What metric should you use when handling a crisis?

Emergency and crisis situations are varied and can be influenced by a wide range of elements. However, the one consistent is that they all have some kind of impact. And how significant that impact is will depend on how well you have prepared in advance.

Your response metrics could include capability, timing, implementation of strategies, personnel, or communication, emergency response etc, and all of which have an impact on the outcome of a crisis. Assuring business continuity and reducing downtime are the two most important aspects depending on your emergency response metrics.

1. Technical Protocols: The technical capabilities of your business and its emergency strategies are highly important when it comes to assessing the manner in which you are dealing with a crisis.

2. Conduct Regular Check-ups: Regular check-ups of all your emergency response plans is an excellent way of obtaining actionable data and gives you the ability to measure successes and failings

3. The Use of a Mass Notification System: Using a smart mass communication system will allow you to send messages to a large group of people, have templates in place for a wide range of crisis situations, and analyse real-time feedback.

4. Maintenance Procedures: On-going maintenance is not something reserved strictly for industries and companies that operate heavy machinery. The number of remedial actions you are executing provides information on how your business operates in case of a malfunction or disruption.

5. Emergency Response Training: Training of all your employees provides you with insights into how prepared your workforce to respond to a crisis, but it also offers them personnel assurance and the confidence to deal with a crisis.

6. Incident Templates and Scenarios: Considering a wide range of scenarios allows you to respond to a wide range of situations. Prepared responses improve performance in a crisis and can help significantly reducing impact.

7. First Responders Time: It is not sufficient to provide your team of first responders with drafted plans and crisis communication strategies to implement in the event of an emergency, you will also need to measure the time it takes to complete certain tasks as this will directly contribute to the success of your response and emergency strategies.

8. Emergency Response Messages and Alerts: Measure the effectiveness of your emergency response messages and alerts. Regardless of the channel you use, automated templates or drafted in real-time, knowing things like how efficiently they were delivered, the engagement rate of each message will provide you valuable insights into the success of your current communication plans.

9. The Number of Employees or Teams Involved with Emergency Response: Regardless of the size or sector of your business, you will need to delegate emergency tasks to team members or entire departments. Understanding the number of people available, their capabilities as well as their limitations, and working out beforehand their roles and responsibilities within a crisis will save considerable time through the lifecycle of the entire crisis

10. Stakeholders Included in Crisis Communication Strategies: A company’s crisis communication strategies must also include a strategy for informing both internal and external stakeholders. Organisations must take time to understand who is included in the communication plan, what information you will communicate with them and the means or channels used to contact them.

Find out how Locate Global’s technology is supporting organisations before, during and after a crisis.