Do you have the tools in place to defend your reputation?

Launch PR issues and crisis management assessment test

Every comms professional knows a brand's reputation is hard won, but easily lost. Many issues can be predicted and planned for, but even the ones that come from leftfield can be mitigated if the comms team is well prepared and well drilled. This short test from Launch PR's issues team will help gauge what support and tools you might need to face an issue or a crisis.

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* 1. The results of this survey are confidential and won't be shared with anyone outside Launch PR

Name

Company

Email Address

Phone Number

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* 2. What are the most common threats to your organisation's reputation?

A customer has a bad experience with your staff and complains publicly - on a forum or on social media, or to a journalist

Something you're responsible for - or a product made or distributed by your organisation - goes wrong and it affects members of the public or other businesses

Your organisation or one of your employees is accused of breaking the law or industry regulations

Corporate or structural change (M&A, redundancy etc)

Corporate or structural challenges (poor financial results, strong competitors, tribunals etc)

Operational problems (power cuts, systems failures, fire, accidents etc)

IT issues - data breaches, hacks etc

Other (please specify)

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* 3. How often do any of these threats occur on average?

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* 4. Do you have any of the following?

Media-trained spokespeople

An issues response team who know their responsibilities

Signed off holding statements and responses to common and historic problems updated within the last six months

Documented issues response protocols and tools - statements, crisis response protocols, calendar of potential risks etc - stored remotely and accessible by issues response team

A set of protocols for reception staff who may come into contact with journalists - via the phone or in person

Media and digital monitoring system/supplier

Dormant issue-specific holding page that can be edited and made live quickly in the event of a major issue

Scenario planning and issues management training programme

System for logging and cross referencing enquires, statements and responses

None of the above

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* 5. When was the last time you conducted a scenario planning or crisis response test?

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* 6. How many people in your organisation have experience of dealing with reputation issues?

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* 7. If a negative story appeared in the press about your organisation, what would be the worst case scenario as a result?

Sales to consumers would drop

Sales to business customers would drop

Clients would review existing contracts

Clients would be less inclined to renew contracts

Staff would be harder to keep or recruit

Current investors or partners would pull their support

It would be harder to attract current investors or partners

Other (please specify)

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* 8. How much contingency do you have in your PR and comms budget to pay for external, unplanned reputation or crisis PR support?

I'm confident there's enough contingency in the comms budget

There's a small contingency, but I'm confident I can find extra budget at short notice

There's no contingency, but I can find extra budget at short notice if I need to tackle a serious reputation issue

There's no contingency, and it would take time to find extra budget to tackle a serious reputation issue, but I'm confident it could be done

There's no contingency, and extra budget would be entirely at the discretion of the senior directors

There's no contingency, and I've never had to ask for external, unplanned reputation or crisis PR support

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* 9. A journalist asks a series of difficult questions about your organisation. Who would have the responsibility for the following?

	No-one else - just me	Another member of the comms team	Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Someone with no issues response or comms role
Produce a signed off response to the journalist	Produce a signed off response to the journalist No-one else - just me	Produce a signed off response to the journalist Another member of the comms team	Produce a signed off response to the journalist Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Produce a signed off response to the journalist Someone with no issues response or comms role
Brief the organisation's leadership team	Brief the organisation's leadership team No-one else - just me	Brief the organisation's leadership team Another member of the comms team	Brief the organisation's leadership team Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Brief the organisation's leadership team Someone with no issues response or comms role
Brief the issues response team	Brief the issues response team No-one else - just me	Brief the issues response team Another member of the comms team	Brief the issues response team Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Brief the issues response team Someone with no issues response or comms role
Engage operations team and legal teams	Engage operations team and legal teams No-one else - just me	Engage operations team and legal teams Another member of the comms team	Engage operations team and legal teams Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Engage operations team and legal teams Someone with no issues response or comms role
Make sure your media monitoring will pick up the title the journalist works for	Make sure your media monitoring will pick up the title the journalist works for No-one else - just me	Make sure your media monitoring will pick up the title the journalist works for Another member of the comms team	Make sure your media monitoring will pick up the title the journalist works for Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Make sure your media monitoring will pick up the title the journalist works for Someone with no issues response or comms role
Do a cuttings search and social media audit on the journalist	Do a cuttings search and social media audit on the journalist No-one else - just me	Do a cuttings search and social media audit on the journalist Another member of the comms team	Do a cuttings search and social media audit on the journalist Someone in the issues response team who ISN'T a member of the comms team	Do a cuttings search and social media audit on the journalist Someone with no issues response or comms role

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* 1. The results of this survey are confidential and won't be shared with anyone outside Launch PR

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* 2. What are the most common threats to your organisation's reputation?

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* 3. How often do any of these threats occur on average?

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* 4. Do you have any of the following?

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* 5. When was the last time you conducted a scenario planning or crisis response test?

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* 6. How many people in your organisation have experience of dealing with reputation issues?

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* 7. If a negative story appeared in the press about your organisation, what would be the worst case scenario as a result?

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* 8. How much contingency do you have in your PR and comms budget to pay for external, unplanned reputation or crisis PR support?

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* 9. A journalist asks a series of difficult questions about your organisation. Who would have the responsibility for the following?

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* 10. Have you ever used external PR support to help prepare for or manage a reputation issue?