Tips,for,Protecting,Reputation communication 10 Tips for Protecting Reputation During Product Recalls
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China continues to be a seemingly never-ending source of productsand/or materials resulting in the need for recalls by manufacturers andretailers worldwide. Operational and communications response to theneed for a recall can dramatically affect an organization's reputation,for better or worse. Here are some experience-based tips for effectiveproduct recalls:1. Remember that rapid response to a known product problem minimizesdamage. The time to examine the systems you have in place for recall isnow, not when you already have a product needing recall. 2. Have a product recall plan ready to use anytime, one that covers theoperational, legal and public relations (internal and external)components of making a recall. Hint: "We'll wing it" is not a productrecall plan. 3. Have the core members of a product recall team identified andtrained in advance. It may be necessary to have one team at a corporatelevel to direct recall activities overall, and individual teams morefocused on the operational aspects of product recall at thesales/marketing and/or manufacturing levels. And you'd be amazed at howsome people you think will be cool in a crisis actually aren't, andvice versa - behavior that often is identified through training thatincludes simulating a recall. 4. Have back-ups for critical people and recall systems. Assume thatsome recall-related lead personnel will not be available when you needthem. Assume that the computer system where you maintain yourstakeholder contact lists has crashed. Assume other similar worst-casescenarios and make your back-up plans accordingly. 5. Have contact lists for all stakeholders set up on automatednotification systems. This is particularly important for end-users anddistributors of your products. You can't rely on the media alone toreach them. 6. Consider the use of virtual incident management. There are a numberof Internet-centered systems that allow recall team members to exchangereal-time information, access current communications documents, andkeep team leaders updated even if the team is geographically scattered.7. Make recall-related decisions that are based on protecting yourbrand/reputation and not just on your legal risks. The infamousBridgestone-Firestone recall started far too late because the company'sleadership was considering risks other than the most important one --the risk of aggravating the court of public opinion. 8. Communicate internally and externally. Remember that every employeeand, often, dedicated contractors are public relations representativesand crisis managers for your organization, whether you want them to beor not. You must empower them with reassuring messages about the recallsuitable for use at their respective levels of the company, and youdon't want them to learn of the recall from external sources beforethey hear about it from you. 9. Don't wait for the CPSC, FDA, USDA or other regulatory agencies toprotect your reputation. While each regulatory agency that can getinvolved in product recalls has its own process to follow, that processcan often delay how much time passes before product consumers anddistributors are notified -- a delay which, in worst-case scenarios,can cause injuries or deaths. In that event, the court of publicopinion may react very negatively to both your organization and theregulator -- but you're the one whose revenue and reputation will bemost impacted.10. Focus special communications on highly disgruntled customers anddistributors. In this Age of the Internet, and in a litigious society,a few angry people can make waves completely disproportionate to theirnumbers or even to the injury suffered (if any). The recall processshould include an "Escalated Cases" team to focus on such complaintswhen they're received. CEOs need to remember that the public expects them to do what's right,not just what's required. There are a lot of companies whoseleadership learned that the hard way - don't let it happen to you.
Tips,for,Protecting,Reputation