A Real-World Example of Crisis Communications Done Right
Last month, I noticed a Tweet thread from a freelancer working for Rev.com — she was raising concerns about what appeared to be a sudden pay decrease to freelancers, as well as the motivation behind the change.
Now, I have only been a direct customer of Rev on a limited basis, but I’ve used them a ton on communications team and other projects, usually operating through someone else’s individual account with them. Their transcription quality has been terrific, their turnaround fast, and they fill a real regular need of mine.
Reaching Out and Getting a Response
The concerns raised in the Tweet thread, though, bugged me. I reached out to Rev and let them know how I felt. I got a great email back from them, including a link to a VERY comprehensive, very thoughtful post from CEO Jason Chicola. I appreciated the response, and, satisfied, considered this issue closed.
A Candid Conversation With Leadership
And then…I got an email from Jason himself, offering me a 15-minute call with one of the three co-founders to address my concerns. So, I scheduled the call.
I hopped on the phone today with co-founder and CFO David Abrameto, who proceeded to have a completely candid and transparent conversation with me about how Rev works, and more importantly, about their mission of providing viable, real work for folks who need at-home, flexible work.
I was grateful for the opportunity to see behind the curtain, and extremely appreciative of how Rev handled their crisis communications — and that they took responsibility for a failure to communicate clearly (which spawned the PR crisis in the first place) and IMMEDIATELY did better.
Lessons in Effective Crisis Communications
Other companies could take a page from this:
- Rev addressed this in a forthright manner.
- They apologized quickly for what they did wrong, and yet still did not equivocate on what they believe and why they do their work.
- They have 2020 goals that go further toward addressing the issues that caused the crisis.
They’ve also kept me as a customer, and converted me into a promoter. How about that? It’s a lesson many companies could learn.
Every company makes mistakes. But most companies compound those mistakes by communicating badly in the wake of the challenging situation. In this case, Rev owned their issues, addressed them, and moved on, graciously and forthrightly. It’s an impressive case study in how corporate communications should always be done.
If you’re an organization or company looking for support with crisis communications or other strategic communications work, please reach out. I’m available to help you tell your story clearly to the audiences you most need to reach.
