Corporate Crisis Communications | Making the most of what to say when words mean the most.

During a recent domestic flight to Buffalo, NY, a tour group headed to Niagara Falls missed an earlier connecting flight and was accommodated in the First Class cabin, interspersed between routine business travelers on their way to work.  As the flight unfolded, the tourists began documenting every waking minute of the flight on Facetime, Periscope and Twitter.  Finally one frequent flier finally spoke up and quelled the social media circus, without assistance from an oblivious flight attendant.  So goes the friendly skies in today’s modern age of constant connectivity and social media frenzies. Understandably the tour group was excited to be on their junket to The Falls, but airlines and their flight crews need to establish and enforce rules that respect passenger privacy and keep flights as peaceful as possible.  Today’s social media users often blur the line between being tech savvy communicators and obnoxious cretins who care more about selfies, Skypes ...

It is the email, phone call or text message every business traveler hates to receive – “there is delay/cancellation impacting your upcoming flight.”  Unfortunately this summer has seen an increase in cancellations with some airlines, due either to inclement weather or proactive cancellations in advance of forecast bad weather.  How airlines communicate these delays and their efforts to accommodate stranded passengers can shape customer satisfaction. Seasoned travelers know to expect delays, oversold flights and travel plan disruptions.  What they don’t always know is what is really causing the delay, how long they will be forced to stand around the gate and how they will be re-routed to their destination.  Although delays and cancellations are always fluid situations affected by many different factors, airline employees often set false expectations.  It is not uncommon to see a delay initially reported as “only 20 minutes” extend into hours .   ...

Once a hurricane makes landfall all the coverage focused on tracks, models and the cone of doom fades away and all attention to turns to rescues, recovery and a return to normalcy.   As Jacksonville emerges from the wrath of Hurricane Irma, there is a tale of two utilities in North Florida – one with a remarkable track record and one with a not-so illustrious record.  When it comes to customer service and recovery times, Beaches Energy has proved to be extremely reliable and the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) has been less than stellar in performance and communicating with their clients. As Irma approached the First Coast, both utilities were optimistic for speedy recoveries.  During, and just after the storm, the recovery phase started. Beaches Energy had restored power to nearly 90% of its customers within 24 hours of the storm’s passing, but JEA on the other hand had restored far fewer customers.  The contrast between the two companies per...

As Hurricanes continue to dot the Atlantic basin this season, the National Hurricane Center’s storm track and model data is watched by every South Easterner who could possibly be impacted by a named storm.  Known as the “Cone of Concern” (or “doom”, as you may have it), once published this information is watched closely by anyone in the path of an impending storm and broadcast widely by every news outlet. As storms erupt and tracks are published both the National Hurricane Center and media channels need to be very careful in their messaging about where a Hurricane may make landfall.  They must also be aware of the doom and gloom forecasts they promote have direct impacts on how masses react.  As connectors, both forecasters and newscasters yield lots of followers – and that number only increases as a storm grows closer to the United States shoreline.  Hyperbolic news casting, coupled with dramatic forecasts, can lead to mass hysteria that in some cases cause...

As the tropics heat up and major storms have, and will impact the Southeastern United States, corporations need to pay particular heed to how they communicate their preparedness during the Atlantic hurricane season.  From restaurants, to banks, to retailers, customers must have confidence that their favorite businesses have plans to weather natural disasters and rebound as quickly as possible to minimize disruption to their operations. One regional business has done this so well that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses their business continuity plan as an index to gauge a storm's impact.  The Waffle House; that ubiquitous chain of diners dotting every Interstate exit from Virginia to Texas, has perfected their business continuity model so that they can continue to operate during and after most hurricanes and severe storms.  In a recent article published on National Public Radio’s Website , Waffle House says it feels it has a special obligat...