A few weeks ago, Marriott announced a data breach had hit its Starwood brand reservations systems, putting the personal and financial information of up to 500 million guests from the last four years at risk.
Marriott is the just latest major company to be hit by a massive data breach in the last few years, joining the ranks of others such as Wells Fargo, Equifax, and Yahoo.
With millions of records exposed and customer mistrust at an all-time high, how does Marriott win back consumers? SVP Dale Weiss offers his advice to Marriott in the article, “Regaining Trust No Easy Task.”
While a swift and public apology is important, it’s less effective today since such mea culpas happen way too often, said Dale Weiss, senior vice president at crisis management firm CommCore Consulting Group.
More important, he said, is for organizations to continually communicate with all stakeholders, and to be ready to answer whatever difficult questions they have. “While this creates a natural tension between the lawyers and communicators, it demonstrates sincerity and commitment to change,” said Weiss.
… It’s not just the public a company such as Marriott needs to win back, it has to show regulators it is taking fast action to improve its operations and show it is fixing the problems that were exposed, said Weiss.
“Both are equally important,” said Weiss, who added costs to Marriott may top $1 billion before the breach issue is resolved. “Swift action will help convince regulators and lawmakers that the company is working to strengthen its cyber defenses. Shareholders need to see that management is doing everything necessary to maintain its business during this time.”