When does the need for crisis communication arise in corporations?
A crisis situation in the company is, by definition, an unexpected event. However, there are some more common situations that can lead to large-scale crises, which require the intervention of both a private investigator and a crisis communicator. At SPIA, our specialists of both fields make a great team.
PR crises occur when sensitive information inside the company reaches the press and everyone is watching the company, including state institutions. In fact, in a corporation, most crises end up being PR crises, because the information eventually reaches the press.
Another type of crisis in corporations is the financial crisis, which affects many departments in the company, from accounting to sales. Often, the cause of the financial crisis turns out to be theft or fraud.
A legal crisis occurs when a corporation is accused of breaking the law; there may also be situations in which a company is forced to sue a customer, an employee or a partner. These situations are not pleasant at all, because they attract the disapproval of the press and potential investors. These situations can also negatively affect the trust of business partners.
When do you know you need a private investigator for crisis communication?
There are several alarm signals that indicate the beginning of a crisis within the company, at which point the correct management of messages becomes crucial. Some of these signals highlight the need for crisis communication: information about an employee’s illicit activities is leaked to the press; an employee or former employee decides to disclose sensitive or even confidential information about the company’s activity, to the press; a business partner is involved in a scandal, thus impacting the company’s reputation; databases with customer information or confidential financial data become public on the Internet; a customer files a complaint against the company or publicly denounces its activity.
A private investigation agency can provide specialised advice to handle the image crisis. Crisis communication services involve managing messages sent from the company to the outside or even taking over the communication on behalf of the company, when and where appropriate.
Of course, the best time to call in a professional investigator is not in the midst of a crisis, but before it occurs. However, for businesses that do not have an action plan on crisis communication, these warning signs are a specific call to action.
Crisis communication strategy
Certain crisis communication situations can be easily anticipated and there are various solution models for each possible scenario. A company that prepares crisis communication scripts in advance is best prepared to quickly resolve such a sensitive situation.
A private investigation agency will be able to help you understand where the company’s vulnerabilities are, what are the risks of fraud in the organization you run, what can be done in the event of a crisis caused by identified vulnerabilities, which people should manage crisis communication and how to do it.
It is always good to have a spokesperson for emergencies. A person very well prepared in advance for this role, who knows what needs to be made public, what does not and what is the whole context of the crisis. A corporate investigation agency can take over the crisis communication on behalf of the company, the specialists who team up with professional investigators with the necessary experience to manage even an ongoing image crisis.
At the end of the crisis, it is very important to analyse what happened. A crisis is an excellent opportunity to learn, to prepare and prevent future potential crises.
Unfortunately, image crises can hit any company. SPIA Romania investigators can help you assess the risks of a crisis within the company and can advise you on the necessary measures to prevent or manage the crisis situation, respectively communication during it.