Crisis Management Must: The Double Check

This simple step is well worth the effort involved

We all exist in the midst of a flurry of communications, with texts, emails, and social media being processed and prepared by the dozens at the low end and up into the several hundred per day in many cases.

In the constant press for moving ever-faster and increasing volume, one simple step in crisis prevention is being overlooked so often it hurts – the good old fashioned double check. Case in point, a reader recently forwarded us the marketing email screenshotted below. What was the problem? This email was sent on May 22, aka Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

While this isn’t a major crisis, we doubt it left stakeholders feeling they were dealing with a particularly competent company, and it takes only a few moments to imagine several scenarios where sending the wrong message could create a major problem. Consider what may happen if you accidentally sent an email containing sensitive legal documents to your newsletter mailing list, or copy/paste a tirade from an angry customer into the news section of your website instead of the latest promotional material and you begin to see the problems which can arise.

So many of these incidents could be prevented by a simple double check. You look, very carefully, and read your message out loud to make even more certain it’s what you intended. Then (if possible) grab a friend, loved one, or office mate to look things over before you put your communications out there. That’s all. No special equipment, no fancy programs, no crazy fees, just one more step to protect yourself against the damage sending the wrong message can create.

Jonathan & Erik Bernstein