Case study and guidelines for handling a corporate communications crisis via social media. This is a presentation I created and have delivered at various conferences including at GSMI's Social Media Strategies Summits. For more social media mc nuggets, check out my blog at www.thebaochi.com

1. Social Media &
Corporate Crisis Communications
Baochi Nguyen // Boingo Wireless

2. Social Media: the Core of Crisis Communications
• In the past, corporate communication teams had time to plan a response
to a crisis: team meeting >> press release >> news conference
• Now, in the social web era, crisis news can erupt in a 140-character
statement, multiplying exponentially as it spreads across the globe
within minutes – communication driven primarily by the public
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 2

3. Social Media: the Core of Crisis Communications
• Today, when a crisis erupts, there’s a good chance the news is all over
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, the blogosphere, etc.
• The discussions are public, permanent and viral
• When people are talking about your brand, head straight to the epicenter
of the conversation
“Fight social media fire with
social media water.”
- Jay Baer and Amber Naslund
Authors of The Now Revolution, a good book on social media
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 3

4. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
On April 10, 2010 (a Saturday), an email test went awry,
sending many Boingo customers an inaccurate message that
indicated their flat-rate Boingo monthly subscription had been
cancelled and transferred over to a pay-as-you go plan
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 4

5. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 - 1:25pm
!
First wave of complaint tweets roll in.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 5

6. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 - 1:25pm
Marketing and management teams notified of potential email glitch.
Investigation begins but meanwhile, no specific information available to
communicate exact issue to customers.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 6

7. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 – 1:35pm
Proactive message posted to Facebook mentioning email issue (but no specific
information immediately available yet). Updates posted throughout the day as
more info surfaces.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 7

8. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 – 1:36pm
Twitter dialogue throughout the day…hundreds of tweets.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 8

9. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 – 6:00pm
2:30pm
Message of Apology from CEO posted to front page of team
Email blast glitch with invalid info confirmed by Boingocorporate site,
www.boingo.com
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 9

10. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 1 – 8:00pm
New IVR message on Customer Support telephone line explaining
email mistake, instructing users to check accounts online, and
providing option to talk to customer care agent.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 10

11. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 2 – 8:00am
Marketing and customer care teams respond to every individual communication
– support emails, Facebook posts, and Tweet. This becomes a week-long effort.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 11

12. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 2 – 11:00am
Marketing team and CEO prepare email apology to all recipients of errant
email, but email system must be first fixed in order to “safely” send email
apology.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc Page 12

13. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 2 – 8:00pm
Common questions and complaints addressed in blog post. Tweets and
Facebook posts go out with link to blog FAQs.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 13

14. The Boingo Email Snafu Case Study
Day 3 – 8:00am
Apology email from CEO sent to all recipients of errant email.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 14

15. Corrective Actions
• Tweeted and posted Facebook message about the email mistake
• Monitored and replied to complaints via Twitter
• Posted blog entry with FAQs culled from social media channels and replied
to every resulting comment
• Posted an apology letter from CEO on the front page of the corporate
website with a link to the blog
• Emailed letter of apology from CEO
• Replied to every customer email and blog posts
• Recorded new IVR message on support line with apology and explanation
to allay the fears of those calling in about the test email
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 15

16. How the Community Responded
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 16

17. Key Lessons
Expediency
Let the community know immediately there is a problem,
even when the exact issue has not been determined
Responsiveness
Provide regular updates on the progress of the issue, and
answer all individual comments and questions across all
channels
Transparency
Be as honest as possible about the issue: what went wrong,
how was it solved, and how will customers be affected?
Contriteness
Own up to the mistake and ask for forgiveness.
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 17

18. Crisis Communications #FTW
• Owning up and apologizing
• Answering questions
• Debunking rumors
• Issuing updates
• Being authentic
• Being responsive
• Maximizing number of communications
channels
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 18

19. Crisis Communications #Fail
• Not acknowledging your mistake
• Ignoring conversations
• Waiting to respond
• Being dishonest
• Speaking in corporate speak
• Reacting negatively
• Relying on only one or a few
communication platforms
• Deleting customer/community comments
© 2011 Boingo Wireless, Inc. Page 19

20. your name | your title
boingo wireless | 10960 wilshire blvd., suite 800 | los angeles, ca 90024
your phone number | your email address@boingo.com