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Today, social media is increasingly becoming the determining factor of organizations' successful business emergency preparedness.
FREMONT, CA: Television and radio are no more the focal points of breaking news. Today, when a crisis occurs, people turn to their phones for live updates via social media threads. While this instant response can be a proactive method of dispersing information during a crisis, it also gives people a platform to voice their opinions and spread information at a rapid pace. With these active platforms and loud voices, social media is having its influential effect on business continuity planning too. In the digital-first business ecosystem, social media is a powerful tool in business continuity managers' arsenal.
There are several ways in which business continuity managers can use social media in the event of a crisis. Social media is considered one of the most effective tools that organizations have to monitor public sentiment and identify potential challenges before they erupt. A good social media-monitoring program can signal product issues, service interruptions, customer service problems, management concerns, safety hazards, and more that could impact the business. Social media monitoring tools can help business continuity teams understand how conversations are trending and which of them need to be addressed with the greatest urgency.
Encouraging employees to use social media can create natural transparency that supports business continuity planning and collaboration. It also demonstrates an organization's legal obligation to those employees before and during an incident. Using social media to promote business continuity management helps maintain employee and customer trust. Social media can support business continuity planning by engaging employees, clients, and customers in preparing for emergencies, where effective communication will play a vital role.
Social media platforms are changing how organizations prepare and respond to critical situations. But, many enterprises have been hesitant to add a social media component to their business continuity strategies. Integrating social media requires a specific skill set, but the fact that it adds much value to business continuity management cannot be denied.