I can’t think of a single business that hasn’t been going through some kind of change over the last few weeks, writes Kat Mitchell.
As a communications professional I have been wincing at some of the awkward, and at times insensitive, messages that have been being put out by professional services businesses looking to communicate what changes they are going through in relation to the current crisis.
As such I will be sharing a series of blogs with some of the basics you need to know about how to communicate change to your clients, starting with crisis communications.
Have a plan
Do you have a crisis communication plan with a fully documented process for who exactly needs to be communicating what in the event something goes wrong?
Does this plan cover every possible type of eventuality?
Has this plan been properly communicated to everyone involved in implementing it? Have they signed off on their role and do they properly understand it?
Does everyone in the business know who will be communicating any crisis response and who is in charge of communications? Do they know what they can and can’t say on their own social media and to their clients?
If your answer to any of these questions is “no” then your crisis communications plan needs to be reviewed.
It is not a job for marketing teams in isolation – in the event of a crisis the whole company, and especially the senior management, need to know and adhere to the plan.
If you are not sure your crisis communication plan is up to scratch there are plenty of professionals who would be happy to take a look for you, or to build you a plan from scratch (and yes, that includes me).
Think very carefully about the language you use
When your company is going through a crisis it can be very easy to look inwards and focus solely on your corporate language and tone of voice.
However, when faced with a crisis that has impacted your clients and/or the wider community that language can appear cold and insensitive.
It is also important not to swing too far in the opposite direction. Platitudes and excessive use of personal language can rub people up the wrong way. Just look at how many people are on social media angry at receiving “we are here for you” messages from brands they do not regularly interact with.
It’s a thin line to tread. If in doubt, talk to your communications expert.
Don’t react with your gut
In the event of a crisis, especially one that your company may have caused, it is important to act quickly to alert clients to the potential issue and what you are doing to address it.
However, make sure you don’t rush your communications. Everything needs to be properly edited and thought through. You need to think about every single possible way your communications can be seen and the worst possible way they can be interpreted. Also think about what would happen if someone forwarded it onto the media – how would they perceive it?
For example, if your financial technology platform goes down and causing issues for financial advisers and their clients, people don’t want to hear that Joe from programming has been blamed and fired. What they want to know is what you are doing to fix it, how you will prevent the same happening in the future, and what compensation they will be given (if appropriate) for any losses they have incurred as a result.
Also don’t forget to communicate that the problem is fixed and what you are doing to prevent future crises (where relevant). You can’t assume clients are going to notice as they may have migrated to a competitor in the meantime.
Don’t wing it
Whatever happens, make sure no one starts making things up as they go along.
These past few weeks everyone has seen the damage a rouge executive can do to a brand by speaking without thinking of the consequences to the brand (I’m looking at you Weatherspoons).
Make sure all your senior management are properly media trained – they need to know what to do if someone gets access to their direct dial number or sends them an email.
Make sure the whole company knows what the procedure is in times of trouble. Social media policies are 100% essential.
You can’t underestimate the potential for damage from well-meaning staff on Twitter without the proper policies and training in place.
Next in the series
Make sure you subscribe to the blog to be treated to my next rant.
Next time I will be giving some basic tips for professional services businesses about how to communicate changes in pricing to clients. Always a sensitive topic!
Brandon Consulting Services Ltd 