OpenAI has already signaled it has an even more powerful generation of ChatGPT ready to make a debut any time now, and Wall Street is already valuing OpenAI with a net worth somewhere in the range of $30 billion. So, the broader usage of this technology is no longer a matter of “what if” or “how” but “when.”   

ChatGPT is being played with, tested, given assignments, and getting reviewed for its ability to do chores–specifically writing or graphic-design chores—that usually are completed by humans. So far, the results in some cases are extraordinarily powerful. The OpenAI platform can quickly and accurately generate written content which saves time and conserves resources, allowing human partners to move on to other tasks. And much more.

So, we decided to ask ChatGPT to perform a communications task: Please explain how a strategic plan that includes issues management and crisis communications is of greater value to an organization than just reacting to the crisis as it happens. 1000 words.

The results are in: The chatbot did a very credible job of quickly assembling a 1,000-word “essay” on the subject, but we’d arm-wrestle it over the usefulness of its “advice.” Our human response to the chatbot response is written in red. Read on:

Here’s AI’s answer: 

Having a strategic plan in place that includes issues management and crisis communications can be of greater value to an organization than simply reacting to a crisis as it happens for several reasons.

Chatbot simply restates the assignment…..

First, a strategic plan allows an organization to proactively address potential issues and be prepared for a crisis. By identifying and prioritizing potential risks and challenges, an organization can develop strategies to mitigate or prevent these issues from occurring. This can help to minimize the impact of the crisis on the organization, its stakeholders, and its reputation.

While this is true, it’s still just expository filler…

For example, if an organization is aware of the potential for a product recall due to a manufacturing defect, it can proactively develop a plan to recall the product and communicate with customers before the crisis occurs. This can help to reduce the potential negative impact on the organization’s reputation and minimize the financial impact of the recall.

True, again, but the bot’s essay offers no real step-by-step procedure for managing a crisis response, doesn’t stress the need for a Crisis Team, and fails to advise on response protocols a crisis communications expert would recommend in the planning stage.

On the other hand, if the organization simply reacts to the crisis as it happens, it may not have the necessary systems in place to effectively manage the situation, which can lead to a more chaotic response and potentially greater damage to the organization’s reputation and financial stability.

Again, blah…blah…blah

Second, a strategic plan helps to build trust with stakeholders. By demonstrating that the organization is proactive in addressing potential problems and is prepared to handle difficult situations, stakeholders are more likely to have confidence in the organization’s ability to manage crises and make informed decisions. This can be especially important in today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, where the impact of a crisis can be magnified through social media and other forms of online communication.

Not sure which “stakeholders” the bot is referring to since most strategic crisis planning would be strictly internal, so stakeholders outside the immediate corporate team would not be able to assess the company’s level of preparedness.   

For example, if an organization has a well-developed issues management and crisis communications plan in place, stakeholders are more likely to trust the organization’s messaging during a crisis and less likely to turn to social media or other sources of information that may not be accurate or reliable. This can help to minimize the potential negative impact of the crisis on the organization’s reputation and maintain the trust of stakeholders.

This is simply naïve advice. In today’s world, every crisis has the potential to go immediately public via social media and other web-based media. You need to plan for it since it’s unavoidable.

Third, a strategic plan allows an organization to effectively communicate with stakeholders during a crisis. By having a plan in place that outlines the key messages and channels for communication, the organization can ensure that it is providing accurate and timely information to stakeholders. This can help to minimize confusion and miscommunication during a crisis, which can further damage the organization’s reputation.

Same messages here from above. The bot seems to be confusing Risk Management with Crisis Management. Risk management can identify, assess and mitigate any activity that can cause harm to a business. Crisis management responds to, manages, and recovers from unforeseen events. 

For example, if an organization has a plan in place that outlines the steps it will take to communicate with stakeholders during a crisis, it can quickly and effectively disseminate information to employees, customers, and other stakeholders. This can help to reduce uncertainty and maintain trust in the organization during a difficult time.

While this is generally true, there’s nothing here about how to cascade messages to employees and external stakeholders, how to deal with the media, and how to assess the importance of timing.    

