How many times have companies seen crises differently than customers? Why is there often a disconnect on the part of executives as to the seriousness of a brand crisis?
In a Harvard Business Review article “Let the Response Fit the Scandal,” authors Alice Tybout and Michelle Roehm try to patch that disconnect, writing about the gap between managers’ and customers’ perceptions of a crisis involving a brand. They list four ways to close that gap:
1. Assess the incident. Adopt the customers’ point of view rather than management’s perspective.
2. Acknowledge the problem. Avoid premature statements related to the cause, focus on the process of investigation, and prevent further harm.
3. Formulate a response. Evaluate the benefits and costs of the response in terms of customer relationships over the long run.
4. Implement the response. Align scandal communications with customers’ perceptions of the brand’s function.
Source: HarvardBusiness.org