How to use a website during a crisis

Websites are now a critical interface between firms and customers. Thousands of pounds are spent building on-line relationships between a company and its clients.

Unfortunately in a crisis, websites are often forgotten.

Take a look at the on-line presence of some of Japan’s biggest companies in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.

Toyota’s global home page has a message from the president, who offers his prayers ‘towards the realization of recovery’ but this is now more than two weeks old. Nintendo has a brief message on its Japan homepage but makes no mention of the disaster on any of its other sites. Nissan’s global page has nothing and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial also have other things on their mind.

It seems that Japanese companies still don’t see websites as mainstream communication tools.

In a crisis, a website is a vital resource that should provide essential information to a wide range of stakeholders – staff, customers, suppliers and journalists.

All inappropriate content, including advertising, must be pulled and companies need to have a mechanism for doing that day or night.

Many firms have a dark website that is set up ahead of time, which can be activated in a crisis. If you need help with this or any other aspect of crisis readiness then please go to our website: www.crisis-solutions.com

Scary questions

It can be hard to interest senior management in business continuity. Here’s the general perception:

· It’s dull

· It’s expensive

· And we don’t want to think about crises right now!

So with that in mind here are a series of questions you can drop into conversation with your bosses, which might just persuade them of the importance of crisis readiness.

· How long would it take to get hold of senior management if crisis strikes out of office hours?

· How do we contact employees so they hear about the crisis from us rather than the media?

· Can we update our website out of office hours?

· When was our crisis plan last revised and has it ever been tested?

· Who is our spokesperson in a crisis and who will deputise?

· What companies similar to ours have endured a crisis recently? How would we have coped?

· What would we say in a crisis? Who decides what information to give out and what is the sign off procedure?

Of course, if you have better, scarier questions that promote the cause, then we want to hear from you!