December 01, 2024 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)
The Brick Chronicles: Cracks in the Wall
Sarah Thompson, CEO of Baxter’s Bricks, stared at her phone as it vibrated nonstop. The notifications weren’t good: complaints about their latest eco-friendly brick product was flooding social media, and a local news article was not helping.
Baxter’s Bricks Falling Apart—Literally.
Rick Nelson, COO, barged into her office, laptop in hand. “Sarah, our green line is crumbling– bricks shipped last month are failing under basic pressure. Customers are furious, and the media’s not letting up.”
Sarah said, “Let me guess—half the facts are wrong, and the other half are worse than we feared?”
“Spot on,” Rick replied grimly. “This could blow up if we don’t act fast.”
Sarah, taking a moment to breath, “Let’s call in the team. Jan from Marketing, Robert in HR, and Carla from Legal. We need a plan to tackle this head-on.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jan, Robert, and Carla were seated in Sarah’s office ready to tackle the challenge.
“We’re in crisis mode,” Sarah began. “Bricks are failing, customers are posting videos of broken walls, and we’re trending for all the wrong reasons. What do we do?”
Jan flipped open her notebook. “This reminds me of how Tylenol handled their crisis in the ‘80s—they got out in front of the story, owned the problem, and customers trusted them for it.”
Robert nodded. “Right. And let’s not pull a United Airlines—downplaying a crisis is how you become a PR punching bag.”
Carla added, “Legal’s priority is transparency without making promises we can’t keep. We need to reassure customers we’re fixing it, but we also have to investigate how this happened.”
Sarah leaned forward. “Perfect. Let’s build a plan.”
The Crisis Plan
1. Immediate Employee Briefing: Robert led the charge. “Our people need to hear from us first. I’ll send an internal memo today explaining what’s happening and how we’re responding.”
2. Customer Communication: Jan grinned. “We’ll issue a statement—simple, clear, no corporate fluff. Something like, ‘We’re aware of an issue, we’re investigating, and here’s what we’re doing to make it right.’”
3. Hotline Activation: Robert suggested, “Let’s set up a dedicated hotline so customers can reach a real person. The last thing we need is an angry tweet about being on hold.”
4. Root Cause Analysis: Carla added, “We need a team digging into the production process ASAP. Once we know what went wrong, we’ll make it public—and show how we’re fixing it.”
5. Social Media Strategy: Jan smirked. “Anna from my team will monitor social media. She’s great at disarming trolls. Remember her ‘Bricks don’t ghost you’ campaign? She’ll win them back.”
The plan went live immediately. Robert’s memo reassured employees that Baxter’s Bricks had their backs. Jan’s customer statement struck the right balance: “We’re aware of an issue affecting some eco-friendly bricks. We’re committed to resolving it quickly and transparently.”
On social media, Anna turned angry posts into wins. When a customer posted, “Your bricks are trash—my patio collapsed,” Anna replied, “We’re sorry this happened. DM us—we’ll make it right.” By the next day, the customer posted a follow-up: “Baxter’s Bricks just called me directly. THIS is how you do customer service.”
Meanwhile, Carla’s team unearthed the culprit: a supplier had cut corners on raw materials. Within a week, a public follow-up detailed the findings and announced a new supplier vetting process.
The response was swift—and overwhelmingly positive. Customers tweeted their appreciation: “Baxter’s Bricks doesn’t just fix mistakes; they OWN them. Respect.”
Regulators praised the proactive communication, with one saying, “Your transparency set a new standard.”
At the leadership meeting, Rick grinned. “We didn’t just fix the cracks. We built trust stronger than those faulty bricks ever could.”
Sarah applauded the effort but then issued a challenge. “Great work, team. Now, let’s make sure this never happens again.”
The Lesson
Baxter’s Bricks turned a potential PR disaster into a story of leadership and accountability. By empowering her team and focusing on communication, Sarah strengthened relationships with customers and employees alike.
“Crisis doesn’t build character – it reveals it.”
-Warren Buffett
Lead from your heart. Lead to Win.
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