As the market is getting flooded with a variety of tools that purport to be crisis simulation platforms, it is high time to end the confusion and provide some clarity on what a true crisis simulation tool is and what it can do to enhance your organisation’s crisis resilience.
With the advent of social media, a number of developers have launched social media simulation tools that are positioned as crisis simulation ones. Such tools typically simulate social media pressure and engagement around a given scenario. However, a true web-based crisis simulation platform provides a secure environment in which a customised crisis scenario unfolds in real time and gives participants the opportunity and space to practice their crisis management and business continuity plans, interact among each other and external stakeholders to resolve “the crisis”. This, of course, should include social media communication among a number of other equally important features that together help crisis teams enhance their risk and crisis management skills and readiness.
In today’s working environment, crisis teams seldom find themselves together in one location. Rather, they are often scattered with some members working off site, on business travel, on holidays or out-of-office hours. Therefore, crisis simulations platforms offer participants a convenient and realistic practice alternative to the traditional face-to-face crisis exercise format.
As crisis experts with over 25 years conducting crisis simulation exercises and with over 150 scenarios in stock, CS&A International recognized a decade ago that existing technology would allow crisis teams to practice their plans from multiple locations and time-zones and with a variety of internal and external stakeholders in a way that would feel far more realistic than having everyone confined to a room working together.
Today, 80% CS&A’s clients’ crisis exercises take place on on-line simulation platforms. According to a participant in a recent exercise ”This simulation platform transformed my crisis exercise experience. It felt incredibly real. It was so convenient to communicate with my fellow team members and other stakeholders in various locations in a secure environment and having all the processes and tools at my fingertips, as well as practice our response to the social media pressure”.
With user-friendly and secure features including messaging, meetings, social media and media space, document sharing, logs, and resources, on-line simulation platforms provide unparalleled flexibility in terms of exercise duration, number of participants and experiential learning opportunities.
To be clear, practicing social media response is without a doubt a critical component of effective crisis exercises today, but successful crisis management depends on a lot more than good social media engagement. Only a comprehensive crisis simulation platform can do both.
For more details on CS&A’s crisis simulation platform opportunities, please contact
Managing Partner