Opinion: BC Ferries drowning in PR mistakes as customers lose patience
Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Rachel Thexton, who is the principal of public relations firm Thexton PR.
Over the years, factors such as financial woes, cancelled and delayed trips, and disputes with employees have plagued BC Ferries, the province’s largest ferry system. This mode of transportation is often the only way for travellers to get to their remote or Vancouver Island destination with their vehicle and without higher flight costs.
With a new CEO, who started in March, some may have hoped for a new beginning but recent service complications, mixed with poor communications, dashed that optimism quickly.
Along with labour disputes regarding wage hikes and a ship removed from service during the Canada Day long weekend, sailing delays throughout the summer intensified this week with the official BC Ferries website listing a nine-sailing wait on one of its most popular routes, the voyage from Vancouver’s Tsawwassen terminal, to Victoria.
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After travellers saw this alarming delay information, the company claimed that website problems were to blame and that waits were not that long, while directing people to the social media platform Twitter for the latest updates.
With customers confused, some stranded due to conflicting reports of sailing waits, and others unable to access information due to Twitter’s recent changes requiring one to have an account with the social network to access a company’s tweets, frustration ensued.
The most significant mistake that BC Ferries continued to make throughout this complication was poor communication.
Daily Hive, for example, sent multiple requests to the company, requesting information, and waited hours for a response. When it finally received a response, it was unapologetic and minimized the issue, a problem that resulted in chaos for many of BC Ferries’ customers.
Every company experiences technical, logistical, or other problematic issues at times. It’s how a company manages these issues that affect the brand’s reputation how customers feel about the company, and their value, or lack of, as a customer.
These are the communications blunders that resulted in PR, and customer service havoc for BC Ferries. I also highlight how the team could have minimized the frenzy of dissatisfaction with the company, one with an already vulnerable reputation.
Lack of instant communication with all stakeholders
When a potential crisis hits, (excessive misinformation on a travel website, resulting in unsatisfied and confused travelling customers has potential to develop into a crisis), an immediate response is vital.
BC Ferries needed to address media immediately with facts, answer their inquiries promptly, and post all information, as it developed, to all communications channels, including its website and all social media platforms.
Proactive outreach to media and digital news sites also should have been executed as the matter developed.
It’s common for BC residents to rely on local media and trusted websites for updates on developing issues like this. Email updates to travellers, when email addresses were available, would have been another way to proactively communicate information to travellers, showing personal consideration and care.
Selecting one primary communications channel for updates, that not all customers can access
Assuming that all customers are on Twitter, or even social media, is a mistake.
This ignores a demographic that does not use digital platforms or does not have access to Twitter due to recent policy changes.
Postings updates to Twitter, and other social platforms, is a good start, but only as part of the strategy. Selecting one social platform excludes a large group of travellers. Leveraging media and digital news reach, and its own company website, needed to be a top priority for the company when updating the public.
Minimizing the issues while customers experience problems that effect their travel
BC Ferries eventually released statements to the media with a tone and language that minimized the issues, implying that the problems were less disruptive than what a substantial number of customers experienced.
The company did not consider that many would have experienced serious inconveniences and complications due to what BC Ferries explained away with website difficulties, cooly claiming that most travellers boarded their ferry successfully while listing off stats to illustrate that the problem was not that problematic.
You cannot blame technology and dismiss the human element during a time of crisis.
There is the person who may have missed a special family event, a job interview, or an important medical appointment due to website complications and lack of communication.
A company should treat every customer as a VIP when it comes to clear communications and excellent customer service, with prompt and accurate information that considers the gravity of these kinds of issues, addressing them head-on.
Lack of accountability and no apology
As of 4 pm on Tuesday, July 25, the peak day of this travel confusion, there was no indication of BC Ferries taking accountability for what its customers were experiencing, or a genuine expression of empathy. There was also no public apology issued. This is PR 101. Ignoring what your customers are experiencing implies that the customer, nor their time or schedules, are valued by your organization.
BC Ferries could have prevented this issue from escalating to a crisis level if it had managed communications with care. Technical problems would have annoyed and inconvenienced customers, and it would have been a negative experience for the brand, but with authentic empathy, an apology, and thorough communications, with attention to detail, many customers likely would have understood.
BC Ferries’ motto is Connecting the Coast, but in this case, it was connection that was missing.
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