having to wait.
Contingencies are put in place to replace a sick colleague or vacation plans or have people on call during flu season and weekends. While in case of unexpected emergencies, being able to reach the right people needs to be instant and seamless.
Using the Right Tools
Many businesses are still using services such as SMS, email, pagers, and phone systems, to alert various department heads.
However, these systems are not only out of date but usually very expensive, often ineffective, and do not offer the assurance that the alert will be received. Imagine trying to send an email to a surgeon in case of a critical event.
Take pagers, for example, additional devices need to be carried in addition to the smartphone to receive alerts.
Most of these systems do not provide proper delivery and read receipts. That’s why there is often confusion on whether or not the right person received or has seen an alert.
It is no secret that people pay more attention to mobile messages, but it is not just perception. The stats speak clearly, and they say that messages received via mobile have an open rate of 98%, whereas traditional email has an open rate of only 22%.
Additionally, these outdated systems are often not the best solution for fast and effective group communication, and both are essential for coordinating teams in crisis mode.
Team chats for secure work communications are increasingly popular, as they offer managers the right tools in times of a crisis (and beyond).
The Studies
69% of the 2,084 senior executives in organisations of all sizes, in 25 industries, and across 43 countries reported at least one crisis in the last five years, according to PwC’s Global Crisis Survey 2019.
Another study, a joint effort by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and Forbes Insights, asked over 300 board members the following question:
Having been through a crisis, what are your company’s lessons, or what would you do differently?
- 34% Do more to identify crisis scenario
- 32% Improve detection and early warning systems
- 29% Execute a more timely and robust communications plan
- 29% Communicate more effectively with employees
These studies highlighted the importance of efficient coordination, decision making, and, more importantly, communication as fundamental steps in resolving a crisis.
The board, the C-Suite, and employees must work together, and this is where secure chat solutions for companies, like Messagenius, are fundamental for effective crisis communication.
4 Advantages of Messagenius in Crisis Communication:
Using the tools provided by Messagenius during a crisis, offer enterprises and the public sector several essential advantages:
- Rapid alerting of teams, departments and external emergency services.
- The group chats are perfect for direct feedback and follow-up communication
- Chats can also be set up based on mission, topic, or location.
- Sharing necessary emergency procedures, evacuation plans, mission photos, technical manuals, etc.is quick and seamless.
Whether you are in Finance, Education, Healthcare or the Armed Forces, Messagenius ensures employees and the C-suite are informed and ready to act when the unexpected strikes. Contact Us today for a free consultation.
Overcome a Crisis
One thing is for sure, crises can be overcome, but it takes teamwork, a united front, and, more importantly, strong communication between the entire enterprise. Crisis communication needs to engage employees before incidents occur during the event and after it has ended.
An organisation that ignores the powerful features of secure chat solutions for companies, may suffer more harm than necessary during a crisis, simply because they are unprepared.
Messagenius has a diverse range of tools for each stage of the crisis, which will help any enterprise, of any industry, overcome a crisis through a secure, compliant, and fully integrated messaging app.
Do not wait for a crisis to take place to act. Prepare for the unexpected and test Messagenius out today and secure the present and future of your enterprise.
