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Crisis Response

Owner: Owner + Marketing Lead
Purpose: Preserve trust and reputation when mistakes or crises occur

Core Principles for Builders​

1. Respond Quickly, Thoughtfully​

Private issues: Reach out within 24 hours. Call first, follow up with email.
Public issues: Acknowledge within hours, provide full response within 24-48 hours.

Why it matters: Speed shows you care. Silence looks like avoidance.

2. Own the Mistake Completely​

Don't: Blame subcontractors, suppliers, weather, or the client.
Do: Take full accountability. "This is on us. Here's what happened and how we're fixing it."

Trust builder: Clients forgive honest mistakes. They don't forgive excuses.

3. Explain What Happened (Without Over-Explaining)​

Share: What went wrong, why it happened (briefly), what you're doing to fix it.
Skip: Lengthy technical justifications or defensive explanations.

Example: "We missed a detail in the permit process. We've corrected it and added a checklist to prevent this going forward."

4. Focus on the Solution​

Lead with: What you're doing to make it right.
Include: Timeline, who's handling it, what client can expect.

Outcome focus: Clients care more about resolution than root cause analysis.

5. Make It Right (Then Some)​

Go beyond: Fix the issue + add something extra to restore confidence.
Examples: Expedited timeline, upgraded material, extended warranty, discount on future work.

Relationship repair: Generosity after mistakes creates stronger loyalty than perfection.

6. Learn and Improve Publicly​

After resolution: Share what you learned and what changed in your process.
Shows: Commitment to continuous improvement, not just damage control.

Example: "This taught us to add a pre-pour inspection. We've updated our process for all future projects."

7. Keep Communication Human​

Avoid: Corporate PR speak, legal jargon, robotic apologies.
Use: Direct, honest, conversational language. Sound like yourself.

Bad: "We regret any inconvenience this may have caused."
Good: "We messed up. Here's how we're fixing it."

When to Go Public vs. Private​

Private response (call + email):

  • Individual client issues
  • Project-specific problems
  • Mistakes affecting one relationship

Public response (social media, blog, email list):

  • Negative reviews getting traction
  • Industry-wide issues affecting multiple clients
  • Public accusations or misinformation
  • Situations where transparency helps more than silence

Response Template Structure​

For private issues:

  1. Acknowledge the problem
  2. Apologize sincerely
  3. Explain what happened (briefly)
  4. Share your solution
  5. Provide timeline and next steps
  6. Offer direct contact for questions

For public issues:

  1. Acknowledge quickly
  2. State the facts
  3. Take responsibility
  4. Share your resolution
  5. Commit to improvement
  6. Invite private follow-up

Learn More​

Mistakes happen. How you handle them defines your reputation. Respond fast, own it completely, fix it generously.