Crisis? What Crisis? 2

Hi,

Crisis management plans are fairly easy to put together.

Step 1. Appoint a Crisis Management team. They meet as soon as the crisis is detected.
Step 2. Decide who the single spokesperson/media point of contact will be (to avoid conflicting messages getting out).
Step 3. Map out your Rapid Response Plan under which, simultaneously, these things will happen:
A.) Inform the media of your company's policies in this area and that a statement about this incident will be forthcoming shortly.
B.) Investigate the situation.*
C.) Inform the staff and remind them of the Crisis Management Procedures which they would have been exposed to during staff training and induction.
D.) Formulate your response and 'fess up. Don't try to sandbag the media or spin your way out of it.
E.) Keep all stakeholders informed - shareholders, regulators, suppliers, customers, community, etc.
F.) Act quickly to protect the public - ie. In the case of product contamination, order a complete recall, regardless of proof of how extensive the problem might be. It proves you care.

*When this takes time, keep the media informed, unless you are involved in a police investigation (such as in a product tampering/extortion case).

Preparing for product tampering.... More tomorrow.

Cheers!

Michael Kiely