To respond, or not to respond?
Like it or not, communication has gone digital. As a result, our crisis management planning absolutely must account for the fact that when a situation heats up, the bulk of the backlash, and our response, will be Web-based. In a recent blog post, social media expert Justin Levy laid out his “11 Steps to Developing a Digital Crisis Communications Plan,” that included these two frequently overlooked steps:
5. Determine what you WILL respond to
It is important to have listed what your company is willing to respond to. These may be general inquiries such as customer service/support issues, product inquiries or publicly available information.
6. Determine what you WILL NOT respond to
Equally, if not more important is having listed what your company WILL NOT respond to. These may be legal or financial inquiries that are not publicly available, potentially inflammatory comments or something that the company does not possess the ability to properly respond to.
That’s right, you’re actually not under any obligation to answer people or reporters. Although it’s most often a good choice to do so, there are times when you can simply refuse to respond, such as when facing unfounded criticism or bullying.
Other times, it pays to respond privately, rather than further escalating the matter. Twitter makes it especially easy to do this. Just address a public @ message to the individual explaining that you would be glad to assist them if they would be so kind as to follow you and send a private message. Voila, the public knows you care, and any potential dirty laundry is kept private while you work towards a resolution.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/