Overall, a strategic plan that includes issues management and crisis communications is of greater value to an organization than simply reacting to a crisis as it happens because it allows the organization to be proactive in addressing potential issues, build trust with stakeholders, and effectively communicate during a crisis. This can help to minimize the impact of the crisis on the organization, its stakeholders, and its reputation, and ensure that the organization is able to effectively manage the situation and emerge from the crisis in a stronger position.

In sum, the chatbot was able to deliver some very general information about the importance of including issues management and crisis communications in a strategic plan. What it generated was nonspecific and elementary–it’s a sort of nonsense that sounds convincing.  The potential implications of bot-based strategic planning in the future may be huge–we’ll see. But for now, it is very adept at explaining rather than recommending–luckily, that’s what we humans do!

Jeff Tucker is the founder of Tucker/Hall. He is an accredited crisis communications specialist. He specializes in high-profile crises—crisis communications strategies, litigation support in criminal and civil matters, complex corporate matters such as whistle-blowing, white-collar crime, and state and federal investigations (EEOC, Justice Department, U.S. Senate, etc.) In addition, he serves clients in the areas of corporate reputation management and high-profile media relations.

Does your organization need a crisis plan? Let us help—reach out directly to Theresa Collington, Vice President, at tcollington@evoqueag.online.

During an aircraft incident, airports, airlines, manufacturers, and affiliated agencies should have a crisis plan in play that includes the following three goals for social media communications:  

1. Distribute timely, reliable information 
2. Help control anxiety 
3. Suppress the spreading of rumors 

Let’s look at a real-life scenario. In 2018, Southwest Airlines flight 1380, a Boeing 737-700 en route from New York’s La Guardia Airport to Dallas Love Field, experienced an engine failure 20 minutes into the flight. Debris damaged the fuselage. It smashed a window, causing rapid depressurization of the cabin, and killing a passenger. 

During this unfortunate incident, a passenger streamed images of the unfolding crisis and potential disaster in “real-time” using the airline’s onboard Wi-Fi service. Passenger Marty Martinez went live on Facebook, said goodbye to his family and friends, and was the first to stream and post graphic images and video of an aviation incident live across social media to a broad audience.

Within minutes of the incident, the Southwest communications team began receiving calls from the media. Immediate next steps included posting confirmation of the incident on Southwest’s online channels and publishing updated statements and videos internally and externally throughout the day.

Southwest’s plan included temporarily changing its digital platform branding to a ‘dark’ version pre-produced in the event of a crisis–a plain blue with a monochrome logo. Southwest canceled advertising and other promotional activities and halted publishing the next in-flight magazine so the CEO could rewrite a sensitive column. The communications team also removed all photos, logos, and other assets from its digital properties and any platforms that could appear inappropriate or tone-deaf. 

Supported by the appropriate steady stream of messaging published across Southwest’s social media, media and press interest focused on two key storylines–the investigation of potential metal fatigue in the engine fan blades and the exemplary performance of the crew, captained by a female former US Navy fighter pilot. 

While the news coverage was mainly negative, conversations on social media were more balanced. In particular, the airline’s social media response was praised as timely and transparent.

With proper planning before an incident, social media communication during and after an incident can distribute timely information, help control anxiety and work to suppress reputation-damaging rumors. While IATA offers Social Media Crisis Guidelines, Tucker Hall can work with you and your company to develop a tailored crisis plan that includes a conscientious digital strategy and leveraging social media to help meet these planning goals and protect your reputation. 

Tucker/Hall VP Theresa Collington has over 20 years of deep digital and social media strategy experience. She is a guest lecturer for Media Relations in Aircraft Accident Investigations at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Theresa can help you develop or review your aviation incident crisis plan, perform tabletop exercises, and update your incident strategy to include the latest best practices on digital and social media platforms. You can reach Theresa directly at tcollington@evoqueag.online.

This might seem like common sense. But if it is, then why do so many organizations rely on hope instead of a crisis strategy plan? This is a serious enough issue that the White House designated September 2021 as National Preparedness Month (A Proclamation on National Preparedness Month, 2021 | The White House).

The need for crisis planning and preparedness has never seemed more necessary. President Biden’s 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.”

• Related Post: What is Crisis Management?

