Something every business owner dreads is a product recall. They happen when something doesn’t function as intended or has a flaw that makes it hazardous to its user. While recalls aren’t incredibly likely to happen to any individual person, they do go out all the time and can happen to any business owner. In cases like these, you’ll need to know how to handle a product recall at your business.
Accept Responsibility
Denying that faulty items may damage customers is a bad image for corporations. Ignoring your own mistakes and blaming others is the worst thing you can do in this situation. In the end, your organization authorized the goods, and so in the customer’s eyes, you are the one who should be held responsible. Communication is the initial step. When releasing a press release, confess that your business has made a mistake and say that you are trying to rectify the issue. This is the most important thing to know about how to handle a product recall at your business.
Communicate With Your Customers
It’s likely that your consumers will be puzzled and annoyed if you have to do a product recall. For the most disgruntled consumers, adding extra customer service representatives, adding an interactive live chat assistance function to your website, or hosting an educational news conference regarding your move will go far in alleviating their concerns. Bear in mind that customers who do not obtain the answers they want regarding your brand will retain a bad view long after the recall has passed, so it’s pertinent to get the word out as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can.
Be Prepared
It’s important not to be blindsided when these things come up, so one way of getting ready for it is by assuming all of your products will be recalled. Expecting a recall on each and every product your company releases may seem bizarre at first. But good PR relies on messaging and framing the issue in order to manage customer reactions when faced with uncertainty, and that can only be accomplished at the highest level of preparation. Respond immediately with a statement, control the message, and take responsibility when a product is recalled well before media and the community can depict your business in an unflattering way.
Cooperate
Depending on your industry, you may find yourself bombarded with questions from the media and government regulators. This is where you’ll need to be honest and thorough with your answers. The more you do to show your concern for the issue, the less likely you are to be painted in a negative light. Another step you can take is to hire product destruction services to handle all of your faulty products. They will be sure none of them ever make it back out onto the third-party market.
