As of 16 May, the number of total Coronavirus cases worldwide is over 4,641,376 with over 4,641,376 deaths and over 1,767,389 recovered cases. What’s frustrating more is that these numbers are increasing every hour.
And as per the latest WHO news there are many treatments for Covid-19 that are all under clinical trial, none of them has been approved yet.
So, the whole world has become a tensed place with no apparent quick relief from the pandemic. In this circumstance, it’s important for digital agencies or any other agencies with remotely working employees to understand the value of smooth communication between the staff, and also between the company and its clients or customers. You never know what crisis is coming next, so make sure you have a strong crisis communications strategy in place.
This is something what we’ve learned from the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. This post is all about helping you understand the importance of an effective crisis communications plan, and why you actually need one.
So, here are the 4 main reasons why you need to build a good crisis communications plan for the sake of protecting your business reputation, clients’ and customers’ trust, and the productivity during a crisis.
Brand Reputation and Respect
First things first – You have spent countless hours building your brand and client-base. Bringing your business to the level you’re currently at has taken a great deal of effort. Your dedication thus far has done it, and you simply cannot afford to put that all in vain in the event of a crisis.
Even during a crisis, your clients and/or customers won’t like to see you mute. Your silence also puts a negative impact on your employees, and they all will start losing their trust in your business.
A good communications strategy can help protect you – and it’s not that difficult to make a strategy and execute it.
Today, when the entire world is at a high-tension state, it’s easy to commit mistakes. It’s true for everyone. Businesses are no different. If you crisis management is not strong enough to withstand the crisis outcome, you may lose the battle. A small, rightly made communications plan can come in handy. Make sure you have one in place to protect your brand reputation and respect of your clients or customers.
Customers like you to keep them informed
It’s always true.
If you’re a loyal reader of our blog posts and have been following them for some time now, I bet you always like to get notified about the next post. You can’t wait. We feel the same here, and everyone else feels exactly the same way. Wanting stuff that you love in your life is absolutely normal. If you like something, you don’t want to wait to get that.
Similarly, your customers would like you to keep them informed all the time – no matter what. Even during a crisis, they would still need information. This global pandemic is affecting everyone, every business, small or large, in some way or the other. But customers are customers. They always want communication. A lack of communication or mishandle from your end can result in terminating your relationship your clients or customers.
You should keep them informed, or at least let them know that the info they might be looking for is coming soon.
A sound crisis communications plan should be in place. Don’t make an excuse, please!
Employees’ Trust matters
Whatever be the situation, don’t lose your employees’ trust or respect for your company. Just like your customers or clients your own staff must feel a sense of relief or security that the company they work for is always there with them when crises happen.
So, how do you earn trust and retain it?
Through effective communication.
When at times you’re wrong, admit it. Running away from criticism is not a solution. You need to face it, admit the mistake and apologize. Even after the formal apology, you need to make sure that you’re not going to do that same mistake again. Also, let your customers and employees know that you are not running away from the criticism or refusing to say sorry. Acceptance and apology will only make you a better company. That is a good communication strategy as well.
Your employees must trust you in the first place. They must feel secure working for you. And, especially when crises happen, they’re the ones who suffer along with you. You must act responsibly and provide all sorts of support to them to keep their trust and love for you.
Crises can happen anytime
As long as you are on the biz, crises can happen anytime in any form. They don’t necessarily come in the name of the Covid-19 pandemic or any other national or global tragedy. Whether it’s from a natural source or a serious miscommunication within your organization, anything can be the cause of a crisis.
It can also happen due to a small mistake done within your company like improper management of a social media account by one of your own employees.
Even the smallest mistake of that kind can put your company into crisis mode. Hiding or running away from the general or social media public doesn’t help you solve the issue. Instead, you face it and accept the mistake trough a communication strategy.
As a security measure you should try and make sure there’s no security breach of any kind. There is no social media account mismanagement and there is no miscommunication. A good communication strategy can be an excellent solution.
Whether it’s from an outside source or inside your company, try to deal with crisis smartly. As a responsible company, it’s important for you to respond to your customers and own employees effectively.
A thorough and foolproof crisis communications management or strategy should help you immensely.
We’re working from home during this lockdown and are communicating with our clients mostly through emails. Telephonic communications have not been up to the mark, and we admit that. We thank our clients as they’ve all been very supportive to date. That is a great boost to our remotely working team.
So, do you have a crisis communications plan in place? Please share your thoughts about building a strong crisis communications strategy and protect your company during crises in the comments below.