As communication professionals, you must always be prepared for a crisis. The second an emergency happens, you must drop any other priorities and shift all meetings. However, what should your employees do?
If your company has a crisis communication plan in place, then you know the answer.
Easily Distributed Messaging
One of the most important parts of a crisis communication plan is a system that allows you to reach out to all employees in a company — no matter where they are — with a single message. You can also use SMS to alert employees of a lockdown in the building, external threats, or even a natural disaster. With some advanced preparation, using this tool could save lives.
In fact, in a world where everyone has a smartphone and texting is a regular part of our lives, SMS might be the most important tool in your crisis communications plan. For one thing, SMS works when voice service is down, making it a vital lifeline in case of a fire or when your office is dealing with a cyberattack. Also, SMS is a simple, convenient tool that has become a part of the everyday culture in offices around the world.
If your company is already using SMS or instant messaging in its day-to-day operations, you're already way ahead of the game.
The Importance of Having a Crisis Plan
No matter how well you run your business, you might eventually have to deal with a crisis. A crisis can be anything from a natural disaster, to a fire, to a stolen item. If a crisis does happen, having a plan in place can help you keep your employees safe.
The best thing to do is to have a plan of action to help you and your business get through it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Whether a company is facing a natural disaster or a PR disaster, every business needs a plan to protect its reputation and ensure its employees are safe and informed.
A good crisis plan can be the deciding factor between turmoil and a successful recovery from catastrophe.
Communicating During an Emergency
When a crisis occurs in your business, you require urgent, but clear messaging.
Next time you're faced with a challenging situation, try reaching out to your teams via SMS channels instead of email. The advantage of text messaging is that unlike email, texting is a communication medium that requires very little cognitive processing time. The messages are distributed quickly. Employees can read while multitasking. Best of all, it can be done without being connected to the internet or a Wi-Fi network.
When leveraged properly, it’s simple, ubiquitous, and instantaneous. It handles the urgency for both communicators and employees.
Nowadays, every business out there needs to be able to prioritize communication during a crisis, and that starts with having fast, easy, and ongoing two-way communications with your employees.
