A PR crisis can destroy a business or make it stronger. The difference in outcome is not usually down to what happened, but how the business handles it.
Almost all crises can be avoided by regularly reviewing the risks and closing down any potential issues. However, some risks are unavoidable. It’s therefore important to have procedures and agreed statements pre-planned for possible issues (such as customer complaints). The company should also agree on a spokesperson (and backup) and ensure all calls from the media are referred to this person.
When the worst happens, and a journalist phones with a damming accusation against the company demanding a statement, what should the spokesperson do? Below are the key actions.
Don’t panic!
It’s important not to rush out a response, denying everything or explaining why the complainer is wrong, however justified that is. It’s also a mistake to ignore the complaint or leave it for days. Instead, the company should issue a short holding statement. (e.g. “We’re so sorry to hear that our customer had a bad experience. We’re looking into the issues as a matter of urgency and will be speaking to them directly to find out more”). This gives the company time to understand what has happened. They should let their lawyer see the statement and check their insurance (to avoid invalidating the policy). However, this consultation cannot be allowed to delay the response. Without a quick response, things can escalate very quickly. Some (bad) lawyers advise not to apologise or to ignore it. This is very dangerous from a PR perspective. That’s why pre-planned statements are useful — they avoid delays at a stressful time.
Apologise, but keep it brief
If the company’s investigation finds that they were at fault, they should apologise, and explain what they’re going to do to ensure it doesn’t happen again and how people will be compensated (if relevant). All answers should be confined to the points. Elaborate explanations make the company sound guiltier and give additional detail to hostile journalists. Journalists will use that to increase the longevity of crisis (journalists can’t keep repeating the same story, they have to have new angles to keep the story live, so the company should avoid giving it to them).
Keep stakeholders and customers informed
It is far better for stakeholders to be told by the company, in a carefully crafted message, than to find out through the media (which they will do).
Re-build reputation
The company should be 100% honest in all responses. A crisis means that their reputation is damaged. The aim of the responses is to rebuild that trust. That won’t happen if the company are found to lie or exaggerate — and lies are very easily found out.
Get any discussion of the crisis off social media
If there is a discussion on the issues on social media, the company should apologise (see above), and post to say that they’re looking into the incident. People affected should be asked to contact the company direct. Lengthy discussions on social media can add to the problem and strengthen the SEO value of the crisis.
Treat the complaint as a learning opportunity
It is easy to feel defensive. However, all complaints should be treated as an opportunity to improve the business. Investigate what went wrong, talk to staff involved and work with them to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It is possible to turn the complainer into an advocate for the business. Even if the complaint is found to be a result of their misunderstanding, the business should thank them for taking the trouble to share valuable feedback (the business now has an improved insight into customers’ expectations). It is worth offering the complainer something tangible for their trouble and as a way of saying “sorry”.
By Anne Cantelo, Founder of Onyx Media and Communications
