Issues. We all have them. It's how you deal with them that counts.

Issues. We all have them.

Recently, MyEmma, an email marketing service that I blogged about in the past, had a security breach…a deliberate attack on MyEmma’s account holders (and their contacts) in a specific geographic area. This type of issue could be disastrous for many companies.

What matters is how you deal with the issues.

I have a great deal of respect for how MyEmma dealt with this problem. I wanted to share this with you because I believe they’re essential issue resolution tools for any business.

1. They were proactive. The first I heard about the problem was from MyEmma. This is such an important point. Too often, companies deal with issue resolution when they have to – and that’s usually when their customers or the general public are demanding answers. MyEmma notified each of their customers about the security breach by email, even those who weren’t affected. Hearing about it from the service provider builds trust. It tells customers that ‘we want you to hear about this from us because we care about you’.

Dealing with an issue quickly does not happen by luck. It requires a great deal of forethought. It’s important for any business to discuss potential business risks and develop processes for how those risks should be mitigated.

Does your business have a risk mitigation process?

2. They made it easy for customers to get more information. They used their blog to provide customers with updated information about the situation. This was a great tool for a few reasons: 1) It’s easy to update with the latest developments, 2) Customers can choose to subscribe to the blog so they are updated by RSS or email and 3) They have a running archive of developments so customers can see how the issue has progressed over time.

3. They took responsibility. There was no pointing of fingers, there was no diminishing their part of the crisis. They took responsibility for the issue.

4. They provided solution proof. Not only did they outline how the issue was resolved, but they hired external experts to validate the solution.

5. They were clear. Ambiguity when trying to resolve an issue only creates tension, anxiety and mistrust. I love the way that MyEmma organized their blog post about the issue. They segmented the post into two categories: 1) What Happened? and 2) Was it fixed? These are the same two questions that most people will ask in a crisis. They were clear and succinct with their answers.

6. They made it easy for customers to get more information. Yup, I’ve repeated this point. In addition to the blog, MyEmma also extended their help desk hours to accommodate customer questions.

7. They listened to the community. They invited comments on their blog, made comments transparent and used comments as an additional tool to provide their customers with additional answers.

What tactics has your company used, that worked, to resolved an issue?