Ice the Crises

PR Professionals go by the motto ‘Prevention is better than cure’. Crisis management is an essential segment of PR services which offers comfort to the businesses affected by crisis. Crisis is but an irrefutable part of every business activity, organizations are under the threat of being engulfed by one or the other crisis situation. To deal such difficult situations many companies have their in-house PR teams or they hire PR agencies to assist with their PR activities.

Crises are like burns, a common household injury. They should be given instant attention even if they are minor as they can aggravate into something much more painful if ignored.  Some basic steps are to clean the wound and remove the impaired tissue. If the burn is deep, it tends to leave a scar. Similarly, small crises are often overlooked but they can evolve into a bigger concern. Getting rid of the issue from core ensures that it does not create a similar problem later. Otherwise, like a devitalized tissue, one crisis can culture more devastating crises which can cause serious damage to the brand image. Handling a crisis effectively also facilitates brand trust and loyalty.

In order to deal with any crisis, the primary step is to recognize the root problem so that the efforts are concentrated in the right direction. A critical situation might arise but to get a hold of it, the problem should be analyzed from all ends and a plan should be formulated accordingly. Even if a crisis has been taken care of, it may come up again. In such cases, a company should be prepared beforehand. Some unavoidable circumstances may not be possible to evade; however organizations must map a solution in advance for the trivial ones.

The author of this opinion article is Ms Asmita Arya at PR Professionals