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Doing business is all about moving quickly. Whether you look to improve your productivity or you try to implement specific processes to hit targets, when you hit a crisis point, it can prove to be an insurmountable object. But when we hit these crisis points, what can we do to weather these storms?
Providing Adaptable Solutions
Of course, a solution would have been handy before we hit this point, but now we look at the major problems, and we learn our lesson going forward. When we look at a problem like a data breach, the fact that it’s highlighted gaps in our armor means that we won’t make this mistake going forward. This means that we may need to get more info from a managed IT services company so that we can protect our infrastructure better or it could very well be to do with internal processes, such as not communicating information adequately. Once we start to provide the solutions, they need to be adaptable. We have to roll with the punches, especially during this stressful time.
Focus On Your Customers And Clients
When we go through troublesome times, the temptation to be to focus purely on the internal aspects. But we need to remember that if there are customers affected by this crisis, especially with regards to things like data breaches, you need to reach out to them. You need to figure out if there are things you can do to help them because these customers have been loyal to you; you need to maintain some sort of integrity so that they will stick by you. You may have lost all credibility because of what has happened but you can still maintain some semblance of strength during this time.
Don’t Capitalize On The Crisis
They say that any publicity is good publicity but when you’ve been through a data breach you may very well want to minimize any PR catastrophes. It’s important that as we go through a crisis that we are open and honest but also try to minimize leakage of information where possible. This means that it’s a very difficult balance to get right. Ultimately, you want to be transparent so that everybody is knowledgeable going forward, but when these leaks go to the press, trying to spin a problem can prove one headache too much. Instead of capitalizing on it, especially if you are looking to make a quick sale, focus on compassion and authenticity instead.
Implement A Crisis Plan
Yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing, as we go through times of crisis we can learn numerous lessons. But what we can do going forward, especially as the crisis is progressing, is to put plans in place so that damage is minimized but also, that we don’t lose face. A crisis plan will help everybody moving forward especially in terms of the internal processes. Having a backup plan in place, especially with regards to life-threatening activities, means that we end up continuing with the business despite these ongoing issues.
