Guest Blog Gideon Schulman, director at Pytronot
Setbacks in the business world are regular occurrences. Whether it’s through bad publicity, industry struggles or a breakdown in a bid deal, all companies will inevitably face some troubles. In most instances they will likely be small bumps in the road, however in some cases there could be a big impact on the company and their reputation.
Arguably, it’s how the business deals with their crisis that defines them. Most substantial companies will have a strategy in place that will help them streamline the process of crisis management. This will reduce panic and hopefully deal with the problem quickly and effectively minimise the damage.
However, a crisis can happen at any point so if there is no strategy in place, the business may struggle. Gideon Schulman, director at Pytronot, shares his tips on how to deal with a crisis and how you can bounce back stronger than ever.
Don’t ignore it
The first move for any situation is to deal with it head on. There is no point in shying away from what has happened, you will look guilty and this will open up the opportunity for speculation to start. You also need to address those who have been affected. For example, if there has been an error involving customers, such as leaked data, you need to act quickly by sending a letter of apology. This will let them know you have acknowledged and accepted fault.
In this case, your customer services team is vital, so ensure they are trained to the highest level. This is a good way of turning a negative into a positive because if the problem is dealt with effectively people will praise the company for their response.
Regaining and retaining
Your customers are what keeps the business afloat, so it’s vital you regain their trust after a damaging period. You need to think outside of the box and give customers a reason to stick with your brand. One way of achieving this is b sending out discount codes and deals that will attract them to your website or shop.
Equally, it’s important to retain your client base before they begin looking to do business with your competitors. A good way of doing this is by hosting events or even dinner parties to strengthen, or mend relationships and show them you value them.
Positive news
In the digital world, word gets round very quickly and you’ll soon find yourself with a negative backlash online after a crisis. The best action to take is getting your PR team to flood the media with positive stories about your business, through press releases, articles or blogs. The aim is to outweigh the negative press, so utilising SEO will be crucial.
Bring in professionals
If you’re feeling out of your depth and unsure on how best to approach a problem, there are crisis management specialists who can help. It is their job to help you in particular areas as effectively as possible. For example, if you’re having internal payroll problems, the team at Pytronot are HR specialists who would be able to effectively advise your business on how to deal with the problem.
Future plans
After you’re out of the danger zone, it’s important to start looking at the future. Many companies choose to rebrand at this point in order to wipe the slate clean and shake any negative feelings still attached to the company. Sometimes people view this as accepting failure however bringing a new lease of life to the business will show you’ve made an effort to change.
You also need to look internally at how things will change, it wasn’t just you affected by the crisis, your staff were too. Let them know you appreciate them sticking with the business and for their help to rectify things. Openly discuss their thoughts on the future and where they see the business going, this will create inspiration and keep you on the right track for the times to come.
For more information on Pytronot, please visit www.pytronot.co.uk
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