OCTOBER 25 2024
"Wat kascht e Kriseplang?" - The cost of a Crisis Plan or... The price of not having one....
Having already produced several crisis plans, I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked: "How much does a crisis plan cost?This question comes as a surprise because it is simply not possible to put a general price on a plan. It's not a finished product that can be displayed in a shop window, or better still, offered at a reduced price at a jumble sale. The Crisis Plan is the fruit of a lot of work done upstream, with a multitude of important stages to consider, starting with a simple question:
What are the risks?
Every company, institution or authority has its own needs and faces different risks. In addition to size and type, a differentiating factor will also be the list of stakeholders. It is therefore clear that a Crisis Plan (with all the elements it implies) will be an individually tailored document.
Avoiding breakage
Just imagine: over a period of years, and with a great deal of energy, you build up (alongside value in the economic sense of the term) a brand image, a reputation, a token of trust. All this represents a real asset. In a crisis, everything that has been built up over the years can be shattered in a very short space of time.
One of the ultimate objectives of a crisis plan is therefore to avoid losses: loss of brand image, loss of confidence, loss of talent, etc.
I know, it sounds a bit philosophical, but you could say that the price of a crisis plan is not calculated according to what you have, but according to what you have to lose...
Good crisis management starts... before the crisis
I've managed to scare you? Perfect! Now let's move on to more pleasant things, namely the benefits of a crisis plan.
The first advantage of putting a plan in place is that you can identify the right people and study the right reflexes to be exercised at the right time, all in a completely pressure-free environment. The crisis plan represents 90% of the work and provides clear answers to the questions of who, what, where, when and how. It defines the processes to be followed, according to cases defined in advance.
Finally, and this is my favourite part of the job, you can 'play out' scenarios and test reactions in order to refine or improve one or other element of the crisis plan. This will avoid panic reactions, feelings of helplessness and hasty decisions.
An investment worth the cost
Yes, putting a crisis plan in place costs money (and time), but compared to not having one, and given everything you stand to lose, it's an investment rather than a cost, and it's certainly worth it.
