Every online company whether big or small have to face an online crisis like situation some or the other time. At such times, what comes to their rescue is a sound crisis communication.
Studies indicate that no matter what kind of an online business you are involved in, when caught in the midst of a crisis situation, the response typically follows a similar path – acknowledgement of the crisis situation, looking for ways to overcome your fears, informing relevant people, taking a decision & implementing it, optimizing the outputs and modifying your business strategies to ensure that the situation doesn’t arise again.
The only problem here is that, not every company can get all of these steps right due to the lack of enough information. As a result, most often they fail to make a worthy & profitable decision. This consequently worsens the situation and there is not much then that the company can do.
For all such companies, here are a few essential tips on how to face a crisis situation:
Take Initiative – A great advantage for online companies is the available access to internet – the fastest information sharing platform. While even a small blunder can instantly instigate negative response from consumers & stakeholders, the trick is to keep a track of these responses and be the first to come up with a rapid positive response. This helps to stop the negative conversations right on their track as well as provides companies with the opportunity to actually own the conversation.
Be Honest – There is no shame in accepting the fact that anyone can make mistakes. However, as responsible entrepreneurs, it is your duty to let your consumers know about the crisis situation as soon as you become aware of it. While most companies fail to do so due to lack of organized communication, it is always advisable to take a transparent approach & be honest about the facts of the crisis. This not just drives in credibility for you but also associates a trust factor with your company.
Be Transparent – A major disadvantage of online medium is that, rumours can spread like wild fire. At such times, consumers are on the lookout for businesses they can trust. For this it is important for you to be absolutely transparent and build credibility to ensure that your consumers trust you. Responses are powerful when they tend to come from a senior official. Thus, take care to call down your topmost official to handle crisis situations.
Finally, the basic aim behind this complete exercise is to not just overcome the crisis situation but also ensure that the same is not repeated in the near future!
SME JoinUp Blog (2012) 