An EnvoyWorldWide whitepaper

Numerous events over the past few years have illustrated the importance of being able to communicate quickly and accurately to key audiences in times of crisis. What constitutes a crisis – be it as manageable as a power outage or as devastating as a natural disaster or terrorist attack – may vary, but the need to communicate is a constant. There are many challenges to communicating effectively:

• Providing the right message (in terms of content, length, and format).
• Reaching people in different locations (and with different devices and media) quickly and simultaneously.
• Monitoring message delivery and response.
• Ensuring the communications process is initiated and suspended at the right time with the proper approvals.

In spite of these challenges, the need for automated communications is greater than ever. Again, it does not need to be an actual emergency, only a situation in which reach, speed, and accuracy matter. In some cases, such as communicating material information about an incident to shareholders, there is a mandatory 15-minute window in which every shareholder must be contacted. A manual call tree simply cannot accomplish this. In financial services, time is money; in healthcare, lives are at stake. Across all industries, business continuity demands that organizations inform and mobilize response teams, provide guidance and instructions to employees, and communicate with appropriate authorities and a wide range of external stakeholders, such as the media, neighbors, partners, and customers.

An evolving role, a constant need

The second annual Trends in Business Continuity and Risk Management Survey , published by EnvoyWorldWide in 2005, found that 87% of recipients regard communications as a core component of their business continuity plan. Yet 41% still rely on manual call trees for their emergency communications. This is a critical statistic because the role of emergency communications has evolved considerably in recent years – especially since 9/11. It is now a strategic function that can minimize the financial impact of downtime and improve recovery rates. Whether it's an internal or external situation, predictable or unforeseeable, a true calamity or a short-term business interruption, any incident that requires immediate communications to key parties must be handled effectively by today's organizations. This requires comprehensive, high-quality communications planning – which this white paper discusses.

The Five Pillars

This white paper discusses the five pillars of emergency communications planning. The term “pillars,” suggests these activities support emergency communications planning, which can fail if any one of them is not in place. These pillars are best practices to ensure your planning initiatives pay off when incidents occur. Successful communications planning depends on your ability to:

1. Develop a modern communications plan

2. Ensure executive collaboration and decision-making

3. Conduct frequent training and testing

4. Compose your message carefully

5. Select the right automated notification technology

Download the Report