Crisis Averted: 3 Examples of Crisis Management

3 Examples of Crisis Management

As all business owners know – both big and small – sometimes there are situations in which the whole company goes into a frenzy because of one bad decision. We’re talking about having a company crisis, and in the modern age, the crisis often starts online. Today’s post will outline some examples of how to properly handle a crisis:

[success]1. React quickly[/success]

Even big brands have experienced a marketing move gone totally wrong and having to go through major damage control to get their audience back. One great example of this is when McDonald’s started a Twitter hashtag: #McDStories. The point was to encourage customers to share their fun stories that take place at various McDonald’s locations. Instead, the bashing began and people began using the hashtag to talk about their horrible experiences at the chain restaurant. By reacting to this situation quickly and efficiently, McDonald’s was able to put the Twitter backlash behind them. Now customers are encouraged to ask questions on the company’s website and all controversy is discussed through this new outlet.

[framed_box width=”0″ height=”0″]Related Topic: 3 Ways To Avoid Product Recall[/framed_box]

[success]2. Apologizing[/success]

Sometimes it’s not as simple as a Twitter slip-up. Sometimes it’s much bigger than that and the public shows massive outrage for a comment that could have been avoided. Exhibit A: Karl Lagerfeld calls Adele fat. It’s one of those jaw dropping moments that you simply can’t believe happened, but it did. We’re certainly not condoning Lagerfeld’s comments, however, he ultimately did the right thing, which was apologizing. Knowing when you’re wrong is important and apologizing is the right move to make, but don’t be surprised if you’re not automatically forgiven. Coming back from shocking comments or incidents can take a while.

[success]3. Communication[/success]

Online reports are almost never 100% true. There have been countless incidents where someone’s words were taken out of context or a “source” gave away some shocking piece of company information. In these situations, stay calm. Simply communicate your side of the story and you may be surprised at how easily this problem can be resolved. When rumors swirled about JC Penney regretting their decision to use celebrity talk show host Ellen Degeneres as their new spokesperson. The company’s CEO made a simple statement clearing up any and all rumors and expressed no plans to drop Ellen as spokesperson.

[error]Have you dealt with a business crisis before? How did you respond? Comment below and tell us about it![/error]

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