Only 25% of crisis situations happen suddenly. The rest are the result of ineffective handling of issues and incidents or of warning signs that the management team has not understood in time. Accidents, natural disasters, environmental issues, product failures and recalls, cases of product tampering, consumer boycotts, plant closures, restructuring programs and layoffs are some of the forms and shapes a crisis can take.V+O's crisis and issues management service facilitates protecting and defending a company, an organization and their people, facing a swelling public challenge to their reputation, image and community relations. Preparation, along with a clearly defined strategy to deal with the management of crises and ongoing issues, is key for the smooth and effective operation of a corporation at times of high stress and pressure. In fact, in most cases it’s not the crisis itself, but the company’s reaction to it that harms its reputation.
V+O has a long experience in handling both crises and long-term issues, as well as advising corporations on how to proactively prepare against them.Such situations require the active engagement of top management, and V+O ensures the involvement of all key people at the right capacity, in order for companies to emerge with their reputation intact and their stakeholder relations unscathed. In particular, following an integrated crisis handling philosophy, V+O develops tailor-made solutions, based on each client’s specific needs. Starting with risk and opportunities assessment, the company proceeds with addressing the key media audience, while a cohesive and properly trained team of executives and a designated spokesperson are being prepared. Since 2000, V+O has be actively involved in handling minor and major issues and crises, and created crisis manuals for a great number of clients.
Services include:
- Potential risk and opportunities assessment
- Identification of vulnerabilities, development of crisis communication strategies and procedures guidelines
- Crisis manual preparation
- Crisis preparedness for rapid, persuasive and media sensitive response
- Ongoing, onsite strategic counsel
- Crisis material production for television and radio
- Rapid & media sensitive response training
- Spokesperson identification and media training
- Opposition assessment and monitoring