Here are three things your organization can do right away to build a crisis strategy plan:

Anticipate impacts

The array of potential crises can sometimes seem overwhelming, requiring you to anticipate every possible event from a financial meltdown to zombies.

One way to manage that sense of being overwhelmed is to narrow the scope of what you are planning for. You can do this by identifying the most important things to your organization and then asking yourself what you would do if the status quo were disrupted.

For example, does your business rely on a workforce of 500 people showing up every day? What would you do if 30 percent of your workforce is out sick for two weeks?

How important is cash flow to your operations? What will you do if lenders lose confidence in you? What would you do if you were suddenly denied access to your CRM system and other customer data?

Include communications

Continuing operations plans don’t have to be complex. The best plans are relatively simple to be used quickly and effectively. But your preparations must answer the “what if?” question.

If you don’t have formal crisis plans in place already, now is an excellent time to start. And as you develop these plans, don’t forget to include communications with your stakeholders.

If an event disrupts your ability to meet your obligations or threatens your brand’s reputation, you need to let those affected know what is happening from your perspective. You can reassure many of them by letting them know you’ve thought about this possibility and have a plan in place that you are executing.

Practice

Finally, you won’t be genuinely prepared for disruptions unless you practice your plan. Schedule a table-top drill at least every six months or before periods when you might be especially vulnerable, such as before tornado or hurricane seasons or before you complete a significant transaction. Make sure your backup systems operate the way you expect them to. Make sure your call trees and alternate databases are up to date.

It’s not possible to be prepared for every contingency. However, giving thought at least to your most significant vulnerabilities will add resilience to your organization. And in a time of pandemics, climate change, civil unrest, and political uncertainty, strength has never been more critical.

• Related Post: Principles of Crisis Management

Online Reputation

It can be scary to know that your online reputation is inextricably linked to the opinions of strangers. It’s easy to imagine a situation in which someone holds an unreasonable grudge against your business and goes on an online agitation campaign to “review-bomb” you. Whether an isolated fluke bad experience or an accusation against an employee that has nothing to do with the business, it doesn’t take much to incite the mob.

We deal with it regularly–aggrieved parties usually aren’t interested in apologies or explanations; they just want to take revenge for a perceived slight, and they’re not very responsive to new information. In some cases, the majority of negative reviewers that result from such a scenario have never interacted with your business—they’re just following the herd. Keep in mind that it costs these people nothing except a few seconds to leave a bad review, but it can cost your business much more.

Thankfully, you can mitigate the effects of such negative attention with a sound internal review site policy.

Here are some tips to guard against and recover from review-bombing:

Build a Strong Foundation

It’s harder to tear down a strong reputation than a weak one, so the better you manage your business’s online presence the more resilient you’ll be against negative reviews. This process starts with controlling where and how your business appears online, to the extent possible.

Get Google

Start by getting a Google My Business (GMB) account. It confers a ton of benefits, starting with SEO–Google likes its own products, after all. Your GMB profile is the first thing people see when they google you, so stock it with information. Your location, phone number, hours, website, menu–fill in all the details and it will function as a one-stop-shop for people looking into your business. In addition, it’s where people will review you.

While you’re creating your Google presence, get an AdWords account too. You don’t even have to purchase any ads–the point is to get access to Google’s support services. If you’re having a problem with reviews, call your ad account’s support number and ask to be transferred to GMB support. They’ll do it, no questions asked, and you’ll be able to talk to a real person about your problem.

Because Google reviews appear in search results, they are the most important reviews to monitor. Before anything bad happens, build that five-star reputation! Ask customers, whether verbally or through signs and discounts, to support you by reviewing you. Respond individually to reviewers, thanking those who rate you highly and sincerely reaching out to those who don’t. Goodwill has inertia, just like bad faith, so make it work for you! The better your rating and the more reviews you have, the harder it will be for people to bring it down.

Bad Reviews–What to Do?

If you’re experiencing a flood of unfounded negative reviews, report them all. Google’s policies are clear; if the review indicates that the reviewer didn’t actually have an experience at your business, or that it’s just there to harass or demean, they will remove it. To expedite the process, call Google support and tell them about your issue. It’ll draw their attention to the situation and may result in quicker removal, especially for the more egregious reviews. One unfortunate caveat, however: Google will not remove one-star reviews with no text, as they cannot ascertain whether the person had an authentic experience unless hundreds appear in response to some article or incident.

