CRISIS PLANNING AND AUDITS

Almost all businesses expect to face a crisis, but a recent survey found that less than half of U.S. companies have a formal crisis plan. Crisis management experts say companies should prepare in advance because it can help them navigate a difficult situation more smoothly. In fact, in that same survey, 98% of business leaders who activated their crisis communications plan said it was effective—77% say it was very effective.

Tucker/Hall’s crisis planning audits help companies prepare for incidents which can help your organization recover more quickly and protect your long-term reputation. Our firm conducts crisis risk audits to identify your vulnerabilities, including employee issues, IT, finances, and environmental challenges. We also prepare clients for the possibility of external crises, such as natural disasters and damaging social media.

We evaluate the speed and effectiveness of your current communications infrastructure. For example, how quickly can you notify your employees of a crisis, and what they should do? During a crisis, employees should be the first to know what’s going on and how they can help. Without proper training, they may act boldly or not at all, which can cause even more damage. Tucker/Hall can help you develop your plan and prepare for it.

Our crisis planning and audit services include:

Interviews with leadership to pinpoint potential crises and develop plans to mitigate their effects. Crises can include matters that grow quickly, such as natural disasters, security breaches, or employee matters. Slower-moving crises can consist of questionable business practices, environmental concerns, and legal issues.

Spokesperson training for your communications, marketing, and executive teams. Ideally, every employee in the company should know how to react to reporter questions. However, that’s not realistically possible for most organizations. We can help you identify and train spokespeople from key departments, so they can address the media to provide accurate information.

Building relationships between your executives and the media. During a crisis, the media (and ultimately your customers and other stakeholders) want updated and accurate information. A best practice is to establish relationships with key reporters before any negative incident happens.

Communications planning, including internal and external messaging. Your communications should be consistent across all platforms and align with your company’s mission. Tucker/Hall can help you create compelling messages for all your different audiences.

To see if we can help you with your crisis planning needs, please contact Darren Richards at (813) 228-0652 ext. 1116 or via email at drichards@tuckerhall.com.