We all try to avoid it as much as possible, yet still, it happens from time to time. Some of your employees treated their customers badly. Or they were caught abusing customers. Or their training was not up to date…

However subtle the incident is, when it gets out in the news, you probably have an issue. Then you usually have only a few hours to react properly and protect the reputation of your company.

That’s why it’s essential that you have a simple crisis management plan prepared. It could be as simple as this:

• Who will speak for the media if things go wrong.
• What are the precautions you have been implementing in your company.
• What is the experience with other customers.

As part of your report for the media, you will probably also want to mention:

• Why did the incident happen.
• What you have done to the person who caused the incident.
• What you have done to prevent this from happening in future.

Whatever the issue is, try to communicate as soon as possible and answer all questions media might have for you. This will prove that you are not trying to hide anything and that it’s in your best interest to sort things out quickly.