So what plans do you need to put in place before a crisis hits your business? You must implement a system or policy that will allow you to deal effectively, and professionally with any situation.
It's simply a matter of being as prepared as possible in times of a crisis.
One of the first thing you need to do, is to set up a crisis management team.
Developing a Crisis Management Team can, in itself, be a team-building experience.
While all crises are different, the roles and operational decisions, and responsibilities of team members follow a similar path.
The common goal is to minimize the damage from the crisis and make sure the whole operation from start to finish is run as smoothly and professionally as possible.
The CMT has a number key people within it who perform specific tasks when a business is hit by a crisis: Team manager They co ordinate the team.
Media manager All information flows in from the media and out to the media through this person.
Spokesperson The official media spokesperson who has the responsibility of fronting the media.
PR adviser Deals with and advises on how to handle the media.
Legal adviser Advises on all legal implications.
Media monitor This person monitors and tracks all media stories during crisis.
Operations manager A key person for making sure all of the operational issues are in order.
Finance and Administration Deploys resources and administration support.
This is your premiership team.
During a crisis it must perform at its optimum and that can be the difference between winning and losing.