The New Incident Manager’s Playbook: How to Modernise Crisis Comms with a Crisis Communication Platform
Crises Control
An invaluable tool providing up-to-the minute notifications, minimising damage to people’s safety and the organisation.
Written by Anneri Fourie | Crises Control Executive
You’ve just stepped into a new role as an incident manager. Expectations are high, the learning curve is steep, and all eyes are on you. One of your first challenges is likely clear: the current crisis communication systems are outdated and slow.
Email chains take too long. Phone trees are unreliable. Teams aren’t aligned when it matters most. And if a real emergency hits, the impact could be far worse than reputational damage, it could cost the company millions and compromise safety.
This is your opportunity. The first 90 days are about building credibility and setting the right tone. One of the fastest ways to do that is by improving how your organisation handles emergencies. Modernising your crisis communications with a dedicated crisis communication platform is not just about better tools. It’s about enabling faster decisions, improving coordination, and creating a culture of resilience from day one.
This playbook breaks down how to use your first three months to transform your crisis response approach and how Crises Control can support you along the way.
Why Upgrading Crisis Communications Should Be Your First Move
Incidents rarely announce themselves. A data breach, severe weather, system outage or legal threat can unfold with little warning. The ability to communicate swiftly and clearly across teams, departments, and locations is critical.
Yet many organisations are still using methods that slow them down:
These issues aren’t just operational frustrations. They lead to longer downtimes, poor stakeholder communication, regulatory risks, and loss of trust from employees and customers.
Modernising your systems with a crisis communication platform gives you:
This is not about adding another tool. It’s about putting in place a reliable, tested system that supports your role as a leader when the pressure is high.
Days 1 to 30: Understand What You're Working With
Before making changes, start by mapping out the current situation. Speak to different departments and incident response leads. Review previous incident reports. Find out what tools are used, how quickly information is shared, and where delays or confusion usually arise.
Look for signs of risk such as:
Use this time to start building internal relationships. Collaborate with business continuity managers, IT teams, and HR to understand how communication ties into broader resilience goals.
This is also the stage where you can show early leadership by aligning your crisis comms review with your organisation’s wider risk and business continuity strategy. If your firm uses a business continuity planning tool, highlight how communication breakdowns can impact recovery time, financial losses, and even legal exposure.
How Crises Control Helps
Crises Control provides a structured, easy-to-use platform for both incident management and routine alerts. With ready-to-use templates and dashboards, you can get visibility into your current gaps without disrupting existing systems. It’s ideal for leaders who want to act fast without overwhelming teams with new tech.
Days 31 to 60: Build Smarter, Faster Communication Workflows
Now that you understand the weaknesses, it’s time to take action.
Many organisations still use spreadsheets or outdated messaging tools to notify teams during a crisis. If that’s your situation, replacing these with a modern platform will have an immediate impact.
Here’s what to focus on during this second month:
Replace Legacy Methods with Automated, Multi-Channel Alerts
Look for a solution that lets you:
This is about speed and clarity. Everyone should know exactly what to do, and when.
Create Scenario-Based Response Templates
Not all crises are the same. Build different communication plans for different types of incidents. This ensures you aren’t scrambling to write a message or guess who to contact during an actual emergency.
Common scenarios include:
How Crises Control Helps
With Crises Control’s platform, you can set up intelligent workflows that trigger the right actions based on the type of incident. Templates, task assignments, and escalation rules ensure the right people are notified automatically. Plus, real-time dashboards show how each response is progressing, so you stay in control.
Days 61 to 90: Build Resilience into Everyday Practice
Once the foundation is in place, your final month should focus on making the new system part of everyday business life. That means training, integration, and regular testing.
Make Sure Systems Work Together
If your platform doesn’t connect to your HR tools, IT service management software or audit logs, you’ll end up duplicating work or missing information.
Your communication platform should link with:
This helps create a single, trusted source of truth during a crisis.
Test the System and Train Your People
Even the best systems fall short if people don’t know how to use them. Plan at least one drill or simulation that mirrors a real-life incident. This is your chance to refine the process, collect feedback, and build confidence across teams.
With a good fire drill notification software, you can:
How Crises Control Helps:
The platform includes simulation tools that let you test plans without disrupting operations. You can run virtual fire drills or scenario-based exercises and receive detailed reports showing how each team performed. These reports are valuable when engaging senior leadership or regulators.
A Closer Look: The Insurance Sector
If you work in insurance, your crisis communication plan needs to meet higher expectations.
There are strict regulatory frameworks, like FCA and GDPR, as well as the reputational risks that come with failing to respond well to incidents affecting policyholders or data.
Incident Managers in Insurance Can Strengthen Their Response By:
Crises Control has specific templates and workflows designed for the insurance sector, with a strong focus on governance, compliance, and customer protection.
Why Crises Control?
Choosing a platform isn’t just about features. It’s about finding a partner that understands the complexities of modern incident management.
Crises Control was built specifically for crisis response. It isn’t just another messaging tool that’s been retrofitted to suit emergencies. It’s a purpose-designed platform that offers:
You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. You just need a reliable solution that works with your existing systems and helps you scale as your needs grow.
Final Thoughts
The first 90 days in a new leadership role are a chance to set the tone for what’s possible. By modernising your crisis communications, you not only reduce risk, you show clear, strategic leadership that others will rally behind.
The right crisis communication platform will help you build that foundation. Crises Control gives you the tools and visibility to respond faster, stay compliant, and support your teams wherever they are.
Ready to take the next step?
Contact us to book your free demo and see how Crises Control can help you build a modern, resilient crisis comms strategy from day one.
FAQs
1. What is a Crisis Communication Platform and why do I need one?
A Crisis Communication Platform is a digital system that helps organisations manage emergency communications efficiently and securely. It allows you to send real-time alerts across multiple channels, track responses, and automate workflows. For incident managers, it ensures that the right people receive the right information quickly, helping to reduce confusion, speed up decisions, and protect business operations during critical events.
2. How can I modernise my organisation’s incident response within 90 days?
Start by assessing your current communication tools and identifying gaps such as manual processes or inconsistent messaging. In the next phase, replace outdated systems with automated, scenario-based communication workflows. Finally, integrate your new platform with existing tools, run regular drills, and train staff. This step-by-step approach builds resilience and improves response speed without overwhelming your team.
3. What features should I look for in incident management software?
Effective incident management software should offer multi-channel alerts, real-time tracking, secure two-way communication, and automated workflows. It should also integrate with HR, ITSM, and compliance tools to provide a single source of truth during a crisis. Look for solutions that are easy to deploy, intuitive to use, and compliant with security and data protection standards.
4. How often should we run crisis simulations or fire drills?
Fire drills and crisis simulations should be scheduled at least quarterly to ensure teams stay prepared and confident. These exercises help identify weaknesses in response plans, test communication channels, and ensure staff know their roles. With the right software, you can run controlled drills, collect response data, and refine your processes over time.
5. Why is a crisis communication strategy especially important for insurance companies?
Insurance companies operate under tight regulatory scrutiny and handle sensitive customer data. A structured crisis communication strategy helps ensure fast, compliant responses to data breaches, operational incidents, or reputational threats. It also supports regulatory reporting and maintains customer trust by enabling clear, consistent updates during times of uncertainty.