These days when customers lash out it is not through a written letter, phone call, or even email, they take their complaint directly to where the most eyes will see it as quickly as possible, and that means social media. We’ve seen this again with the recent crash of Inuit’s internal servers which rendered popular online business software websites like QuickBooks Online and Quicken Online completely unusable for a full 24 hours. A post on the HubSpot Blog examined Inuit’s situation’:
While Intuit PR managers jump onto Twitter and make blog posts to reassure customers, other businesses see an opportunity to capitalize on the situation. A Twitter search for #Intuit reveals a number of competitors, tweeting messages about the reliability of their own products.
While Intuit has apologized, many customers are not satisfied with the brief explanation that Intuit has given for the sites being down.
The public now expects straightforward conversation, explanation and apology from organizations experiencing difficulties. Not only this, but they want these conversations to take place in public view. For online crisis management to be successful, organizations must do all of this, and do it quickly. Falling short of expectations, even for what you may consider a valid reason, is almost guaranteed to result in reputation damage.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/