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Further
Reading ...
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What DO You Need to Build a Successful Internet-Based Home Business? - Lynne Homewood
What DO you need to build a successful Internet-based Home Business? I am asked that question almost every day. Obviously, MANY people would love to make some money with their computer, but they have no idea HOW! What's worse, they often try and...
How To Start Your Own Business and Be Successful - Willard Michlin
In the Movie and Play “South Pacific” there is a song called “Talking.” The words to that song go like this. Feel free to sing it. “Talking, talking, talking, talking, talk. Talk about thing you’d like to do. You have to have a dream. If you don’t...
Those Little Things - Nan S Russell
Moving to another state meant finding a new dentist. I tried one a neighbor recommended who seemed friendly, competent and eager to please. But, I never went back. His office was a case study on the importance of little things. The coat hook was...
Old Habits Die Hard in the Third Age Years… - Jim Green
I spent a lifetime in retailing and I’m still at it in retirement; albeit virtually. You know how it goes. You put up a web page and throw in some stock. Your page begets another and another and another until one day you’re looking at...
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Communicating When A Crisis Strikes
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Written By:
Robert F. Abbott
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How would you handle communication if your business or practice got into a crisis situation?
I was pleasantly surprised when my Internet service provider responded competently and quickly to a technical crisis. And, we can learn to communicate more effectively by studying its response.
The crisis occurred when hackers attacked its system at the same time that the company was upgrading its systems to meet increased customer demand. And while customers experienced no dramatic shutdowns, some customers faced delays and difficulty getting online.
In response, the company quickly sent out a newsletter containing a single article, an open letter from the president.
First, the president acknowledged there had been a problem. And, the company took responsibility for the problem. While it attributed at least some of the problems to malicious hackers, it nonetheless took responsibility for the system's integrity.
Most of us find it refreshing when a company steps up and does those two things. It communicates self-confidence and it communicates sincere concern for customers. All too often, organizations make poor excuses or point fingers at suppliers and customers; that just makes customers more dissatisfied.
Second, the company apologized. In the first sentence of the article, the president said he was sorry for disruptions that subscribers had experienced over the preceding two weeks.
By doing that he allowed his readers to get through the rest of the letter with less resistance. They weren't mentally concocting rebuttals - they were reading what he had to say. That's crucial any time you want to make an important point.
Third, after taking responsibility and apologizing, the president explained what the - continued below ...
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company was doing to fix the system.
His description of the fixes also took the right tack. He made no attempt to describe the technical nature of the fixes, nor did he try to impress us with how hard he and his people had worked. He simply explained that backup and warning systems were being put into place, and should prevent further outages from the same sources.
Fourth, he promised that the affected customers would get two weeks of free service, to compensate for their inconvenience.
That's an excellent way to communicate a company's sincerity. While the apology and acknowledgment would satisfy many customers, the offer of compensation underlined a genuine interest in customer satisfaction.
So, this effective communication strategy had four parts: first, it acknowledged the problem and took responsibility for it; second, it offered an apology; third, it explained what it was doing to fix the problem; and fourth, it offered compensation to those who had been affected.
Of course, simply communicating in a crisis situation won the company some recognition. And having communicated well made the initiative that much effective.
In summary, crisis situations make special communication demands on organizations. This company rose to the occasion by not only fixing the problem, but also by communicating effectively with the people who were affected.
About the Author
Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at:
http://www.communication-newsletter.com
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Hallo! Who is dis? ... Handling business phone calls! - Rena E Toupin
We too often take the telephone for granted. I hear so many people speaking on the phone in the same way they would face-to-face. Then, when we want to escape from the world, or a particular person, we leave the answering machine on to screen calls....
Blogging for Business - Biana Babinsky
Not long ago a blog was simply an online diary. Initially, people decided that blogging was describing, in excruciating detail, how their day went, what they had for dinner last night, and why they spent the whole weekend doing laundry. Since then,...
Find Your Niche & Follow It - Rob Taylor
Mark Twain once said: “Find out where the people are going and get there first”. With the advent of the internet you can certainly find out what folks are wanting. Being the first at the front of the line to bill them might not be quite so easy....
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