On How Not To Do Public Relations

I don't envy Greyhound Canada's position they are in

What happened in recent days on a lone road in Manitoba was absolutely sickening and appalling. But that doesn't mean you can stick your head in the sand and wait for the sensationalism to die down.

I have blogged before about the terrible responsiveness and (lack of) service that coach companies provide, but this one really takes the cake.

So how did Greyhound respond?

1. Did not offer a local spokesperson to be physically present for questions, and instead redirected all calls to their American office for interviews.

2. Read from a scripted response that contained no new information and was a waste of time.

3. Displayed no lack of emotional sincerity in the tone of their response.

4. Posted no information or new releases on their Canadian or American website

5. Did not conduct a press conference to reiterate their physical involvement in this tragedy.

The RCMP is also on the hook: taking too long ( a full day) to notify the next of kin, with the victim's family only finding out their son was killed, via the media!

Good public relations is essential in marketing your organization's brand. What Greyhound should have done was:

1. Taking responsibility for lack of security on buses - this is different from accepting blame. The public respects an organization that accepts responsibility
   
2. Respond quickly - This means physical presence on the scene and immediate availability to media. Greyhound's message did not seem to be sincere, nor did it reflect who they were trying to convey the message to
3. Communicate very clearly what has gone wrong - this means no buzz, weasel words, or overly rhetorical speeches. If a grade 6 kid can't understand it, re-write it.
   
4. Communicate what you are doing about it - offering assistance to passengers on the bus is a normal step, but what are you offering to reassure future passengers?
5. Describe the steps you are taking to ensure it doesn't happen again - Calling a situation an isolated incident does you no good when you already have a history of problems.

And most importantly: consider an apology, if an apology is warranted. If the public is satisfied with your efforts in rectifying the problem, they will most likely forgive and move on.

Giving the severity and virility of this event, I don't know how easy it will be to move on...

Rest In Peace, Tim Mclean