CHALLENGE
Operating in a high-stakes industry where incidents can escalate quickly, Estis Compression lacked a formal, repeatable framework for managing crisis communications. Without clearly defined activation criteria, response roles, or pre-approved messaging, the organization risked slow, inconsistent responses during the moments that matter most. Leadership also needed targeted preparation to engage media and stakeholders with confidence. Closing these gaps was essential to protecting the company’s reputation and maintaining trust with employees, customers, partners, and the broader public.
OBJECTIVE
Estis Compression sought to protect its brand reputation by ensuring the organization could communicate quickly, accurately, and consistently during serious incidents or emerging crises. A key objective was to establish a clear, repeatable crisis communications framework that would support sound decision-making under pressure and reduce uncertainty during time-sensitive situations. Additionally, Estis aimed to prepare its leadership team to confidently manage media inquiries and stakeholder communications, ensuring executives could respond with clarity, credibility, and alignment when stakes were high.
SOLUTION
Pierpont developed a comprehensive Crisis Communication Plan (CCP) tailored to Estis Compression’s operational realities, organizational structure, and risk environment. The engagement began with in-depth stakeholder discovery, including interviews across the organization to identify potential risks, understand internal workflows, and assess communication needs. These insights ensured the plan reflected real-world scenarios and decision-making dynamics.
Building on this foundation, Pierpont created a robust CCP that clearly defines what constitutes a crisis, establishes activation criteria, and outlines a step-by-step response process to guide teams through fast-moving situations. The plan clarified roles, responsibilities, and approval workflows for a designated Crisis Response Team, helping ensure consistent, accurate communications and streamlined decision-making under pressure.
To further strengthen readiness, Pierpont developed realistic crisis scenarios supported by ready-to-use communications assets, including holding statements, key messages, Q&A documents, and press templates. These materials enable rapid response while minimizing speculation and misinformation. The engagement concluded with a full-day, onsite executive media training designed to operationalize the plan, reinforce message discipline, and equip leadership to handle tough questions with confidence and composure.
RESULTS
As a result of the engagement, Estis Compression significantly improved its crisis readiness through a centralized, actionable playbook that enables faster coordination, clearer internal alignment, and more consistent external communication during incidents. The organization reduced reputational risk by leveraging pre-built scenarios, messaging frameworks, and templates that help minimize delays, misinformation, and inconsistent statements during high-pressure moments.
Equally important, Estis’s leadership team emerged more confident and prepared to navigate media scrutiny and stakeholder expectations. With clear guidance and hands-on training, executives are now equipped to reinforce trust through calm, credible, and timely communication when it matters most.