What About Other Sites?

We haven’t mentioned Yelp, TripAdvisor, or other platforms yet, and there’s a reason for that: Google is far more important. Yelp is the most prominent alternate site, but you’re better served by staying away from them. Although they deny it, Yelp has strong pay-for-play elements and heavily favors advertisers when it comes to support and search results. If you don’t have a Yelp profile for your business, keep it that way–you can’t leave nasty reviews on a nonexistent page! By limiting the number of places people can review-bomb you while getting maximum value from the sites where you do have a presence, you give yourself more control.

If you’re a retail business, you probably have a Facebook page and therefore another place where people can recommend you–or not. Thankfully, the relevant steps for Facebook are similar to those for Google; make an ad account, report harassment, get in touch, and stay vigilant.

Weather the Storm

Because some reviews slip through the cracks in Google’s (or Facebook’s) review policies, a review-bombing incident will likely negatively impact your overall rating. The steps outlined above will mitigate that effect, but can’t prevent it entirely; unfortunately, the online mob has considerable power. The best thing you can do after the storm has passed is to redouble your efforts to get real customers to review you positively. If the incident in question was clearly not your fault, you may be surprised by the level of support your loyal customers will show.

Review sites are the ultimate two-edged sword online. They can showcase your excellence to the world, but also be a source of pain if your profile is targeted with malicious intent. Controlling your presence, staying vigilant, and promoting positive reviews will help harden you against review-bombing, as well as make your business more attractive and accessible.

To learn about how Tucker/Hall can help you fight review-bombing and other online crises, contact Solomon Howard at showard@evoqueag.online or 813.28.0652 x1126.

There’s a growing public dialogue about what the future may look like once the COVID-19 pandemic bottoms out. Absent a sense of when that might be, it still may not be too soon to think about what the “new normal” could look like.

While for-profit businesses large and small are rightly focused on supporting their employees, customers, and suppliers, the world of nonprofits may need to add to that list some additional stakeholders. Outreach to donors, patrons, partners, and underwriters will need to be rethought. And marketing playbooks will need adjusting to accommodate big and unexpected changes in business models which suddenly seem out-of-date.

We also know that the for-profit businesses and nonprofits that came through past recessions relatively unharmed were those that never stopped communicating with consumers, embraced a proactive posture throughout, and rethought marketing strategies and community outreach as circumstances impacted end-user behavior.

If you’re a nonprofit in this downturn, you’re likely shut down, cash-strapped, and facing the hard choices of furloughing or dismissing staff. Have you focused at all on considering what tools and strategies you’ll need to have in place to get ready for a turnaround when it finally arrives?

The Council of Nonprofits, a national association of nonprofit organizations, has told members to focus on securing and maintaining adequate financing as priority #1. That means tapping into every possible financial stream available, via banks and community foundations, and other grant-making partners, as well as any avenues for local, state, and federal assistance. 

All businesses, nonprofits included, should also become familiar with the levels of assistance that might be available to employees and families through the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Paid family leave and emergency paid sick leave are available to large sectors of the nation’s workforce. Small businesses can apply for payroll tax deferrals during the pandemic.

For nonprofits, that list should also include focusing on tools and strategies that will be vital in a recovery. Older nonprofit business models once focused about 80 percent of all marketing on print collateral to reach members, patrons, and donors. In more recent years, the toolkit added emails, social media, and web-based videos to position the organization.

But what tools will be most useful after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides? Certainly, more nimble tools such as podcasts, webinars, blog posts, online interviews on social media platforms—and surveys—all will continue to grow in importance.

The shift to online commerce and interface with end-users is expected to continue to thrive once the pandemic ends. Creative use of digital platforms and channels will be a catalyst for those organizations that not only survive but thrive in the ‘new normal.’

[Part 1 of this article can be found here]

Second, your customers. How are you going to keep in close touch? Offer to help them? Find new ways to serve them? Keep the relationships strong, so they will be there when the coronavirus crisis passes?

