They even have wi-fi, so I’ll be able to post our adventures during the week.  Off to finish packing…..

Still nursing wounds from their earlier safety issues with the Prius, Toyota Executives were very quick to respond this time around and openly conceded they had a problem. But all this was far too quick and too transparent for some commentators. The Today Programme remarked that their actions simply smacked of a PR stunt, designed to demonstrate just how well the company had learned its lessons of the past. Never!

Interesting….this demonstrates why it’s important for any crisis communications to be “in character”. If you have developed a reputation for dealing badly with an issue and then realise the error of your ways and change, this may be cynically (and wrongly) perceived.

So even if you do follow all the golden rules of crisis management to the letter, past actions will continue to dog your image. Tread carefully then….

This research was conducted for an IT company, where getting the “proof of the pudding” from case studies, site visits, conference speaking has always been a stable of the communications mix. And the reason why is because it engenders trust and increasingly, levels of trust are highest amongst peers, hence the power of social networking and word of mouth.

Turning to the political campaigning that is now well underway, it is interesting to see the extent that endorsements from “a person like me” are being used in the Conservative’s pre-election communications, again to build trust and credibility amongst potentially skeptical first time supporters. This was evident just round the corner from my home where, a billboard is featuring different, rather unlikely Conservative voters telling us why they have “switched”. Two weeks ago we had “Ian from Congleton”, obviously a factory worker or mechanic, quoted as saying “I’ve never voted Tory before, but this time I’m going to because the country is in such a mess….” And now we have “Danielle from Brighton”, who is mixed race, and also a first time Tory voter saying “We have to sort out the economy”….

And the model works. Whether they lead the Tories to election victory is another matter, but the point is, endorsements from ‘a person like you’ have a big impact and make you question why you shouldn’t also consider them for your vote…or in the case of business purchasing, your annual budget.

Finally, after a very public apology by the chairman, and more apologising in their adverts, consumers are accepting that they are responding adequately to the safety issues raised by drivers.

The recall work is now well underway in this country, something of a u-turn after the initial denial that UK models were not affected.  But overall, for both the recall action and apologia, it took them a couple of weeks to get to this point, which, many crisis communications experts suggest is far too long.  Even the Japanese trade minister criticized the company for its responses, no doubt worried about the wider effects on consumer confidence in Japanese exports more widely.  The result for Toyota – an unnecessarily damaged reputation.

For any business selling a product or service, problems at one point or another are inevitable.  Everyone accepts that, nothing is always perfect.  But the real issue for consumers is how the organisation deals with the problem, and how openly they communicate about it.  And did the eventual response live up to their expectations from that brand.  In the case of Toyota, this incongruence is what caused such an outrage.

Theirs was a previously untarnished reputation for unrivalled excellence and quality.  In pr terms, they had established a significant “reservoir of goodwill” amongst consumers already and so, it is fair to say, that the way they responded caused them to receive a bigger dent in their reputation than might otherwise have occurred.  But inspite of their resources, they made some fundamental crisis comms gaffes, which their pr people will be spending the next few years rectifying, no doubt.

For all businesses, it is worth thinking about the way the Toyota issue has unfolded and then ponder these questions.  Were they transparent about owning up to a possible issue?  Did the person at the top respond quickly?  And with humility and compassion?  Did they initiate the communication, or were they forced to play catch up on a story?  Were any experts willing to defend the position of the company?  Were they in control?

Unfortunately, the answers are no to a lot of the above.

Businesses of all sizes can learn valuable lessons in crisis communications from the way Toyota has been criticised for its slow response to this problem.  Below is a summary selection of top tips from crisis management experts to guide your planning for the future, selected because I think they are most applicable to every situation.

1. Be in control by communicating quickly about an issue, showing humility and compassion. Even if you can do nothing more than confirm the facts as they stand, do it, and then provide regular updates.  If you say nothing, it suggests guilt, and others will speculate adding fuel to the fire.
2. Always show a human face, that you care and are prepared to take responsibility for the situation.  Remember taking responsibility for putting things right is not the same as admitting liability!
3. Respond to media enquiries quickly.  If possible, use the media to help inform your stakeholders about the problem and how you intend to resolve it.  Taking responsibility in this way can turn a potential agitator into a powerful ally.
4. Prioritise the content of statements with careful attention to the 3 Ps – people, planet and profits – in that order.   They should be cleared with your legal advisers.
5. Managing directors or their nominees should generally act as the key contact for any crisis.
6. The crisis should be managed by a pre-agreed crisis management team. Each member must have clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
7. Information should be managed carefully. It should be given to the minimum number of people necessary to handle the incident effectively and ensure that information is co-ordinated and consistent.
8. Only the nominated, fully trained and briefed spokespeople should talk to the media.
9. Use your website to ensure information is very widely available and as up to date as possible.  Any statements should be brief, informative, accurate and consistent.  Ideally they should be written in partnership with both legal and PR specialists.
10. Never under estimate the situation. Prepare for the worst and you will handle the situation more effectively.

Do all the above and your customers will most likely be pretty forgiving