Responding to Customers During a Crisis

Southwest Airlines is my favorite airline and I'm a fairly outspoken about it. When a technology malfunction grounded around a thousand flights this past week and delayed hundreds more, it affected thousands of people flying across the country. When something this catastrophic happens, a crisis management plan is implemented. They have to get things back up and running first; not only the planes, but their website was down during a particularly good sale. As they are working on the technology side, their communications groups go to work. 

Southwest took to social media with videos explaining what was going on. One particularly informative Q&A posed questions that a lot of customers had on their minds, not just lobbed softballs for the COO. There are multiple posts giving customers information and although the comments are mixed, you can tell the loyal customers; the customers that have made Southwest Airlines the 7th most admired company in the world according to Forbes Magazine.

Let's face it, unforeseen things happen. They happen to good people and good companies, but if you communicate how things will be rectified for customers and how things will be fixed, the reputation that you've built with your company will continue to stand through thick and thin.