{"id":225221,"date":"2020-03-09T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T10:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtualq.knorke.de\/news\/whitepaper\/corona-und-co\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T08:51:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T06:51:26","slug":"corona-and-co","status":"publish","type":"whitepaper","link":"https:\/\/virtualq.io\/en\/news\/whitepaper\/corona-and-co\/","title":{"rendered":"Crisis Management & Covid 19"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Whitepaper<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Crisis management & COVID-19: 12 Tips for Customer Care<\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When does crises management begin?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Processes within companies and institutions are designed with budgets, capacities and staff numbers in mind. For example, buffers for sick leave, technical failures and certain weather scenarios are generally factored into the number of \u201ccases\u201d that can be optimally processed by a set number of workers within a timeframe. These estimations allow us to be prepared for problematic situations, e.g., the flu season, extremely stormy periods and nationwide telephone service provider outages, which are not uncommon. We can normally overcome such hurdles in a few days by entering into a kind of \u201cemergency operating mode\u201d, where callers may have to wait that bit longer or customer supplies may be slightly delayed. But what happens when these situations last longer than expected, and become even more difficult? If the number of people affected and the consequences of that just keep rising? How good is crisis management, when there really is a crisis?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Unplannable, unpredictable, inevitable<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Covid-19 \u2013 or new coronavirus \u2013 crisis, which was initially perceived as an irrelevant problem has, as we know, taken a rapid turn. Comparable with previous epidemics of recent decades like BSE, SARS, H1N1 (\u201cswine flu\u201d), norovirus and influenza, the magnitude of such scenarios assumes proportions commensurate with the rate of mortality. In this latest case, the new coronavirus is following a relatively serious course and bringing consequences for all industries with it. At first, seeing that the documented deaths predominantly involved at-risk groups and that the general course of the illness for anyone else often appeared flu-like or harmless, people were inclined to simply want to ride out the events. However, the huge contagion potential and the high number of existing and expected cases (including deaths) resulting from this have quickly brought about new critical phases, where not only public health systems have had to take decisive action to stem both the illness and the growth of new epicenters outside of China. Within a very short time, authorities have also found themselves faced with a rush of people who have questions or simply feel unsettled, looking for information on hotlines, overfilling consultation slots and paralyzing download servers. <\/span><\/p>

Such an epidemic also brings about secondary consequences that might not instantly come to mind. <\/span><\/p>

Stockpiling, or panic buying, among populations fearing quarantines; shortages of medical products due to panicked, and sometimes even illegal procurement; the abandonment of major events; mass cancellations in the tourism industry and all the insurance and legal cases tied up with this. In turn, we see overstretched emergency and order hotlines, advisory and delivery services, transport companies and health insurers. Hardly any sector remains untouched and capacities need to be created.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Events like Corona Virus demand new processes <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Existing emergency procedures are no longer adequate. <\/span><\/p>

A few examples: the German medical association\u2019s non-emergency 116\u00a0117 hotline temporarily went out of service. Crisis information sheets on download pages provided by the German government became inaccessible, and some citizens reported making up to 44 attempts to call the authorities before they were even placed on hold. A lack of suitable protective clothing has left medical centers unable to carry out mass testing. Supermarket shelves have been emptied, with some places running out of sugar, flour and toilet paper. <\/span><\/p>

What have we been able to learn from previous crises? A 12-point list can be derived from here that should be individually adapted for every company, ideally in advance: <\/span><\/p>

1)<\/strong> Events sometimes develop exponentially \u2013 the picture changes daily. Taking a proactive approach to keeping customers and business partners informed is best, regardless of whether they are directly involved in the catastrophic events or are having to bear the secondary consequences of them.
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2)<\/strong> Be mindful of hype\/news cycles. News organizations tend to focus on the \u201cnew\u201d rather than the bigger picture, and do not always differentiate between hard facts, soft facts and speculation. Yesterday\u2019s news will probably determine how your organization thinks about the crisis today. As a result, people have a systematic tendency to initially overlook weak signals and then overreact to emerging problems, before eventually \u2013 and belatedly \u2013 assuming a more measured way of thinking. When absorbing the latest news, think critically about the source of the information before you react to it.
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3)<\/strong> Do not assume that having information is the same as being informed. In our networked world, employees and customers have direct access to all kinds of information. Managers might actually conclude that, with so much information and so many commentaries available externally, they do not have to take any further action. However, information needs to be individually evaluated and interpreted for each organization and it is your job to do this. Passing on a regularly updated summary of facts and implications from the perspective of the company or organization is not a duplication of work; it has an important filter function for your customers and employees.
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4)<\/strong> Rely exclusively on experts. Experts in epidemiology, virology, public health<\/a>, logistics and other disciplines are essential for an interpretation of complex and changing information. Of course, expert opinions on critical issues like optimal containment policy and economic impact will differ, so it is advisable to consult several sources. <\/span><\/p>

5)<\/strong> Continuously update your own understanding of what is happening. Once you have carried out a comprehensive analysis of the situation and put together a plan, a degree of inertia can kick in, since you feel that everything is well prepared. A Chinese proverb says that great generals should issue commands in the morning and completely change them in the evening. We know that large organizations in particular are rarely this flexible. Management or individual decision makers often resist distributing plans until they are absolutely certain, and then hesitate to change them out of fear of looking indecisive or misinformed or causing confusion within the organization. The solution to this comes in the form of agile documents with tracked changes, enabling you to learn and adapt in quickly changing situations. These can easily be updated or withdrawn, as required. <\/span><\/p>

6)<\/strong> Beware of bureaucracy! Controversial, sensitive or high-profile issues are generally reviewed by management and further hierarchy levels within the company. Each will have their own suggestions on how to best formulate the communication, which can lead to an overly generalized or conservative perspective and make the process slow and cumbersome. In crisis situations, it is crucial that you put together a small, trustworthy team and give them enough leeway to make quick, tactical decisions. Particularly in an environment where every day brings important new information to light, such a \u201crapid reaction force\u201d is invaluable. Furthermore, a clear distinction between facts, hypotheses and speculation can help you convey a more complete and nuanced picture.<\/span><\/p>

7)<\/strong> Ensure that you communicate guidelines in a timely, clear and balanced manner, as customers and employees are highly likely to be exposed to conflicting information, which can lead to confusion. Also communicate contextual information and the reasoning behind guidelines, so that in cases of doubt employees can make their own decisions and take initiative, for instance when dealing with contractors. This will also help make interventions such as restrictions on travel and gatherings feel less restrictive. Additionally, when travel guidelines are changed or toughened, make sure it is clear when and for which reasons employees can travel and which authorizations they will require.<\/span><\/p>

8)<\/strong> Review your own resilience factors. These include: <\/span><\/p>