This guide helps music store owners review their response to a crisis by identifying what worked and what needs improvement. Reflecting on past issues strengthens your store’s preparedness and improves future crisis plans.

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1. Lessons Learned 

What To Do: Write down what worked well and what didn’t.

• What Worked Well:
  
  • Example: "Staff stayed calm and followed the plan."
  • Example: "Backup supplies were easy to find."
• What Didn’t Work:
  
  • Example: "Customers didn’t know where to find updates."
  • Example: "It took too long to call for repairs."

Why It Works: Understanding what went well helps you repeat it. Knowing what didn’t work helps you fix it.

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2. Feedback Forms 

What To Do: Ask your team and customers for ideas.

• Team Feedback Questions:
  
  • "Did you feel prepared?"
  • "What part of the plan was most helpful?"
  • "What could we do better next time?"
• Customer Feedback Questions:
  
  • "How did we do during the problem?"
  • "Was it easy to get help or updates?"
  • "What could we improve?"

Why It Works: Listening to others helps you see problems you might have missed.

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3. Updates to the Crisis Plan 

What To Do: Change your plan based on what you learned.

• Add new steps for things that didn’t go well.
• Remove steps that weren’t helpful.
• Update contact lists, backup options, and supplies.

Example Updates:

• "Add a step to post updates on social media faster."
• "Make a list of faster repair services."
• "Train staff on how to handle customer questions."

Why It Works: Updating the plan makes it stronger and more useful for the next crisis.

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Example: Post-Crisis Review in Action

The Scenario: A heavy snowstorm forced "Harmony Music Store" to close for three days.

What They Did:

1. Lessons Learned: The team realized that having a clear social media update schedule helped keep customers informed. However, they didn’t have enough backup supplies to handle the delayed shipments.
2. Feedback: Staff said they needed more training on how to manage online orders during a closure. Customers appreciated the updates but suggested earlier notifications.
3. Plan Updates: The store added an emergency supply checklist and planned regular training sessions on online order management.

The Result: The team felt more prepared, and customers trusted the store’s response. These changes helped the store recover faster during the next snowstorm.

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Next Steps 

How To Start:

• Review the crisis with your team and write down lessons learned.
• Send feedback forms to your team and customers.
• Use the feedback to make updates to your plan.

Stay Ready:

• Review the updated plan with your team.
• Practice any new steps to make sure they work.
• Repeat this review process after every crisis.

By learning from each crisis, your store will get better and better at handling problems!