Crisis Communication Case Study

Crisis Communications

Things go wrong, we know they do. The difference between a debilitating business crisis and a manageable situation often-times comes down to whether or not your business has a crisis communications plan in place.

The Crisis

A long-term client of Every Idea Marketing, discovered patient information was improperly accessed by a former employee. Federal laws strictly protect the privacy of patient health and personal information, and patients needed to be notified very quickly in order for our client to avoid any penalties. These laws prohibit accessing, viewing or making copies of your private information for impermissible purposes. Every Idea Marketing helped write and release the information to the press, write a letter to each of the patients, post updates on the web for easy access, and work directly with the staff and patients to clear up any misunderstandings.

 

The Approach

Every Idea worked hand-in-hand with the client, advising them on creating and activating a crisis communication strategy and identifying how to respond to inquiries and make adjustments as needed. Every Idea provided counsel throughout the crisis, which included meeting with staff, responding to customer calls, and monitoring media and social media in real time, thus being able to integrate key findings into the communication strategy.

Services performed

Conclusion

The media didn’t cover the story, which was the goal. Through proactive efforts, the team spoke with thirteen concerned patients and helped alleviate their concerns. Conversations with the patients also opened the door to introduce a new employee. Our client experienced the rewards of following a proactive and positive approach to countering what could have been a negative mark on their reputation.