It's not exactly the way your company wants to start the day.
On the morning of Nov. 18, staffers at media relations software provider MediaMap switched on their computers and discovered their voice mail boxes filled with a barrage of messages. The 3.2 version of the company's MediaManager software had a bug.
Customers suddenly couldn't access the information they needed, including several companies in London which had discovered the problem hours before the sun came up in the U.S. MediaMap has more than 1,000 clients, many but not all of which use the MediaManager, one of its key products. About 550 data administrators and users had the affected software version.
Boston-based MediaMap was forced to puts its crisis communications and troubleshooting skills to the test, according to Peter Granat, VP of business development. Tactics included sending out letters and bulletins, prefaced with "Dear Valued Client," that explained the situation as well as transmitting a patch with installation instructions by the next day.
Experts who counsel companies about crises often point out that it is impossible to prevent a mishap. The crux of good crisis management lies in the response as much as it does in the safety nets used to guard against a controversy or accident.
MediaMap found that telling the truth, saying you're sorry and explaining how you're correcting the problem really work. Diana Spicer of MediaManager client Silicon Systems even "applauded" the company's quick response.
Behind the Scenes
It's all the rage to use software that helps PR professionals do everything from manage their press release distribution to update their target. Companies dump millions into upgrades and Internet-based applications.
When MediaManager went on the fritz, about half of MediaMap's 85 employees went into high gear to identify the problem. It was caused by a date-triggered code error which prevented the software from working in a Windows environment.
These kinds of snafus are precisely what's leaving companies and the government jittery about Y2K.
More than 500 clients, including Microsoft's main PR firm, Waggener Edstrom, were affected by the software bug. However, before the patch was ready, some clients were able to use MediaManager by setting back the clocks on their computers.
Within 24 hours, MediaMap had contacted via phone and email everyone using that version of MediaManager, says Kirke Curtis, CEO.
Curtis had quickly penned an apology, which was posted at the company's Web site, http://www.mediamap.com.
(MediaMap 617/374-9300)