If 2016 taught us anything, it’s to expect the 
unexpected. At some point, your business will face a crisis, and it’s important to have systems in place for when that happens. How proficient are your employees in diffusing a crisis with tact and speed? Who takes charge if your point person is unavailable?
Workplace discord should not come as a surprise. There are almost always warning signs preceding a crisis. Identifying prevention steps helps ensure your staff will be successful in managing the crisis at hand.
1. Determine Vulnerable Areas
Think of your clientele and their needs on a daily basis. You should be able to compile a list of potential trigger points for crises within your company with relative ease. Foreshadowing potential issues gives you and your employees planning time so that when a crisis happens you can be proactive, not reactive. Do similar issues come up again and again? Ask your team what they see in their day to day experience and, more importantly, ask them what they don’t know how to fix themselves. Knowing what problems may arise is the first step in crisis management.
2. Create a Plan
After you’ve identified which specific areas may cause issues, create a plan and engage in employee training. Use mock scenarios to practice executing your plan when the pressure is off to familiarize staff with standard crisis management procedures. A plan is only as good as the action that follows.
3. Identify a Spokesperson and Communicate
The worst action in a crisis is inaction. Task one person to speak for your group in conflict-resolution situations. This way everyone is on the same page and your client feels that they are being personally cared for in this moment. It’s important that whoever is experiencing the issue knows that you are on their side and you take their dilemma as seriously as they do.
At AdvantEdge, we use our company meetings and staff training throughout the year as opportunities to sit down with our team and brainstorm different ways we can better resolve any inefficiencies in our services. When our clients succeed, we succeed. Our staff of Client Service Coordinators are trained and prepared to handle a wide array of situations without skipping a beat. With this you can be sure we are also prepared to help your business with whatever workspace concerns surface.
The Bottom Line...
The bottom line is that when a crisis arises, it’s important to get the right people involved and to act swiftly. Be proactive with your approach and stay in tune to your clients and their needs. Stay connected to your team to plan ahead so that each employee has the skills to handle difficult situations. Rather than waiting until a problem arises, work proactively by considering potential future issues.
