3 examples of crisis management you can learn from

Last updated on August 9th, 2024 at 10:15 am

There is a significant chance that your business will have to deal with a crisis at some point.

You may not even see it coming, but it can have a significant impact on your company’s reputation and challenge your company values.

It may be an unexpected event, such as a global pandemic or a natural disaster.

If a major crisis does happen, you’ll need to have a solid brand crisis management plan in place. Examples such as the Airbnb success story can provide an effective blueprint for navigating potential crises.

Your crisis management plan is critical here.

Crisis Management Examples

Here, we explore some recent successful crisis communication examples.

We’ll explore the times when it’s worked very well… when crisis management plans spring into action and work exactly as they are meant to.

But we’ll also look at times when this hasn’t been the case. When the crisis management process has not been followed as diligently as it should have been; causing severe damage to the company’s reputation.

JetBlue Flight Disruptions

Here we have a case of a business taking advantage of a negative event and putting comms in place to ensure they weather the storm and come out of the other side in a good position. They met the issue head-on by setting up a dedicated crisis management team to handle customer inquiries and assist passengers.

The Crisis

In December 2023, JetBlue found themselves facing a big issue. With a series of significant cancellations and delays due to severe winter storms.

Now a crisis like this, during the holiday season could easily have led to a lot of negative sentiment, from customers and the media alike. But, the approach that JetBlue took ensured that it came out of this particular crisis in a positive light.

JetBlue made use of multiple channels – website, social and email – to keep their customers informed and updated with real-time information on the status of their flights.

They met the issue head-on. Set up dedicated support teams to handle customer inquiries and assist passengers with both re-booking alternative transport and compensation. Having this dedicated team ensured that JetBlue’s customers were not only informed but well looked after.

Subsequently, the CEO of JetBlue issued a public apology, recognising the issues and inconveniences caused to passengers, while emphasising the airline’s ongoing commitment to safety.

JetBlue offered affected passengers compensation options such as full refunds, travel vouchers, and free rebooking on alternative flights. This demonstrated a strong commitment to customer care.

What we can learn

This is a tremendous lesson in transparency and authenticity.

JetBlue provided clear and detailed explanations of the disruptions, including the impact of weather conditions and the steps taken to ensure passenger safety. This transparency helped manage customer expectations and build trust.

The airline also maintained open lines of communication with passengers, offering regular updates about efforts to manage the situation and prevent future disruptions. Showing the value of honest and ongoing communication, even in the toughest times.

In moments like this, especially when things aren’t going to plan. Customers would rather have absolute honesty rather than a sugar-coating of the situation.

Microsoft’s Response to Data Breach

Any kind of data breach is severe. But for an organisation like Microsoft, a data breach can be catastrophic.

Microsoft immediately notified affected users through internal and external communications, ensuring timely and accurate information dissemination.

This included coordinating external communications such as press releases, media statements, social media updates, and website notifications to keep the media, public, and other stakeholders informed.

The Crisis

In April 2024, Microsoft discovered a data breach that affected user accounts, which could have compromised sensitive information. This poses a serious threat to user trust and the company’s reputation.

Microsoft immediately notified affected users about the breach. The communications were not only timely but detailed, containing clear and concise steps on what affected users should do to secure their accounts.

The communications also came directly through the Microsoft Account Management System, which ensured that affected users got that information directly to their inboxes. Microsoft also offered affected users free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

The tech giants also issued a public apology, fully acknowledging the breach. They took full responsibility.

What we can learn

Microsoft’s immediate openness and acceptance of the issue paved the way for what was to follow.

The tech giant outlined a detailed action plan to enhance its cybersecurity. This included conducting a comprehensive review of their systems to identify vulnerabilities and implementing advanced security protocols.

This is arguably one of the most successful crisis management examples. Microsoft’s customer service blended with its crisis communication plan robustly and authentically.

Assisting affected users with tangible advice, follow-up products and services was an excellent move. In a situation such as this, where consumer confidence could have been deeply and negatively impacted by such an issue.

This kind of effective crisis management mitigated the potential for greater damage.

Boeing: when the crisis communication plan fails!

Boeing has been facing a constant stream of safety concerns and PR crises for several years now, severely impacting the company’s reputation. From manufacturing issues and safety concerns to regulatory and oversight failures, reputation has taken hit after hit.

A leadership change was intended to fix this… but if anything it only made it worse.

The Crisis

Back in 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 suffered a fatal crash. In 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 suffered the same. This led to the total grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX Aircraft. After an internal investigation, which uncovered issues with the MAX’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, CEO Dennis Muilenberg was ousted from his role.

Incumbent CEO David Calhoun took the reins, promising a new era of safety focus at Boeing.

Boeing’s critics had questioned the company’s once stellar safety culture. But Calhoun appeared as the one to steady the ship and remedy those concerns.

But, the scrutiny returned and intensified in early 2024. When a door plug blew out of a new 737 MAX, nine minutes into an Alaska Airlines flight.

Calhoun subsequently decided to step down. But the damage was done. Airline leaders were already scheduling meetings with Boeing directors to voice their issues with the company’s manufacturing standards.

David Calhoun’s resignation marked another chapter in Boeing’s turbulent recent history.

A company, with a once stellar record for safety and quality in manufacturing had been reduced to dealing with a string of incredibly serious incidents.

The incident with the Alaska Airlines flight merely underscored the urgent need for continued vigilance and improvement in Boeing’s operational and safety practices. The incident also highlighted the urgent need for dedicated crisis management teams to address and mitigate such issues.

What we can learn

There’s a lot we can take away from this.

The transition from Muilenberg to Calhoun was meant to herald a period of change. The latter was adamant that safety would become the core focus. The subsequent Alaska Airlines incident called this commitment into question.

But what became apparent, and was covered by Last Week Tonight, was leadership was aware of the drop in manufacturing standards but chose not to address it over productivity concerns.

The issues were so deep, that Last Week Tonight even showed footage of a Boeing engineer being asked if he would fly on a Boeing… he answered no.

The optics at Boeing no longer added up. Boeing’s words consistently undermined its actions.

Leadership changes and promises will only take you so far. There comes a time when the issues need to be dealt with. But one high-profile crisis after another just served as a reminder, to the public, stakeholders and shareholders, of just how deep-set the issues at Boeing are.

In Summary

If a major crisis does happen, you’ll need to have a solid brand crisis management strategy and plan in place.

But having a plan in place, and following that plan when the crisis hits, are two very different things.

In a crisis, it’s important to move fast. But it’s also important not to move so fast that you lose all sight of the situation.

Effective crisis management and crisis communication is a balance of speed and effective messaging.

Moving too quickly into a crisis scenario may lead to you completely misjudging the tone of the required response. Move too slowly and you run the risk of appearing aloof and uncaring and that’s just as damaging to a company’s reputation.

Poor crisis management can significantly impact operations. In extreme cases, like Boeing, it can even lead to criminal charges.

In today’s digital age, particularly where social media crises can unfold at a pace and keep going, businesses need to have crisis management plans to protect their reputation and company values.