Implementing an Effective Crisis Plan

Most 21st century companies find that having an effective crisis plan in place provides a certain level of reassurance should anything happen to go wrong. If you are a forward-moving company that has already developed a Crisis Strategy, then you are ahead of the game. Research shows that only 49% of American businesses have a crisis intervention plan in place. The purpose of the plan is to proactively think through challenging and unique situations that could negatively impact several aspects of your business. Now that you and your team has done the work to put strategies in place, how would you gauge the efficacy of it? Follow these steps to ensure the success of your plan.

Make sure everyone knows their role.

People tend to panic when they don’t know what is going on; it’s best to predetermine protocols and steps to keep everything in order ahead of time. Have real conversations with the people in your organization about what’s really at risk and what these risks look like in every department. It might be helpful to identify threats to your company before creating your plan. Collaborate with your stakeholders and figure out how these threats could impact them, then create portions of your plans around these concerns. Conduct training for your staff and stakeholders so everyone knows their role in the plan should it need to be used.

Revisit the Plan Frequently

As the times change, so must your plan. You must keep the plan up to date as your company experiences changes in technology and human capital. Incorporate it onto your new hire protocols so that new personnel knows what it entails and if they have a part in it. Make the plan easily assessable to all stakeholders. The protocols that did not work well will need to be revisited immediately after the crisis has ended and updated in the plan. Be transparent with your stakeholders about the efficacy of the plan you had in place and what changes will be made going forward.

Know how to reach your people

In the middle of a crisis, you don’t want to be out of touch with key stakeholders, especially those who have key roles in the plan itself. Your company should an emergency contact list and keep information for all stakeholders in one place. Consider using an app to send mass messages; it saves time and resources and keeps everyone in the loop about the current situation.

Every ordeal your business goes through is not a crisis. Your plan should only be used when an issue escalates to a crisis level, and several moving parts of your company or departments are affected.

Guide the narrative

When you have an effective plan in place, it makes it easier to get in front of the narrative. You want to responsible for what information is shared and with whom. Keeping communication open during this time is a key component to getting back to normal when the crisis is over. You want to make sure that the right information gets out and that it has a minimal impact on how your company functions.

 

 

RichLine Solutions encourages you to be strategic about your companies Crisis Intervention Plan. Connect with us today at info.richlinesolitions@gmail.com and let us know how we can make creating your plan more manageable. We want the opportunity to help you grow to your next level of greatness!