5 critical things SMRT failed to do for crisis management

Affecting more than 130,000 train passengers, last week’s 3 major MRT incidents over a period of 3 days has spurred public backlash. The recent wave of negative publicity that has surrounded SMRT is a lesson to larger organisations to ramp up their Crisis Management Strategies - if indeed they do have one.

So how could SMRT have managed this situation more effectively? Here we look at 5 measures that could have been easily implemented with just a little preparation.

1. React quickly, update often.
Taking 18 hours to respond to a situation that affects your customers is an absolute no-no. This is the time (pun intended) to be quick, accurate and consistent with your messaging.

Reacting quickly demonstrates that the issue is being addressed, even if there are no solutions or tactical measures put in place.

Your customers are looking to you to update them with what the latest changes are, and how it will play out in their daily lives.

Remember to present information clearly without using jargon or technical terms. Use basic English, as a lack of clarity gives people the sense that you’re either hiding something or purposely confusing them to do so.

2. Make your CEO visible.
The number one complaint journalists have in Singapore right now is that CEOs are not visible enough. Access to the CEO is more important than ever during times of crisis.

Consider conducting a “door-stop” interview, which will offer more reach to media (and in turn your customers) than a delayed press conference that provides answers way too long after the situation arises.

The CEO should also take this opportunity to announce their contingency plan.

3. Use Social Media tools… wisely.
How long does it take to set up a Twitter account? No more than 5 minutes, even if you’re not that familiar with the widely used social media tool.

Sadly, SMRT set up a Twitter account on Saturday morning, 3 days after the first incident. In addition, when it was first launched the profile read “The official Twitter channel of SMRT. We’re here, 9am-6pm, Mon-Fri (excl public holidays)”

Perhaps someone forgot to tell SMRT that Twitter doesn’t sleep. To prove the point, SMRT was the 5th-highest trending topic globally by 1pm Saturday afternoon.

Fortunately, it has been since revised and the time and date availability has been removed.

Here are some organisations that don’t have Twitter accounts established as yet. Are they also waiting for a crisis to happen?

- SBS Transit
- Comfort Delgro
- M1

The minor exception being SingTel, which has 1,200 followers but ZERO tweets.

As if that wasn’t enough, an SMRT parody Facebook page was set up during the disruptions. Unfortunately for SMRT, the fan page creator has been posting fake feedback and responses to posts, confusing many Facebook users.

Solution: Report the page to Facebook, have it removed and ensure your official page becomes the best available source of information.

4. Set up a helpline

Not everyone has access to the Internet and Social Media platforms. Especially the elderly and the less fortunate.

A helpline phone number, published in the daily newspapers, is an essential alternative to help keep customers informed.

Not only does this personalise the situation, but also it gives SMRT employees the opportunity to apologise to customers and generate feedback.

In addition, the feedback data should be reviewed to help with future crisis management planning.

5. Have a compensation plan ready

Beyond all the abovementioned measures, is this last measure feasible? In the case of SMRT I certainly think so.

To offer a recent example, Metro Trains Melbourne provided a day of free rail travel (on a weekday) after a major breakdown of services impacted 400,000 commuters. This was announced within 12 hours of the incident occurring and was implemented that week.

I have no doubt a “Free Ride Friday” would go some way to assuage the anger of SMRT customers.

What are your thoughts?

Marina Mathews, Managing Director, Chrysler Communications

Read related article here: Why you wouldn't want to be SMRT's CEO right now?