Issue and Crisis Management Services

Professional PR Crisis Management Services

When they hear “crisis management,” most people think of a random negative event that happens suddenly and without warning, like a lightning strike of bad PR. PR crisis management firms are frequently brought in after the fact, in the wake of an all-hands-on-deck business emergency.

The truth is, most crisis events can be anticipated. The most effective handling of a risky situation lies in anticipating and planning for that seemingly random occurrence.

History shows that many reputational threats grow out of foreseeable problems. They’re often escalations of simmering situations left unattended, brushed aside, or concealed. According to a study by the Institute for Crisis Management, 65 percent of business crises from 1990-2009 were what the ICM terms “smoldering,” or rooted in the past, as opposed to truly sudden events. Product defects, customer or employee litigation, workplace misconduct, and many other episodes are at least theoretically foreseeable. They are almost always preceded by warning signs. The best crisis management firms know this and will help you proactively plan for potential disaster.

Issues Management Services Can Help Head Off A Crisis

Through our crisis management services, we help clients identify their top reputational threats, plan for the most likely scenarios, and develop a bulletproof response and internal communications process in the event of a true crisis event.

There’s no true blueprint for handling every crisis, and it’s a myth that you can be 100% prepared for everything. Our crisis management services, however, do follow certain assumptions and principles in our process.

Crisis prevention beats crisis management. You probably already know the risks and the most likely crisis situations. If not, a reputation audit will uncover them an identify preventive steps.

Preparation must be continuous. The key to a relevant crisis management plan is regular updating and review. We recommend that the most likely scenarios, messages, and response be reviewed at least quarterly.

A fast response is critical. In the 24/7 media environment, there is no time for management by consensus or a chain of approval. We recommend a rapid-response process that enables a professional response to a crisis within 24-48 hours at most.

For many clients, crisis management and reputation management go hand-in-hand. Visit our corporate communications pages to learn more about the integrated services we offer, and contact us today.