Most restaurants have closed their dining rooms and switched to carry-out or delivery. That’s a great idea. It keeps operations going and lets some folks stay on the payroll, which is essential. But it doesn’t work for every business; many have had to close, lay off, or furlough their workers.

If you are an essential business, you may be just as busy as you were before the virus hit –  but if you aren’t engaged, or you’re not a vital industry, you’ll need a survival plan. Can you mimic the restaurant business and give your service to your customers rather than have them come to you? Can you create a portable company? Can you conduct most of your business online?

You’ll need to learn ASAP what your financial options are, and the best place to start is with your bank. They can help you with the myriad options available from the government (Small Business Administration and other departments) and other sources. A low-interest loan that covers your overhead for 90 days would be an excellent fit today because interest rates are very, very low.

How do you communicate with your customers? Just as with your employees, you should communicate clearly and often. Update them on any new service or delivery programs you develop. If you read a crucial financial article that can help them, remember they may need a loan and send it to them. Look for blogs, stories, reports, and analyses that might be helpful to them, and pass them along. Be careful not to bombard your stakeholders, though; everyone is getting tons of emails, so make sure yours are as succinct and relevant as possible.

The key idea here is: “How can I change my business model to fit this new and restrictive environment?”

Or: “How can I make money with my skillset if my business is closed by law?”

In any scenario, communication will be crucial, whether with employees, bankers, customers, potential customers, suppliers, advisors…every audience that affects your success. Stay in touch. Be on the lookout for information that might be helpful to them—remember, they are uncertain of the future as well.

Apply Ruthless Focus to your marketing—ask yourself what messages you can get out to prospects that will differentiate you from your competitors. What does your company do better than anybody else? What is your critical advantage? What new audiences can you present your organization to?

The internet allows for much more highly targeted audience identification than ever before. There are people out there who would be interested in doing business with you either now or in the future. You need to find and address them.

Remember, we are in a period of enormous uncertainty—the more we communicate with our various audiences, the better.

More Coronavirus Resources:

Business Management During Covid-19

COVID-19 Communications Principles

4 Steps to Effective Corporate Communications

We’re all wondering what hit us. Life was good, the economy fine, business strong—and then, wham! The world is upside down.

What do we do with our business? How about our people? Our customers? Our suppliers? What do we say? How do we react? It’s a totally new environment thrust upon us with little warning.

Let’s apply the principles of Ruthless Focus from the book of the same name: What is the key strategy to get us through this period successfully?

Let’s start with our goal: To survive the coronavirus pandemic with a strong organization ready to achieve business success again.

We’ll need some mini strategies for the different audiences we need to address.

First, your people. What can you do to make sure you help employees get through the crisis as effectively as you can? There is one thing nearly all will need—money. Fifty-three percent of American households have no emergency savings, and they will need assistance quickly. The Treasury Secretary has estimated that federal money will arrive in peoples’ accounts by April 20th, but that may be wishful thinking—the federal government rarely does anything on time.

Have you considered an emergency fund from which your employees could borrow if needed? How about hiring a counselor or designating someone in your organization to become an expert in the promised funds due to individuals and the loans that are now available from the government—plus the new tenant rights rules, auto loan procedures, etc. Typically, many of your employees will not know all the details of the items that can help them get through this rough period.

Very importantly—communicate! Stay in touch on a regular basis, ask if they have questions, send information on the financial help available when you see something worthwhile. I learned as a squad leader in Army basic training that when folks are scared they need constant reassurance—so communicate often. And make sure the conversation is two-way.

Subsequent blogs will address dealing with customers, adapting your business model, and marketing during this crisis.

[For part 2 of this article, click here]

More COVID-19 Resources:

COVID-19 Communications Principles

Crisis Communications for the Coronavirus Pandemic

Crisis Communications During Coronavirus

Knowing this, intelligent business organizations have already planned by creating crisis teams, designating spokespersons, and training those who will speak for the organization. Those organizations know that too much is at stake during a real crisis to educate frontline team members and expect them to perform optimally.

Yet, experience teaches that far too many companies tempt fate by ignoring pragmatic advice. The Institute for Crisis Management reports that when 1,500 corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies were surveyed about their preparedness to deal with a crisis, 76 percent had no formal crisis management plan, and 72 percent had no designated Crisis Response Team. Nearly 60 percent had never conducted training for those on the front line dealing with a crisis.

