As identified by the Chartered Management Institute, there are two main types of crisis management situations. First, there are those that, while they may be serious, are relatively easy to solve and have operational issues as a root cause. A prominent example of this is the UK-based Marks & Spencer’s leak of personal data of its customers, which was mirrored by Target’s data leak in the United States.
Keys to successfully weathering these types of crises begins with a quick and proactive response, with the company controlling the dialogue that emerges on social media, as well as in traditional news publications. Following a sincere apology, the organization must take definitive action to boost its brand equity and ensure that customers are convinced the issue will not occur again. This often involves “welcome back” initiatives that include freebies and upgrades. In other cases, the draw that brings consumers back to the fold is simply a significantly improved customer experience.
The more complex crisis management cases are “values led” and may require a major reorientation on the part of leadership to right the boat.