Crafting Proactive Customer Experience Strategies for Crises

I've been managing PR for the fastest-growing startups for over 12 years. 8 of the most valuable hacks we use for our clients (that you can use today): 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Regularly brainstorm potential brand vulnerabilities • Develop responsive strategies Mapping these out lets you act fast when challenges arise. Anticipation is your first line of defense. With it, you're not reactive. You're two steps ahead. 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 In today's digital world, perception shifts rapidly. Harness sentiment analysis tools to constantly monitor your brand's digital perception. The earlier you spot a shift, the quicker you can intervene. Real-time insights can save reputations. 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 A brand's voice can be its downfall or saving grace during crises. Train your founders, train your key staff. Implement media training focused on crisis communication. Prepared spokespeople control narratives — even in chaos. 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Society's sensitivities can change fast. Engage in social listening exercises to stay informed. • Understand the shifts • Identify potential pitfalls • Address areas of concern Don't fear cancel culture – move in harmony with societal changes. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Prioritize open, honest communication — especially during crises. • Admit errors and outline actionable steps • Release detailed, regular updates • Address rumors head-on Transparency fosters trust. It can mitigate potential backlash. 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 A PR Swiss Army Knife — your key to survival during crises. Maintain an updated set of: • Contacts • Pre-approved messages • Action plans for various scenarios When pressure mounts, this toolkit is your lifeline for well-executed crisis management. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘀 Mistakes happen. Design a framework for public apologies, ensuring they're: • Timely • Genuine • Appropriate A heartfelt apology can go a long way in damage control and brand rehabilitation. It elevates brand stature in the public eye. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 After any PR challenge, conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis: • Understand the issue • Refine your strategies • Strengthen defenses Past challenges hold valuable lessons. Use them to navigate future threats. Don't drop the ball. Enjoyed this? You’ll love my newsletter where I talk about strategic communication, crisis management and public affairs: https://lnkd.in/g8MF5-6g

Last week I talked to the VP of CX at a $5bn company who previously led CX at an org with a $53bn market cap. Massive, global brands. The ironic part? She looks to small, local companies for CX inspiration. Here's why: Because small, local companies have mastered human connection. Many of the companies we rely on today are huge, digital entities (like apps). There's no familiar face to associate with these brands. No genuine human-to-human connection. No chit chat or catching up just for the sake of it. But go to your local coffee shop, and those things are everywhere. So how can you try to replicate that experience for billion-dollar tech brands? You can't. It's just not possible to create so many 1:1 relationships with millions of customers. But here's what you can do to build relationships and delight customers better than 99% of massive, global brands: Embrace a PROACTIVE strategy in your approach to customer experience. Most CX teams operate like this: - notice customer behaviors that indicate dissatisfaction - wait (because that’s how they’ve been trained) - OR don’t do anything because they don’t have the right processes and tech in place - let the customer come to them with a complaint - try to defuse the situation and save face There’s a myriad of things wrong with this approach, and it gives our industry a bad rap. To win over customers time and time again - especially during moments of frustration - you have to instill proactivity based on behavioral data. Here’s what this looks like: - notice customer behaviors that indicate dissatisfaction - use behavioral data to learn the best to time to act - don’t wait - instead, reach out to the customer before they reach out to you - acknowledge the issue, apologize, and show empathy - explain what you and the company are doing about it All of this puts the fire out before it's even started and effectively manages customer expectations. And when it comes to CX in massive, global brands, that's equivalent to the human connection you find in your favorite local coffee shop. Soon enough customers won't come to you solely for your product. They'll come to you for the reliability, the rapport, the relationship. They'll come to you for the experience.

The best CX issues? The ones that never happen. Proactive CX isn’t about waiting for tickets—it’s about anticipating problems and solving them before they arise. It’s not just support. It’s strategy. At TUSHY - hellotushy.com, we built systems and a culture that made common issues disappear before they even surfaced— even during a 10,000+ ticket backlog and major supply chain breakdowns. Here’s the exact 4-step playbook we used to shift from reactive to proactive CX 👇 1. Build systems that prevent problems 💪 Proactive CX starts with data and visibility across the customer journey. We monitored: - NPS feedback - Return/refund reports - CSAT reviews These insights helped us identify root causes early and take action fast. For example: - Improved onboarding to reduce returns - Delivery transparency to cut “Where is my order?” tickets - Pre-purchase education to manage expectations 2. Train your team to think like strategists 🧠 We don’t hire “yes” people — we hire squeaky wheels. Our hiring process includes intentional flaws to see who flags them. 🚩 Training includes: - Product knowledge and plumbing basics - Customer communication skills - Shadowing senior agents We even named our onboarding teaching program the “TUSHY Ass-Room.” Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it works. 🍑 3. Use AI to enhance — not replace — the human touch ✨ AI helps us move faster without losing personalization. We use it to: - Draft replies from past macros and conversations - Mirror customer tone (even Shakespearean verse, if needed!) - Build internal reports and presentations in minutes But it’s never fire-and-forget — every agent tailors the response. AI supports. Humans lead. 💖 4. Turn CX into a revenue and retention engine 🤑 We track what really matters: - Repeat purchases as our north star - CSAT, imperfect but gives strong health check - First-response time across the team - Conversion rates tied to individual and team incentives And we go beyond support: - Live video install support - Proactive SMS and email flows - Campaigns that build trust before a single ticket is created Proactive CX doesn’t just reduce tickets — it drives loyalty, retention, and brand love. ❤️ We're not just aiming to sell a product; we're actively pushing and changing culture in North America.💦 It's a long play, and that relies on a long term strategy. TUSHY is 10 years old this year, I've been leading CX and building this playbook here for 5—and in many ways feels like we're just getting started! Are you building a support team that prevents problems — or just reacts to them?