Crisis Communications

We assess potential threats to your organization’s reputation and operations, then develop a practical, robust, and actionable plan to identify and manage them. These hazards may come from: 

• Physical operations incidents 

• Dissatisfied customers 

• Malicious or harmful AI-generated content 

• Competitors 

• Whistleblowers 

• Investigative reporting 

• Social media 

• Workplace violence 

• HR-related issues 

• Cyber-security, (e.g. data breach, ransomware)  

• Litigation 

• Medical errors 

We test and refine our comprehensive crisis plans with simulations and training to build confidence in your team’s responses. We accomplish this by mapping out: 

• Initial crisis response, which includes identifying the crisis response team, developing activation processes based on severity level, templates for initial holding statements and social media posts. 

• Develop key messages to drive responses to inquiries from reporters, board members, employees, customers, social media followers, and investors. 

• Crisis recovery, to restore any lost luster to a brand and rebuild trustworthiness and authority 

Pierpont conducts an in-depth examination and analysis of each client’s unique risks and their potential impact on an organization’s reputation or operations. This includes:  

• Discovery: We interview leadership and review existing response plans, policies and prior incidents

• Identifying Critical Stakeholders: Pierpont ensures we know who can be impacted by a crisis and who can influence outcomes (employees, customers, regulators, journalists)

• Vulnerability Assessment: We identify weak points across policies, processes, and people

• Channel Readiness: Our crisis experts review readiness for each medium (website, social media, internal communications, intranet)   

After the risk assessment phase, Pierpont works in collaboration with clients to design a plan that meets each business’ specific needs and is easy to understand, execute and update. The plan will usually include:   

• Media monitoring, to ensure Pierpont and our clients detect potential crises as early as possible 

• Detailed processes for engaging crises of all types and sizes 

• Holding statement, process outlines, contingency details, and staff responsibilities 

• Draft statements to provide tailored and consistent messaging to key stakeholder audiences 

• Media outreach strategies and reactive messaging protocols 

• On-site incident support from Pierpont during active crises 

• Reputation recovery strategies and engagement plans to rebuild trust and credibility 

• Integration with broader communications channels, including digital and internal  

Through plan presentation, crisis simulation exercises and executive/spokesperson training, Pierpont aims to build confidence before a crisis strikes so that when the time comes, our clients are prepared. This can include:  

• Custom scenario simulations 

• Tabletop drills including key stakeholders and decisionmakers 

• Tailored media training for executives or other spokespeople