Imagine getting a call from someone in your family who died long ago. Or from an ex you’ve avoided for years.
Perhaps you don’t need to imagine. You might have been one of the many Telstra customers impacted by last week’s “glitch” that created mass confusion by generating thousands of phantom missed-call and message alerts.
After the network crash earlier this year when CEO Vicki Brady and CFO Michael Ackland fronted the media, you’d think this latest incident – blamed on a MessageBank fault – would warrant a similar focus.
But this time, Telstra relied on a written statement that contained an apology.
Retreating into a faceless response seems a backward step for Telstra’s credibility.
While its communication was relatively swift once word of the problem got out, it must have seemed cursory to those who got the shock of their lives when those phantom messages appeared.
DJs leaders play coy
Faceless communication has also been the order of the day at David Jones, with company executives carefully controlling communication about the historic brand’s slide into voluntary administration.
Shying away from media interviews, leaders reportedly addressed a closed staff gathering and CEO Erica Berchtold issued a media statement which referred to a “well-developed plan on how to reset the business for the future.”
This seemed at odds with the uncertainty sweeping staff across the DJs network, the rapid appearance of empty shelves and the somewhat undignified grab for the fulfilment of gift cards.
My first job after high school was as a “copy girl” in the advertising department of David Jones in Sydney, which essentially meant I ran errands and got to learn copywriting skills when the professional writers had time to teach me.
There was real pride attached to working in that store. Arriving each morning had a sense of occasion about it – and I got to explore the tunnel system that connected the Elizabeth and Market Street stores, hidden from shoppers.
It seems a large percentage of the population also has a personal connection to David Jones. There’s genuine fondness for the brand – which is why the impersonal nature of their communication feels disrespectful and abrupt.
And it’s interesting that since the announcement of the administrators’ appointment, people have flocked to David Jones to spend, spend, spend.
Imagine if they’d trusted us enough to tell us earlier what was coming.
Courage on camera
Swans boss Matthew Pavlich is getting plenty of practice fronting the cameras to respond to negative questions. He had to do it again last week, with more red-faced comments about a player behaving badly.
The Swans copped criticism for the way they initially responded to allegations of sexual assault in August.
Their response wasn’t perfect, but Swans leaders brought a raw directness to their handling of the incident.
Pavlich and Chair Andrew Pridham might have lacked the slick statements we see in some corporate crisis responses but they showed a refreshing lack of defensiveness, a willingness to field questions even with the difficulty of encroaching on a live police investigation and a clarity of message without descending into cliched statements.
This time around, with a player showing a positive result at a roadside drug test, Pavlich was real and raw. He seemed weary and repeatedly said he was disappointed – but he was also genuine and human.
He didn’t fob off questions about Swans culture or the reaction of sponsors. He answered calmly but firmly and was clear in his message of “we need to be better”.
Spokespeople who face the cameras under intense pressure are often shown little mercy by a public with high expectations of exercising 24/7 scrutiny. It’s little wonder that so many brands now opt for the faceless written statement instead.
That’s a huge shame and a big disservice to those impacted by a negative situation
Let's applaud those courageous leaders who, when their reputation is on the line, still step up to state their position with honesty.
In an uncertain world, we need more of that, not less.
Who did it best?
None of the brands embroiled in last week’s crises will emerge unscathed, but the Swans were the best at responding quickly and with human connection.
In the spotlight of a pressure moment, leaders must be prepared to own what’s happened and say clearly what they expect will happen next.
Time will tell if reputations can be rebuilt and customer loyalty restored.
