On the topic of navigating crisis communications and reputation management for insurance claims, Gauteng Women In Insurance (GWII) hosted a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) session on 14 September, proudly sponsored by Camargue.
Guest speaker, Rianette Leibowitz, PR Risk Management Consultant for companies such as Camargue, spoke about the importance of a crisis communication plan and reputation management for insurance claims.
Navigating crisis communications
Every business strives to build a solid reputation, retain clients and to keep all stakeholders satisfied. That’s why being prepared for an incident and having a crisis communications plan in place could alleviate the stress and be the guiding framework you can rely on when a crisis situation feels overwhelming and out of control.
In this session, Rianette shared her overview of a crisis communications plan and discussed the practical implications by showcasing examples of claims and what the best-case scenarios would be.
Overview of a crisis communications plan
Communications, according to Rianette, refers to all the different areas we use to communicate information effectively to relevant stakeholders. A communications strategy is a business framework that guides the company to ensure that messages are aligned and that all communication efforts lead to achieving the same business goals.
“The success of your business relies on solid marketing, regular media exposure, effective internal and client communication and good brand-building activities. Even though this could sound quite overwhelming, it’s comforting to know that there are experts who are passionate about this and who can come on board as consultants or in-house communications managers,” she added.
From an insurance point of view, the broker plays such an important role in advising clients to be prepared for the worst and one crucial area is their reputation management when a crisis occurs. That is why Rianette urged the audience to advise the insured to have a crisis communications plan in place. Important aspects of a crisis communications plan include:
- Clarify roles and responsibilities;
- Identify the types of crisis situations to be prepared for and create a classification system;
- List the stakeholders you would need to communicate with;
- Identify the channels you will use to share information (considering power outages, system shutdown etc);
- Create pre-written and approved templates (Q&A documents, media statements, internal notices etc.); and
- Tracking and measurement.
Practical implications and best case scenarios
When the client submits a claim, Rianette mentioned to evaluate the possible risks such as:
- Reputation damage;
- Media exposure and negative publicity; and
- Social media posts by the disgruntled party.
“By bringing this to your client’s attention, they will be more prepared when there is a crisis that leads to a claim and the expertise of a crisis communications consultant could add additional value to manage the risks from different perspectives,” she added.
Getting the house in order
In her concluding remarks she said, “By getting the house in order ahead of a crisis situation, you mitigate the risk of reputational damage and negative publicity. This will not only help to manage the stress and havoc caused by a crisis but could also determine the outcome of the claim and the future of the business.”
See photo album here