Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/954585
WEEKLY EDITION MAR 14, 2018 How to Change the Public's Perception of Your Company: Part I…continued By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos Depending upon what happened, you may have a lawyer advising you not to accept blame. He or she will be looking to reduce your risk of big lawsuit payouts, and of course you should carefully consider good legal advice. You should also bear this in mind: when you acknowledge an error and its consequences, take responsibility, and communicate regret for having caused harm, it decreases blame, decreases anger, increases trust, and improves relationships. Importantly, apologies also have the potential to decrease the risk of a lawsuit and can help settle claims more quickly. The medical profession has found this to be true. For years doctors who made mistakes were urged by their malpractice carriers never to admit it – thinking this would reduce liability and insurance payouts. In fact, patients are less likely to sue if they get an explanation and an apology. If they sue anyway, it is much harder to paint the person they are suing as "the bad guy" if s/he has been apologetic and offered to make things right. Use it as an opportunity to teach In the world of portable sanitation it is far more likely that what you'll be dealing with falls into the category of "icky" or "unfortunate" than the sorts of things faced by the medical profession. Hence the reputation-killing complaints you need to address are likely to be about the experience someone had, the photo of a trashed unit they posted, or something gross they feared would happen. When your company gets negative press, some people will suggest you should not say anything in your defense for fear of fueling the fire. It's a dilemma. If you respond defensively, it's like throwing gasoline on the flame. On the other hand, if you don't control your message, everyone else will. If you are ready for your customers to move beyond a recent incident, here is how you can be heard through the firestorm. 1. Be brief. Long-winded explanations – no matter how eloquent – will not be read. 2. Own it. Say what your company is responsible for, and avoid a defensive tone. 3. Counter any false rumors with documented facts. Again, this must be handled in a way that doesn't sound defensive. Doing it well can take the wind out of the outrage. 4. Teach and inform. The public knows little about our industry except how they feel about it – and some of what they think they know may be wrong. Use this situation as a chance to teach them a bit about how things actually work. "Our company worked with [the event planners] to ensure there were enough units, but we all underestimated the turnout would be so high and we fell short." 5. Be candid. If, in fact, you warned the planners they were not getting enough units or service, they declined your advice, and you agreed to the contract anyway, this is tougher – but you still need to address the situation if you want to improve the perception and credibility of your company. While there is always a slight chance your customers will feel like you've thrown them under the bus, careful wording that focuses on your responsibility will help you walk the line between blaming and being open about what happened. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 PAGE 2