during crisis management relationship management is key

When it comes to crisis and business it is never about if it happens but when it happens. Every business will go through a crisis. However organizations can minimize the damage by preparing for it. An organization should also be ready with turnaround strategies to rebuild reputation post crisis. A Crisis management plan and a crisis communication plan are good assets for any serious business. A crisis is definately going to come, plan for it A crisis is definitely going to come, plan for it So what consists of good crisis management strategy?

Before a crisis Preempting a crisis is your best bet and offers the least damage. Look out for signs of an impending crisis and engage prevention measures. It could be murmurs from customers about a service or good, dropping sales, scrutiny from the media or rumors of boardroom wars. Identify risk areas in your business and act. Calm before the storm Calm before the storm

This reminds me of the African pay TV service GOtv in Kenya. A while ago they suspended airing of some of local TV stations owing to what was reported as contract issues with those TV stations. The availability of the local stations was their selling point in the beginning and therefore cutting the feeds was a big thing to the customers. As I write this post, the consumer federation has sued GOtv over the discontinuation. If I was working for GOtv the moment the murmurs started is when the company would have activated its crisis management plan.

When dealing with a crisis the most important aspect is getting the turnaround time right. It is self defeating to wait for things to boil over. Your best bet is on pre empting the crisis. The work of the corporate affairs/PR department is boundary spanner, daily scanning the industry to hear what people are saying. In this modern age collecting feedback has been made easier by social media, a vibrant mass media and customer service desks. Identify potentially risky complains and act on them. A stitch in time saves nine.

Constant communication is another key aspect. You must keep the conversation going. Keep your stakeholders informed that you are on it. When a service is interrupted, don’t wait for customers to complain, put up a broadcast to your clients. And remember that all your clients are on social media or read newspapers. Target them individually by using bulk sms or email for example. Don’t be conventional, be proactive and dynamic. Timing is everything. Don’t wait for weeks to respond. If when you are working on it, let the customers know. Sometimes you need to think outside the box. Is there anything you can do to appease your customer? In the case of GOtv for example the management would for example have offered to reduce the monthly premiums for its customer as they worked on restoring the suspended services.

When dealing with a crisis the most important aspect is getting the turnaround time right

Post crisis, rebuilding your reputation is the hardest task. It’s never too late to apologize. Avoid blame game and justification. Seek ways to enrich your services so that you make amends.