One of the main roles of a PR team is to support its client or company in the event of a crisis or financial disaster. Due to the suddenness with which events of this nature can strike, PR teams must anticipate a variety of crises well in advance and have at the ready a timely and effective response. PR professionals should also assist in the creation of a crisis management team; this team will likely consist of several PR specialists as well as senior leadership at the company and legal representatives. Furthermore, as many employees at the client company as necessary should understand their role in crisis situations so that a successful response can be initiated as soon as possible. Also to this end, businesses should have a notification system in place so that these employees can be notified of a crisis immediately.
In addition, a spokesperson--either be a member of the PR team or a close affiliate of the department--should be trained in the preferences and approved statements of his or her employers. Only this spokesperson should speak directly to the public and media during crisis response, and this individual should deliver messages that have been written and approved by management, and no others.
Finally, important stakeholders should be identified prior to any kind of crisis and contacted as early as possible during the response process. This includes employees, of course, as well as outside investors.