Record What You Said
A lot can happen in a short time during a disruption and after a few days you may have difficulty recalling your own name let alone everything that you did in response – and, more importantly, what you did or didn’t say.
Your external communication strategy can lay out the information about your business that you want to circulate after an incident. Your response should therefore follow this communication strategy, but try to keep a record of what you publicly said because in the heat of the moment you can struggle to remember the exact details that you promised. Make sure you record whether another update was scheduled, and any specific questions that you said you would confirm in advance of this.
Recording information that you released minimises the likelihood of miscommunication. You don’t want to be offering customers 10 per cent off if they place an order in the next week after your colleague advises people that you can’t deal with orders for the next fortnight.
Consistent information is essential for retaining the reputation of your business, which the crisis itself may already have put in jeopardy.
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