Guide to Crisis: 7 Easy Steps to Creating a Fail Proof Crisis Plan for any Business

Maintaining the balance between a business or company with its constituents should follow the basic tenants as one would have within their interpersonal relationships, and it is no less important. Establish trust through open communication, empathy and transparency. Many companies today can get so easily caught up in a crisis, that they fail to see how important it is to acknowledge the feelings of those affected and offering a simple and sincere apology. Here you will find a basic guide on how to proceed should your company find itself in a crisis.

The first part of this guide is really more of a pre-crisis plan that should already be established within your company.

1) Know your company and the services you offer, inside and out!

This should be common knowledge, but for thoroughness sake, it’s included. By knowing your company intimately, you can easily see what went wrong, how it happened and how best to resolve your crisis.

2) Establish a Crisis Committee

This should be the group of people that will work together to identify the issue and how best to resolve it. Ideally, this will consist of your CEO, spokesperson for the company, legal department and your public relations advisor. This committee should have a basic outline in place before any crisis, which can then be adapted to any situation that will arise.

3) Develop a Crisis Manual

Additionally, this group should develop a manual for how to handle a crisis for employees who are not part of the committee. This should advice employees on how to respond and what information they can release. Identify employees that would keep calm and collected during a crisis, and if needed, allocate their services to a crisis call center if one is established.

4) Release Factual Information to Press and General Public ASAP

During the crisis, time is crucial. Not just resolving issues quickly, but releasing the information to the public as you receive it. However, do not release any information until you have the facts firsthand.

5) Avoid "No Comment"

However, don’t do the “no comment” mistake and let the story leak out another way. Stating, “No comment” often times makes you look guilty and non-remorseful. It forces the media and the public to find the details elsewhere and it allows someone else to tell your story for you. You definitely don't want that to happen.

6) Acknowledge Concerns & Promise to Update Both Public & Media

Instead, simply acknowledge any concerns you hear about and sincerely promise to update as you have more information. Reiterate your concern for the public and the wellbeing of everyone involved. Establish a strong working relationship with the media, and release non-alarming information as you receive it. If possible and legally advisable, make the first contact with the media to report the crisis. This shows concern for your company’s involvement in the crisis and a sincere effort to be transparent and honest, which goes a long way in public opinion and memory.

7) Evaluate & Update

After the crisis has passed, evaluate your team and how everything was handled. What were the strengths and weaknesses of your crisis plan and of individual team members? What went well and what failed? Keep your crisis plan updated to reflect this evaluation.

Not only can a crisis test your character and the strength of your company, but I truly believe how you react during a crisis will be how your company will be remembered long term. Will your company be remembered in the same light as Johnson & Johnson, the perfectly handled crisis case studied taught in every introductory public relations classroom, or the BP, the oil company with one poorly handled crisis after another under its belt? You decide.