Crisis communication that responds to what is going on
During a crisis you want to know what explanation people need and who follows up on questions. Use Coosto to interpret online reactions, check social updates and distribute conversations. Your team sees what needs publishing or further follow-up.
- Checks before publishing
- Clear division of tasks
- Context at handover
What explanation does your public need right now?
During a crisis your team has to share information while online questions and reactions keep coming in. What has been confirmed and where is explanation missing? A recurring topic may call for a public update; a personal question for individual follow-up.
You need context to make that distinction, decide on a suitable message and choose which questions to handle first.
Recognise which signals need attention
Besides the content, analyse which emotions appear in reactions and how strong they are. An increase in frustration, anger or concern can be a reason to look into a topic more closely.
Then assess the severity and context of the posts to decide which signals need attention first and where additional explanation is needed. That way you recognise sooner when dissatisfaction is growing and a topic deserves extra attention, even if the number of reactions is still limited.
Decide what explanation is needed and align your communication
Use Coosto to look into which questions, concerns and reactions are emerging around the situation. Use your organisation's confirmed information to decide what explanation and tone are needed. Draft your social media post and have a colleague check the content before publishing.
Distribute individual questions from the unified inbox. Do the same questions keep coming back? Use those signals to add to or clarify your communication.
Tips
Engage: one inbox for all your online customer contact.
Use the evaluation for your next approach
Afterwards, look at how online reactions developed, which social updates got reach and engagement and how your team handled questions from the public. Share this data with the colleagues involved through dashboards and reports.
Discuss which topics kept coming back and where questions remained open. Use that to decide which information, answer templates or working agreements you want to adjust for a next situation.
How Coosto supports your crisis communication
Follow online reactions
Look into posts around a topic to decide what explanation is needed.
Post approval
Have a colleague check your social update before you publish it.
Assign cases
Distribute questions from the public and make it visible who is handling each conversation.
Internal notes
Add context to a conversation so a colleague can take over the follow-up.
See crisis communication in Coosto
In a personal demo we look at how your team can turn online signals into communication. You'll see how to prepare and check social updates, distribute questions from the public and use the results to evaluate your approach.
During a demo we show you:
- Looking into online questions and reactions as input for your message.
- Preparing, checking and publishing social updates.
- Assigning and handing over conversations with internal notes.
- Discussing online developments, post performance and webcare data.
Frequently asked questions
What is crisis communication?
Crisis communication is informing the people involved about, and during, a crisis or incident. You explain what is known, what is still uncertain and what people can do. Online questions and reactions help you judge what additional explanation is needed.
How is it different from crisis monitoring?
Crisis monitoring focuses on following and interpreting developments. Crisis communication is about the message and the follow-up: what information do you share, how do you align updates and how do you answer questions? Monitoring provides the context for that.
How does Coosto help with a crisis communication plan?
Coosto supports carrying out parts of your plan: following online developments, preparing and checking social updates, distributing conversations and reporting on results. Agree in advance who makes decisions on content, who checks posts and how you confirm information.
Can I have social updates checked before they are published?
Yes. Publish supports review and post approval. Have a colleague check the content before you publish a social media post. Agree in advance who carries out this check.
How do communication and webcare align their work?
Use monitoring and incoming questions to decide where explanation is needed. Prepare public social updates in Publish and organise individual conversations in Engage. With assignment and internal notes, you give colleagues context for the follow-up.
What happens when a question from the public is handed over?
In Engage you can assign a conversation to a colleague and add internal notes. The conversation history makes earlier communication visible. That way the colleague can judge which question is still open and what the next step is.
Can Coosto decide which message we should share?
The decision on content stays with your team. Monitoring gives context to online reactions; sentiment and emotion analysis can help you explore patterns. Check the underlying posts and combine them with confirmed information before you decide on a message.
Can I also publish website news or press releases?
Publish supports publishing on supported social media channels. Use those posts, for example, to refer to an official update on your website. Publishing on websites and sending press releases fall outside the use described here.
How do I evaluate my crisis communication with Coosto?
Look at how online reactions developed alongside post performance and webcare data, such as reaction times and case handling. Share the reports with the colleagues involved and discuss what you want to adjust. Reach and engagement alone don't show whether people understood your message.
