Managing Christmas Crises: Ways to navigate PR Challenges this season

With the increase in customer demand that comes with Black Friday and Christmas, the potential for unique Christmas crises is high. Marketing is important to create demand for your product and services, but it’s PR that influences perception.

This week we conclude our look at how to navigate a PR crisis during this season.

How’s your inventory? Imagine looking for a specific item for a gift, you finally find it but then you see ‘Sold’ or you hear “we are out of stock”. Not a good feeling, is it? Here’s how you can handle this:

1. Keep customers updated. When products are sold out, let customers know immediately, Place ‘out of stock’ labels on items in store or send an email notification for when it becomes available again.

2. Suggest alternatives: If a popular item is not available, alert your staff about other products that can be recommended; if it’s online (not a website), instead of just posting ‘sold’ across the image or in the comment, suggest an alternative as well. This approach helps to maintain sales while also offering value to the customer.

I don’t sell a product; I offer a service – Let’s say you have a restaurant or you are managing a restaurant. During the festive season, restaurants can be super busy and at times frustrated customers simply walk out.

Possible solutions?

1. Ensure you have the right people on staff – You need staff that can handle large groups and who can handle any and everything. They should be well trained and able to handle peak demand, so right now is a good time to invest in training before the season picks up. Remember your customers want their orders taken quickly and efficiently which means your staff must respond with urgency. You may also want to hire and train seasonal staff as well as decide very early who is working on New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve, for example. Go over any procedures that may be different in the festive season and provide refresher training in the lead up.

2. Table management – This can be tricky during the busy season but if you don’t manage it well, you can miss out on potential revenue. Restaurants miss out on bookings and sales because staff is too busy to answer the phone, or staff don’t even realize another customer has walked in, or the line to place the order is too long. You know the capacity of your space so ask yourself is there any a particular space that can be a holding/waiting area for customers while they wait on a table?

What can your staff do that can contribute to customers sticking around?

3. Delivery service – Consider implementing a delivery option so that the public can still enjoy your delicious offering but don’t have to deal with the hassle of long lines
Website & technical difficulties – Technical glitches and website crashes are a potential risk. A website that is down means lost sales and frustrated customers who may take their business elsewhere. What can you do?

1. Prepare for the traffic: Ensure your website can handle increased traffic by conducting loads test with your I.T. department or I.T. person. Plan ahead to avoid a crisis later.

2. Keep customers informed: If your website crashes, let customers know that you are aware and that you are working to resolve it. Offer alternative ways to place an order e.g. through customer service or even a temporary shopping page.

3. Apologize: Once the issue is resolved, send out a thank you email or SMS and perhaps a coupon for future use. Customers will appreciate the transparency and your efforts to make it right.

Be prepared for shipping delays – With the increase of shopping online, it is possible to encounter shipping delays. Customers are eagerly awaiting their purchases and understandably become frustrated when it’s delayed.

Unexpected supply chain issues, weather disruptions and high demand can lead to you experiencing a crisis. Here are a few things you can do:

1. Set clear expectations: Communicate your shipping deadlines early and prominently online and through all your marketing channels. Be sure to include a buffer for delays.

2. Be transparent and offer solutions:

If there is a delay, communicate that information. Send prompt emails or post the information promptly on your social media pages and website or simply call the customer and explain the delay.

• Candice Sealey is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Ignite! a Full-service Marketing & PR Consultancy that helps businesses/brands to stand out and communicate the right message to the right people at the right time through Strategy, Marketing, Media services and Design solutions. She is also a freelance content writer, advertising copywriter, voice-over talent, media personality. Follow us on FB & IG @igniteresults Phone:784-432-2223. Email: igniteresults@gmail.com