Toyota Rebuilds Trust

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on February 8, 2010 under Customer Moments, Resolving Conflict | Read the First Comment

Boy, Toyota has sure had a run of back luck recently.  Accelerators that stick and brakes that don’t work.  A bad combination.

So how are they handling the situation?

Check out the video commercial about how Toyota is focusing on customer cars FIRST.  “To restore your faith in our company.”

• They aren’t hiding from the issue
• No excuses are being made
• They outline what they are doing to fix the problem
• Every employee and dealer is involved
• Number One Goal – Restoring Trust

I applaud Toyota’s approach to a bad situation and feel confident that they will find a solution to the immediate problem and in the long run, they will continue the relationships with their customers and will probably gain new customers because of how they handle a crisis.

Do you have a crisis management plan for your organization?  With Real Time Reviews a number one trend for 2010, you need to be ready to respond to online comments and concerns from customers.  Jonathon Bernstein offers 10 suggestions for using SEO in a Crisis situation. Communication is key. 

Customer-focused communication, like Toyota is using in their ads is the best.