In this atmosphere, those who are unprepared may find themselves not only dealing with the immediate pandemic but also with long-term reputation management issues later.    

The Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted several crisis communication best practices that bear reiterating and immediately put in place: 1) Create a Crisis Team, if it’s not already in place; 2) Prioritize communication needs of your employees; 3) Communicate regularly with Customers.  

Build Your Crisis Team

Goal: Business continuity.

This small handful should coordinate and centralize all communication while setting the right tone with employees, vendors, customers—all stakeholders. State, local, and federal government entities have designated such teams, and businesses need to do the same. Universities, school districts, and businesses large and small are all now aware of the importance of such designated voices.   

Prioritize Employee Needs

Goal: They’re your ambassadors. Keep them informed. 

Use employee communications to put people’s minds at ease. Workers need answers during adverse times that demystify their benefits, insurance, wages, etc.  Many studies have shown that steady leadership sets the right tone for all and is a potent antidote in helping reduce employee anxiety.  So, over-communicate with employees. During a crisis, if your employees are not regularly informed, they can’t function as your most effective ambassadors to the community at large.

Outreach to Customers

Goal: Stress empathy and think like a consumer. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, several companies have rethought how they do business to provide more excellent service to consumers. The airlines have waived cancellation and change fees. Walgreens, CVS, and others have eased or waived early refills on prescription drugs. Walmart, Target, and several other ‘big-box’ grocery retailers have added enhanced deep-cleaning protocols that signal consumers that it’s safe to do essential grocery shopping.

The COVID-19 crisis and those that will follow require a combination of steady leadership, plus factual and updated information regularly shared with employees, vendors, customers, and the public. 

Those businesses and organizations that follow such crisis communication fundamentals in their response to the current national health pandemic will almost certainly come out the other end of it more robust, reputationally intact, and with their long-term fundamentals tested but still firmly in place.   

• Do you have a crisis communications plan?  If yes, does it include an action plan for a widespread health emergency?
• Who are your most important stakeholders?  Arguably, employees are your most important audience, followed by customers (however they are defined), vendors, investors/funding sources, and other business partners.
• Employees are most concerned about their own health and that of their loved ones. Are you providing the information they need on how they can protect themselves and their families?
• Do you need to update/create/implement policies regarding working remotely, business travel, conferences and meetings, supply chain continuity, and other concerns?
• Do you have an intranet, mass communication platform, or other highly effective means of communicating quickly with your entire employee base? Are your contacts updated?
• What do your communications strategies need to address?  Ideally, communications are addressing the actions you are taking to create awareness, protect people, instill confidence, build trust and enhance credibility. 
• Who is responsible for communicating with each audience? What is the best vehicle to reach each audience quickly and effectively? How are you keeping leadership updated?
• Key messages, talking points, and Q&A should be prepared, approved, and placed in the hands of all those who are responsible for communicating with various stakeholders. 

If you consider these questions thoughtfully, you will be in a better position to respond agilely to the volatile challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

For more information about crisis communications, contact Darren Richards at drichards@evoqueag.online.

Your goals should include both readiness for COVID’s potential impact on your organization, building resilience of your team, and effective business continuity. Ongoing discussions should consider: 

• The potential impacts on your business and the key indicators you will use to measure them;
• Having an effective alert system in place to stay atop local, regional and worldwide developments and take them into consideration in your daily decision making and communications;
• Whether your business continuity program is sufficient to address this kind of crisis, and if not, what you need to do now to shore it up;
• Whether your vendors and business partners have COVID-19 response plans, and what they are;
• Staying in regular communication with your business partners;
• Preparing to keep the business on track if there is an outbreak among your employees;
• What percent of your employees can work from home, and if they have the right equipment and network access to telework;
• The protections you need to provide for your employees to continue working if you have an essential business;
• The costs and benefits of postponing or canceling large meetings.

With these things in mind, move forward with calm resolve. While the pandemic will undoubtedly affect your business, taking the above into consideration will help soften the blow and recover more quickly.

For more information on coronavirus strategic communications, contact Darren Richards at drichards@evoqueag.online.