Back in October, we talked about your organization’s reputation and briefly talked about crisis management. And because we only touched on crisis management, it’s time to make this a little bit simpler for you. You can have all the plans in the world and be as prepared as all get out but…
Let’s imagine that it’s happened. Your organization has had an incident go viral and NOT in a good way. Your employees are being questioned by media, the news is outside your building waiting for an answer, you are getting phone calls left and right, and your email inbox has over 500 new emails. It’s going to be a long night. It’s time to hunker down, order some Chinese delivery, and make one of the most important phone calls your organization may ever make.
That phone call you’re going to make? It is to a public relations firm (if they haven’t already reached out to you like one of those accident attorneys). And that firm will specialize in crisis management. And yes, it is probably going to be expensive but let me tell you why it’s worth it.
Your crisis PR rep does this for a living. They have seen some of the worst of the worst. They will be able to create an unbiased plan that is specific for your organization that will relate to consumers and your stakeholders. They will be able to help you craft your apology/stance statement. They will coach you in speaking those statements. They will have contacts that can give you a platform to speak. They will also be able to guide you in recovering your reputation.
And that’s really it. Oh, and maybe call a lawyer. And – make sure it’s really a crisis. Don’t go all Michael Scott…. You know what’s coming…
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