INTRODUCTION
Every company faces challenges, and the way they handle them can strengthen or hurt their reputation. Roku customers have been facing a bug in the system that causes the remote to skip channels and program selections (sources 1, 2 and 3). However, several weeks into the issue, Roku has yet to publicly acknowledge the bug.
The consequence for Roku is that it appears to the public as either 1) oblivious to the bug, 2) uncaring, and/or 3) silent about any fixes. None of those situations is helpful to brand reputation.
Let’s explore what companies like Roku should do in these situations.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE SITUATION
One of the first steps in crisis management big or small is acknowledging the issue at hand. Your customers know it’s happening, so there’s little or nothing to gain by not admitting it. In fact, you are only creating frustration and mistrust with your customers.
One simple post on social media and your website is sufficient for acknowledging an issue like a software bug. Plus, it’ll make life easier for your customer service/tech support teams, who may get inundated with complaints.
BE TRANSPARENT
Keep customers (and staff) in the loop. What is the status of your investigation? What is the timeline for a solution?
If possible, explain how the bug came about in the first place and what you’ll do to prevent such bugs from happening again. Even if it was human error, which is almost always the case, you need to admit it.
COMMUNICATE EARLY AND OFTEN
Effective communication is critical in times of crisis. Your internal and external audiences crave a steady stream of information. Not only should you post regular updates on your website and social media channels, but you also should prepare your customer service/tech support staff with talking points.
Here’s another tip: even when you have nothing new to share, mention that you have nothing new to share (e.g., “We are still working on a software patch”).