GLENDALE, Ariz. -- “Who here has a crisis management plan for your organization?” That was a question posed by Melissa Agnes to the attendees of Winsight’s Convenience Retailing University (CRU) on Feb. 21 in Glendale, Ariz. Of the hundreds of retailers sitting in the audience, only a few raised their hands.
Agnes, a crisis-management expert, outlines ways to “build an invincible brand” in her book, "Crisis Ready." During her CRU presentation, she said approximately 28% of crises spread internationally within one hour, and it takes the average company roughly 21 hours to effectively respond to one. And the longer the response time, the more consequences brands face, both in the short and long term.
“We live in a world of increased risk with labor concerns and regulatory requirements,” she said. “When you’re crisis-ready and your entire team can detect an incident and respond in a way that increases brand credibility and trust, that’s how you have an invincible brand.”
Here are three ways to build brand invincibility, according to Agnes, that can apply to c-stores in times of crises …