CommCore employs a 4F approach to crisis management: Organizations should be Fast, Frequent, Factual & Flexible.
As the COVID-19 Coronavirus continues its tragic march disrupting business, travel and everyday activities, every organization should be prepared to use the 4F’s as a guide to ensure that critical messages are sent to important stakeholders.
Fast: If a business relies on China for its supply chain, it’s obvious that quick communications about a potential disruption is important. Same goes for a company with an unbroken supply chain, because there is likely the assumption of a problem. Fast messages can reassure customers that “all systems are go.” School districts may need to rapidly reach parents and students. An organization needs fast updates directed to employees who are working in impacted countries. Since rumors spread at the speed of light, news from the company before it hits social media builds trust, and employees will turn to the company first for future information.
Frequent: Let’s use the analogy of sitting at the gate of a delayed flight. Radio silence from the gate agents contribute to the uncertainty and makes the wait seem longer. Frequent updates demonstrate transparency and creates more trust. More outreach during challenging times will help a business regain trust with customers when things return back to normal.
Factual: It’s best not to hedge, predict, or exaggerate and be as upfront as possible. What are your customer’s questions? How long, how expensive, how many? Try and answer as many as possible. Numbers matter. Don’t state more than you know or can confirm.
Flexible: It’s obvious that in a crisis such as COVID-19, events and facts are constantly changing. An organization needs to be flexible in what it says and how messages are delivered. At the beginning, it may be personal phone calls or an email. As things change it may be necessary to utilize all outbound social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, even post a video on YouTube.
A complete and up-to-date crisis communications plan will help make the 4F’s far more effective.