Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for a Crisis Before it Happens

Welcome to SMB Matters.

I'm Lundyn LaFleur, director of executive communications and crisis communications for TriNet. This podcast series takes a close look at the latest news and trends on a variety of topics related to running a successful small and medium-size business. Today, I'll be sharing helpful tips to consider when developing crisis or emergency-related strategic communications.

Before I get started, ask yourself, are you prepared to respond to unforeseen critical incidents that may impact your business? Even if you feel you are, you may pick up a nugget or two in this podcast. Your company’s brand and reputation could be at stake when a crisis occurs, no matter how big or how small the incident. Companies should not be defined by an emergency or a crisis itself, but instead by how they respond and successfully overcome the incident.

Unfortunately for some, the reaction to a crisis does negatively define them largely due to a lack of transparency and providing a timely response or communication to the appropriate audiences. How and when you respond to a crisis is critical to how your workforce sees you as a leader, as well as how your customers and prospects may feel about you and your brand in the future.

So let’s get to the tips to help you be more proactive in planning for and handling the next emergency or crisis.

Tip number one: Develop crisis management playbooks. Every good team needs guidelines and direction to succeed and that is especially true in a crisis. Having crisis management playbooks help ensure all vital information is in one convenient location when an emergency strikes.

What's in a playbook? A few key things. A list of stakeholders and their contact information. An outline of roles and responsibilities. Policies and procedures to follow. Checklists of necessary action items and prepared drafts of holding statements and communications, which I'll talk about in a moment. Keep in mind, the playbooks can contain sensitive material and might be considered confidential documents and you'll want to make sure to treat them as such. You also may want a printed copy and stored in a secure location in the case that you can't get to it digitally.

Tip number two: Be prepared with holding statements. You know your company better than anyone. Identify issues you may have encountered in the past and potential issues that may come up in the future. Developing holding statements about them can save you a lot of time and stress when an actual incident happens.

Holding statements are brief and address the who, what, where, when, why and how. What happened? Who is impacted? When did the incident occur? Why is it important for people to know? Where can your workforce or customers go for more information or assistance and how you plan to resolve the issue? Statements should be concise and convey empathy towards the situation and the audience. And believe it or not, you can cover all those pieces in just a few sentences.

Tip number three: Slow and steady doesn't always win the race. Time is of the essence when your company’s brand and reputation are on the line. Stay calm, sort out the facts and be as transparent as you can with your workforce and the public as quickly as possible.

Responding quickly can help keep rumors from flying and inaccurate information from spreading—keeping you in control of the narrative. When companies wait too long to address an issue, it not only leads to misinformation spreading, but it can also have significant financial repercussions and substantial reputational damage. Don't let that happen to you.

Now, let's talk about text messages for a moment. You may receive text messages from a variety of companies like I do, which leads me to…

Tip number four: Consider text messaging platforms. Reaching your workforce or customers quickly and efficiently can be a challenge in the midst of an emergency or a crisis. Signing up for a text message platform can be a cost-effective way to reach your audience fast. Not everyone may answer a phone call or see their email when it hits their inbox, but most people will see a text message on their cell phone.

Last but not least…

Tip number five: Use social media to your advantage. If your company has an active social media presence, use those accounts to release your statements when appropriate and provide any additional updates and information that you may want public. This allows all interested parties to view your news from an official source and can be another way to help you control the narrative. Remember to always refer to your company’s social media policy for correct procedures for posting and responding to comments.

An incident can happen at any time and it’s best to be prepared for the worst. Taking these steps will help prepare your company, control the narrative and maintain your company's brand and reputation.

Thanks for listening to SMB Matters. If you enjoyed this show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And please share it with a colleague or make sure to subscribe to our newsletter at TriNet.com/Insights. While you're there, you can learn more on this topic by reading our blog.

Also, we’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop us a line at SMBMatters@TriNet.com. SMB Matters by TriNet is committed to providing small and medium-size businesses with timely and relevant insights. Thanks again for listening.

Legal Disclaimer:

This podcast is for educational purposes only. With decades of experience supporting small and medium-size businesses, TriNet has unique insight into HR best practices for businesses. TriNet does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice. The materials in this podcast and the options and opinions expressed herein may not apply to your company or scenario, so you should consult with your own advisors on how best to proceed. Reproduction in part or in whole is not permitted without express written authorization from TriNet.