Don’t panic!

Don’t make a drama out of a crisis

The cleaning and FM industries are masters at dealing with mess – quite literally. Whether it’s full-on damage restoration following floods or riots; or dealing with the aftermath of a busy customer seminar and workshop session, our sector excels in restoring order where once there was chaos.

However, the recent headlines about security around the Olympic Games are a timely reminder that sometimes, companies can end up in a mess of their own. We have all seen the adverse publicity that follows an MRSA outbreak in hospitals due to poor cleaning, and food outlets that fall foul of hygiene laws regularly come under the media spotlight.

It’s not nice to dwell on the negative, but this is actually a smart move for any company, especially when it comes to communications. By anticipating those ‘bad news’ stories you can prepare for the worst. For example, a couple of possible scenarios could be the serious injury of a member of the public caused by slipping on a wet floor that was not cordoned off until safe to walk on; or a back-lash against large-scale redundancies that causes local ill-feeling and invites scrutiny on company bonus schemes for top management.

The first thing to do is to form a crisis communications team. This should feature a number of key people, such as your MD/CEO, PR agency/communications specialist, and senior finance, operations and HR personnel. This team, led by your PR agency, will help to formulate a crisis management plan and update it annually. The plan should identify and anticipate possible negative situations and detail the key messages, statements and communications methods that will be used in the event of a crisis. Media training for designated ‘talking heads’ should also be a priority, to give them experience in handling broadcast or print interviews.

Once the plan is in place it must be reviewed regularly, to ensure that the identified ‘threats’ are still valid, or if new ones have replaced them. Companies competing for business in a 24-7 media world, can’t just cross their fingers and hope that a crisis won’t hit them, because if it does, the resulting publicity could be devastating. Instead, it’s much better to consult with a communications specialist, and be prepared.

Contact us for more information on our bespoke crisis communications service on 01825 714329 or email info@cbipr.com