Author: Taylor Kennedy

Three Tips When Selecting a Crisis Spokesperson

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

media-spokespersonWhen a hospital has a crisis, it’s important to have the right spokesperson, as this person is the liaison between the hospital and the public (and media).

For example, the size and severity of the crisis plays a factor in determining who should serve as spokesperson (e.g. CEO, PR Director, department head, etc.). This person could be picked after the crisis breaks, but it’s better to have a pool of potential spokespeople identified in advance (as part of your crisis communications plan).

Here are three tips when selecting a spokesperson for your hospital crisis:

  1. Choose the correct seniority level. More often than not, having the PR director or a vice-president serve as the spokesperson is sufficient. Your hospital doesn’t want to make a “minor” crisis seem more important than it is (think how infrequently the President of the United States makes announcements). Plus, the CEO can override the PR director or VP if they misspeak. Only in times of a “major” crisis should the CEO be the spokesperson. Really, his/her time is best spent managing the crisis (and being seen doing so).
  2. The spokesperson needs to have the right personality. Your spokesperson needs to be able to demonstrate empathy and show the public that the hospital is taking all the necessary measures to make sure the crisis is handled correctly. This may seem obvious, but someone with an adversarial personality would not make a good spokesperson. All spokespeople should go through thorough media training.
  3. Having multiple spokespeople is acceptable.Certain circumstances may require having more than one spokesperson. For example, in the event of a cybersecurity breach, you may need to bring in your CIO to provide a technical explanation. Make sure the spokespeople are consistent in their messaging.

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Five Tips for Making a Smooth Leadership Transition

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

Businessman's outstretched arm passing a flaming torch to another businessman's open hand

Change is inevitable. When your hospital has a new CEO or president, the communications department has an important role in the leadership transition. Here are five tips for making it go as smoothly as possible.

  1. Be open during the hiring process. You don’t have to release names of candidates, but you should include updates on the hiring process on the intranet site or in weekly emails to hospital staff. This gives them a sense of inclusion and helps to remove uncertainty.
  2. Get the new leader up-to-speed. Give your hospital’s new CEO or president a top-level summary about any ongoing branding/marketing campaigns, and present a copy of your crisis communications plan.
  3. Plan meetings for the new CEO to meet with individuals in the hospital’s external and internal network. This can be stakeholders, community leaders and each department in the hospital. Your staff should conduct media training with the CEO and then set up interviews with local media, too.
  4. Have CEO share vision with hospital staff. You should write a welcome letter on behalf of the CEO and/or plan numerous meet-and-greet sessions, including shifts outside 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Also, consider hosting a Facebook Live chat with questions from hospital staff.
  5. Establish a communications protocol. Every leader has their own preferences. Don’t expect the new CEO to accept your procedures for handling media requests, etc. Find the right balance between making your recommendations and accepting your new CEO’s.

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Using Augmented Reality to Enhance Guest Experience

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

3D-augmented-reality-playmearAccording to Mashable, augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video graphics or GPS data.

Here are a few ways to use augmented reality in your hotel and enhance your guests’ experiences.

USE AR BEFORE GUESTS STEP FOOT IN HOTEL

It should be no surprise that a study found that prospective guests want to know the features of a room during their decision-making process. Use AR to make guests feel like they’ve personally visited the property and seen the rooms and amenities from their mobile or desktop device.

Just by pointing your device in a certain way, potential guests can picture themselves sitting at the hotel bar or lobby lounge. If they point the device in a different direction, guests can read reviews and recommendations.

A campaign by Marriott gives its guests the opportunity to “travel the world” through virtual reality glasses.

ADD AUGMENTED REALITY DURING THE STAY

Augmented reality can help hotels improve customer’s convenience, including allowing guests to find their room easily by following a set of arrows on their phone or telling guests when their room was last cleaned.

Here’s another idea: each guest room in the hotel includes a wall map of the surrounding area. If the guest points their device at the wall, they can receive information about things to do around the area.

AR also can be used in other places in the hotel, including the fitness center. Add a screen to the treadmill so guests feel like they’re running on a beach, or put a screen on the stationary bike so guests can compete in the Tour de France.

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Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media offers hotels, B&Bs and resorts services related to media relations, community relations, branding, group sales, SEO/SEM and social media management. Please contact Brian Lee, brian [at] experiencerevelation.com or 608-622-7767.