A business continuity plan can be considered part of a crisis management plan, but it is also a distinct set of preparations for those times crises occur. Sometimes, vaguely thinking in terms of crisis management and business continuity plans can quickly yield to thoughts of pressing matters of immediate importance and it can be difficult to conceptualize the need and scope of such plans. Think of them by comparing them to your car.
Posts Tagged ‘Crisis Management’
Having a business continuity plan is like having a spare tire
In Business Continuity, Uncategorized on March 20, 2013 at 10:18 pm4 tips for improving your company’s media relations
In Crisis Management on March 13, 2013 at 10:13 pmMy first memory of media relations comes from my father’s first political campaign when I was 8 years old. After an interview, the newspaper reporter closed his notebook, put away his pen and asked my dad what he really thought of his opponent off the record. The words “inarticulate bozo” were then present in the headline of the article.
Like my dad running for office the first time, the average business does not have to communicate with the media on a regular basis and can sometimes stumble or say something that will not help them out. Most news media professionals perform very ethically and appropriately, but it is easy for lines to be crossed and messages to be mixed when a company and a reporter are not quite on the same page.
Maker’s Mark reverses decision to dilute, misses the mark
In Crisis Management on February 19, 2013 at 9:12 pmSometimes you can get in the way of your ownbusiness and create a crisis where none had been likely to arise. Maker’s Mark recently announced they would be diluting their original formula, but failed to explain why, and while it may have been to expand to geographical markets that legally require lower alcohol levels, or to simply save money and keep their product pricing from adjusting, they said nothing.
It came across as them saying, “people love our product so much, I bet that if we make a slightly inferior product we can sell even more!” Is that what Maker’s Mark was really thinking?
New Crisis Communication App from Microsoft
In Crisis Management on January 17, 2013 at 12:50 pmIf disaster were to strike, how would you let your family, friends, and co-workers know that you’re alright?
Microsoft announced a new mobile app called HelpBridge that serves as a great tool to both keep family, friends and co-workers informed and to help people donate easily to recovery efforts. There are other tools that do everything HelpBridge does, but the app is fairly easy to set up and have ready to contact pre-set groups of people with customized messages when the need arises.
For businesses, a tool like HelpBridge could easily be incorporated into a company’s crisis management plan to assist with warning employees of a problem or updating them when new information becomes available.
Important to remember when using apps like HelpBridge is that they are not a substitute for contacting emergency services (calling 911). The app is best used once an emergency has been resolved or there is no longer immediate danger. If emergency services can not be reached, however, or if cell service will allow data but not voice connection, the app could also be used to draft your close contacts to attempt to get you help.
Among the more important features of the app is the capability to simultaneously send messages through text-message, email, and Facebook; including location data. The app is available on Windows, Android and iOS phones in the U.S.
Take a moment to download it for free and go through the set-up process so that your phone will be ready in case you find the need to use such an app.
For more information, Microsoft Citizenship Team has created the following video:
Intrepid Crisis Solutions 