In lieu of recent PR disasters facing large corporations (e.g. Starbucks, Facebook), let’s look at the right way to handle a PR crisis.
Thankfully, PR crises at the magnitude of the aforementioned examples are more rare in the beverage industry, however, they do happen (e.g. Napa Valley Wine Train). Below are several important steps that focus on internal and external actions that every business should be prepared to execute if and when a problem occurs.
Take immediate action. A basic crisis prevention strategy should already be in place and adapted to fit the situation at hand. Taking time to act often backfires. Alert senior management and halt all nonessential activity. Communicate what happened, how you will address it and discuss how you will prevent it from happening again. Connect with the “injured party” in person or via phone to ensure that tone is correctly conveyed.
Make your business accountable. Seek to understand why the problem developed and what internal errors were made. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to fixing it; developing an action plan is the first step in customer retention. Which leads to the next step…
Share actions, not condolences. Public apologies alone can no longer heal the damaging effects of a PR nightmare. Whether that action involves re-evaluating employee training or restructuring management, publicly declaring that action will take place is what consumers need to hear.
Produce and share a professional statement. This should describe the facts of what occurred, identify and apologize for any internal mistakes, and clearly outline lessons learned and reiterate any preventative measures that will be put into place. For larger companies, reviewing this through your legal team is a good idea, but maintain all aspects of accountability. Legalizing the document into a non-statement can often come across as an attempt to hide or abdicate responsibility. When it comes time to share this statement, rehearse it – a lot. Practice makes perfect, and the rehearsal is to avoid the common mistakes of excuse-making and improper tone.
Implement. Do what you stated you were going to do. Be diligent in following up with all stakeholders, sharing new preventative measures and progress.
Preparation is key. If you handle a difficult situation truly well, and expectations have been exceeded, a dissatisfied customer can turn back into a fan.
