Customer and Employee Communications

Using an emergency notification system to share messages with staff about what they should do before, during and after a natural disaster helps minimize downtime and keep people safe.

Key takeaways:        

• Different disasters will require a different response
• Develop communications plans for ones that you are most at risk for
• Utilizing a mass notification system to get everyone relevant information as quickly as possible
• Continue to send updates to staff after a disaster to inform of office closing/reopening, damage, etc.  

SOURCE:  US Small Business Administration, 2019

The authors conducted a survey to understand how leaders can communicate effectively during a crisis like COVID. Based on the responses, they found five practices drive employee satisfaction.

Key takeaways:        

• Provide safe channels for giving feedback
• Address concerns for job security
• Provide a plan for the future 

SOURCE: Harvard Business Review, 7.9.20

Crises are critical times for any company. Lack of fast and effective communication with employees leads to confusion and distrust in the workplace. This piece shares a few best practices you can use to reach and engage with your employees during a time of crisis.

Key takeaways:        

• Four steps for building a crisis communication plan
• Technologies that can help improve communication
• Creating a messaging timeline

SOURCE: Speakap

Keeping employees informed and trustful of your organization is crucial, especially when uncertainty flourishes. These approaches will help when discussing the coronavirus.

Key takeaways:        

• Keep communications clear and calm and reinforce your values
• Establish a single source for up-dated fact based information
• Provide two-way communication 

SOURCE: Ragan, 3.23.30

As a “landscape scale” event, the coronavirus has created great uncertainty, elevated stress and anxiety, and prompted tunnel vision, in which people focus only on the present rather than toward the future. During such a crisis, when information is unavailable or inconsistent, and when people feel unsure about what they know (or anyone knows), behavioral science points to an increased human desire for transparency, guidance, and making sense out of what has happened. Leaders should rely on the fundamental tools of effective communications to help alleviate anxiety.

Key takeaways:        

• Best practices for communicating during a crisis
• Being candid with messaging
• How to help people build up a resilience

SOURCE: McKinsey, 4.17.20

Crisis communication is important no matter what kind of business you manage. Whether you’re running a small shop out of your home with freelancers, own a restaurant that’s been shut down or manage a company with fifty people, knowing what to do and say in times like these is crucial.People are looking to managers and bosses for leadership. So, what should you be doing?

Key takeaways:        

• Importance of transparent, real-time information
• Crisis communication tips for leaders
• Successful crisis communication examples in the real world

SOURCE: The Hartford, 6.22.20

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, business owners have had no choice but to reevaluate the way their companies are equipped to handle crisis situations. While it may be difficult to prepare for how a crisis may impact your customers, you can prepare for how to communicate with them in a way that is both productive and effective should they be affected.

Key takeaways:        

• Adjust tone to reflect the situation
• Find a balance between fair and firm
• Be proactive about reaching out

SOURCE: Forbes, 7.30.20

Whether it’s a global issue like COVID-19 or a local emergency, businesses must have a crisis communication plan in place for their customers. This goes beyond minor adjustments to marketing messages. The plan must extend to customer service teams, your website, social channels, customer-facing staff, and more.

Key takeaways:        

• Be compassionate – offer a shoulder to lean on
• Look for ways to help your community
• Review content messaging stream to identify if certain planned communications need to be paused or revised

SOURCE: Salesforce

During COVID-19, companies that lead with empathy and genuinely address customer needs can strengthen relationships.

Key takeaways:        

• Seven actions that can demonstrate empathy to customers
• Providing help to clients in financial distress
• Treating customers with care in personal interactions

SOURCE: McKinsey, 4.15.20

When things are going wrong, it’s important to know how to communicate with your customers effectively. Here are six ways you can provide great customer service during a crisis.

Key takeaways:        

• Have a central point of communication
• Review marketing plan and adjust to reflect the situation
• Share what your business is doing to help

SOURCE: US Chamber of Commerce