If you live in Oklahoma, you probably have a tornado kit readily available. If you have kids, you’ve also probably discussed with them how to safely leave the home in the event of a fire. So why would you leave your plumbing company unprepared if an unexpected business crisis occurs? That’s exactly what you are doing if you haven’t developed a crisis management plan.

Like most home services company owners, you understand the importance of advertising and getting your name out across your service area. You no doubt have an email marketing plan and even a strategy for placing door hangers.

However, what if one of your team members gets arrested while wearing a branded shirt — and photos show up in the local press? What would you do if one of your plumbers was accused of assaulting a customer? Do you know how to respond if your database is hacked and your customers’ personal information and credit card numbers are accessed?

A public relations partner can help you to anticipate these and other crises, prepare a strategic response, and effectively navigate challenging circumstances without compromising your brand’s image and integrity. 

Planning for a crisis

Most company owners believe they should only retain a PR agency if they are a very large organization with dozens of employees. Or they think they only need PR after they have found themselves in hot water with the public.

Both of those assumptions are wrong.

Public relations is the art of building relationships and boosting your reputation through the positive relationships you’ve created. In the home services business, a good reputation is one of the strongest selling points you have, so ensuring your standing in the community remains strong is essential, even if your company has fewer than 10 employees.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you probably also know that nearly every company will face a crisis at one time during the course of doing business (https://bit.ly/4cY8NfO). If you wait until one happens before developing a crisis contingency plan, you might not survive it.

That’s why you hope for the best and hire a PR team to plan for the worst.

1. Assessing your risks: One of the first things your new PR agency will do is assess your vulnerabilities. Knowing where you are most likely to stumble can help you outline the steps you and your team will need to follow should a business crisis occur.

You probably won’t be able to identify every vulnerability, but an overarching plan to manage most of the issues you could face will give you a basic roadmap.

2. Developing the plan: Once your PR partner has identified your likely risks, they will prepare your crisis plan.

This plan should include:

• A list of employees and their responsibilities during a crisis: Make sure you identify who can talk to the media, who can post social media messages and who should provide updated information.

• Instructions on creating a press statement: If you have a PR team, they should be contacted to create the initial draft that should then be approved by your leadership team and your attorney, if one has been retained.

• A social media rollout plan: Make sure you have a plan to address the crisis on your social media channels and how to provide relevant updates.

• Identifying a spokesperson: Choose someone from within your company or on your legal team who can confidently speak to the press. If necessary, have your PR partner provide your spokesperson with media training so they will know how to talk to journalists.

Remember that your initial response will set the tone for how the media covers this crisis. If you have a plan in place and react calmly, you will be seen as in command of the situation.

3. Putting the plan into action: When a crisis happens, it’s critical that you put your plan into action immediately and make your responses count.

If you’ve built your plumbing company from the ground up, there is every temptation to become overly emotional when your business is being challenged. However, this isn’t the time to let emotions carry you away. 

It’s also hard to think on your feet when the event is both personal and sudden.

This is why you shouldn’t wait until an issue arises before planning your crisis response. In this day and age of instant news coverage, you can’t assume the issue will just go away, and you can’t respond with a knee-jerk reaction that will prolong the problem.

Follow the plan and do not downplay the situation. While the issue may not be of significance to you, it is to someone, so make sure any apologies you need to make are made quickly and sincerely.

If you respond to the situation rapidly, truthfully and empathetically, you are more able to control the message. And that calm and steady approach may not only save your company from further embarrassment, but it might also even save it from total ruin.