Crisis Communications Planning: How Your Shop Can Avoid a PR Disaster

Accidents happen. Not just to your customers out on the roads, but also to quick maintenance and oil change shops in the course of daily operations.

Maybe your shop is moving such a high volume of customers through the system that a tech makes a serious mistake. Or maybe there’s reputational damage to your shop because a disgruntled employee posted something about your business on social media that isn’t true (or is). Or maybe a natural disaster hits your business and shuts it down for a time and you need to explain what’s going on.

Whatever the crisis—whether an act of God or a mistake of man—there are straightforward communications tactics that can help keep you above the fray.

Here are several of them from crisis communications professional Brandon Chesnutt, partner at Identity PR, a Birmingham, Michigan-based company that serves the communications and messaging needs of automotive businesses nationwide.

Be mentally prepared. There’s so much going on in the world right now that Chesnutt says he’s encountering a lingering atmosphere of crisis in just about every industry, including automotive.

And no matter how beloved a shop is within a community, he says, “You’re not essentially immune to something happening from a reputational standpoint.”

Being aware of the current climate is important.

“Crisis communications is really about how we position ourselves to weather that storm, react to it, or decide what our response strategy will be when the spotlight is shining brightly on us,” he says.

Plan a basic protocol. Just as most franchises have a plan of action outlined for when a crisis occurs, single-owner shops and multi-generational family-owned businesses benefit from having a plan, too.

“They have the best of intentions, and they want to do great work for their customers so they come back for the life of their vehicle,” Chesnutt finds. “But that doesn’t always translate to helping get [small business owners] to the other side of a crisis.”

An example of a smart, basic protocol for a small shop owner is to decide that when a crisis comes, it won’t be pushed aside. That instead, it will be faced head-on.

If an unhappy customer airs a grievance online, for example, Chesnutt advises owners not to simply turn the other way. Because if owners say nothing, people can come up with their own interpretation of what happened.

“Sometimes picking up the phone and having a conversation (with the customer) can solve a lot of things before they ever move to a more visible crisis moment,” he adds.

Another basic tenet to keep in mind is this: Avoid the temptation to respond immediately to a complaint on social media, where you can get caught up in a thread of comments back and forth. Instead, it’s wise to pause and think things through.

As Chesnutt puts it, “When a negative review or a TikTok starts to get some traction, if an owner responds, they need to be really clear in what they want to say, and they only get one time to say it.”

For example, an owner might simply and clearly say that they’re going to work with that customer and figure out a resolution. And then take it offline directly with that customer.

Know your latest foe. There’s a new Reddit community online called “Just Rolled Into the Shop” where any auto or quick lube tech can anonymously post their observations about customers’ cars that just pulled in. The automotive-focused ecosystem is comprised of 2 million people.

Chesnutt believes this is trouble waiting to happen.

“You have entire subcategories of information being shared that kind of impacts reputation. … There are ecosystems of conversation about what’s happening in (the automotive shop) world through the lens of both customers and through staff,” he describes.

“You can imagine what would happen if all of a sudden a customer equates what’s being shared with where they just took their vehicle,” he adds.

Add to that, people are usually sensitive about their vehicles, which are their transportation lifelines and are expensive to own and maintain.

Don’t take it personally. Just as customers are sensitive about their cars, shop owners are tender about their businesses, Chesnutt notes.

“As an entrepreneur, when you’re facing a customer situation that is evolving into a crisis, you almost feel personally insulted because you feel that connectivity to your business,” he says. “It’s like somebody is questioning your decision-making, your morals, your staff, and you are protective.”

Instead of getting personally upset, Chesnutt advises owners to always look for a way to resolve situations offline with their customers.

In essence, a crisis provides an opportunity for growth, from moment to moment.

Or as Chesnutt frames it, “There are moments of truth that shape how people see us.”