Ducking out when it counts
I just came across this short article in the Guardian, posted last week. It follows the usual modus operandi of mentioning Robert Scoble and Jonathan Schwartz (and Thomas Mahon of English Cut fame) and goes on to quote Debbie Weil numerous times (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
But the real gem is right at the beginning of the piece:
When The Carphone Warehouse boss Charles Dunstone started his corporate blog earlier this year, he was hailed as a cutting-edge chief executive; a man prepared to open up the inner workings of his company to the wider world and willing to communicate directly with his customers.
But that was April, when Britain’s biggest mobile phones retailer was riding high on a wave of favourable publicity about its “free” TalkTalk broadband offer.
Scroll forward a few months and the web is full of tales of “My TalkTalk Hell” as the group struggles to cope with the demand it so badly under-estimated, leaving thousands of customers angry and frustrated.
So what did Dunstone do at the height of the crisis? He simply stopped blogging. From September 1 until earlier this week - two and a half months - he failed to make a single entry. His post this Monday largely consists of an apology for his lengthy absence and a reassurance that the broadband supply problems are being worked out.
Ouch. If there’s one general, universal rule of business blogging it’s in the midst of a crisis, silence is not golden. Posting positive messages while the sailing is smooth is fine, but if there’s any time when a blog is almost indispensable, it’s when things go awry. Why? Because a blog is by far the best channel to make clear beyond doubt that
a) you recognize that there’s a problem
b) you’re sorry
If you aren’t convinced that those two aspects are extremely relevant, ask these guys about it. It’s a bit like Seth Godin once pointed out in a very interesting presentation at Google. Godin shocked his listeners by telling them something both harsh and true: nobody cares about your product. I believe he later qualified the statement - obviously a lot of people do care about Google’s products - but in assuming a complete lack of interest and “passion” on the side of customers regarding the phone service, dog food or toilet paper that you sell, you’re usually on the safe side. And the same largely holds true for companies. If wireless provider X is reliable and moderately priced, will I actively seek out X CEO’s blog to add my praise? Not too likely. But once things go wrong - once I’m frustrated and annoyed and quite sure that nobody is doing anything at all about my problem - then I’m going to post a comment on the company blog and make sure that I’m heard.
Silence leaves a barn door open for interpretation. Explaining and apologizing are basic social abilities - a lack of them indicates that you don’t understand how interpersonal interaction works, or (even worse), that you understand quite well but don’t care.
Mr. Dunstone didn’t realize that he was saying a whole lot by not saying anything. Don’t make that mistake.
