What to do after a recall?

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So your business has been through a product recall… what to do next?

It sounds cynical but now that your business has been through one recall, it’s time to be prepared for another.

Being prepared allows you to:

  • Communicate quickly with your stakeholders
  • Maximise efficiency of the process
  • Minimise any potential brand damage
  • Maintain customer loyalty

The most crucial thing after a product recall has completed – evaluate it and plan for the next.

Key evaluation points

  • What went well?
  • What could have gone better?
  • Could it have been managed more effectively?
  • Were the correct people from each part of the business involved?
  • Was communication handled quickly and stakeholders kept up to date?
  • Were you hidden under a mountain of paperwork with various spreadsheets tracking response?

Asking these basic questions allows you to work out where your recall could have been managed better and therefore put in place processes to help manage a recall more efficiently going forward.

Lots of businesses may not want to plan for a product recall as they don’t want to think it will happen for them. However, planning is the safest option to guarantee that your business has the key processes in place and to ensure minimal negative brand impact from a product recall. Ensuring that you can communicate quickly and effectively with your customers is paramount to keep them up to date and show transparency in your brand.

Some key aspects which could be put in place for your next recall:

  • An internal recall task force
  • Dedicated recall CRM
  • Contingency communication plan
  • Social media monitoring

Putting these aspects in place allow you to act fast if you are faced with another recall. The correct people are then aware of the processes and can carry out the various tasks needed to ensure that the authorities and your customers have all of the information they need.

Our recent Harris Poll revealed that 63 percent of adults say a slow response time from a company to correct the recall and a refusal to acknowledge that there is a crisis would make them angry. A lack of communication from company to consumers during emergency situations can make or break the brand’s reputation, which means having the proper tools in place to act quickly is essential.

Find out more about how Marketpoint Recall can help you prepare for a product recall or crisis with our START package.