Create a critical communication plan

Natural and manmade disasters are costly for organizations across the globe. These events can result in losses of life, property, and resources and cause severe damage to an organization. In fact, a blizzard, hurricane, power failure, or any other critical event can cause irrevocable damage, especially for an organization that lacks a critical communication plan.

For example, consider the impact of natural disasters on organizations last year. According to global reinsurance company Munich Re, there were 880 natural disasters in 2013. These disasters resulted in more than 20,000 fatalities, and financial losses from these events totaled $125 billion.

If an emergency were to happen today, how prepared is your organization? Here are just a few of the questions you should consider when preparing for an emergency:

1. Does your organization have a documented plan for critical communication? In an emergency, your organization needs a documented plan to ensure its constituents receive timely, accurate updates throughout a critical event. Without a plan in place, your organization could struggle to respond to and recover from an emergency.

2. What contact paths will your organization use to notify constituents? Manually calling landline phones or cell phones to get a message to impacted contacts is insufficient. Instead, your organization needs to simultaneously inform its constituents through multiple contact paths, including emails, SMS, and text messages, until every respondent confirms receipt of notification.

3. How long does it take you to notify your constituents after an emergency is reported? Your organization should be able to quickly and efficiently respond to a critical event, notify its constituents, and continue to send updates until this situation is fully resolved.

How long would it take you to respond to a critical incident? Everbridge recently asked that – and more – in a recent survey of more than 950 business continuity, disaster recovery, safety and security, IT operations, and risk management professionals. Download the eBook to learn more.