Miranda McArdle

Social Media Crisis & Strategic Communications

Style Exchange Boutique: Crisis Communication Plan

February 8, 2021

Introducing Style Exchange Boutique

Style Exchange Boutique is an upscale, resale boutique located in Brentwood, PA. This
small business carries new and slightly used designer handbags, special occasion dresses/gowns,
and also popular brand casual clothing. Everything is priced at a fraction of the retail price, for
those who love the brands but hate the high prices. Style Exchange is a consignment boutique, so
there are new things going in and out each day. Each consignor signs a 90 day, renewable
consignment agreement when bringing in their items. Anything priced over $100 is a 50/50 split
once the item sells. Anything priced under $100 is a 60/40 split once the item sells.

Key Audiences

Boutique owner: The owner runs the show, and any crisis that may occur falls back on them at
the end of the day. They need to be informed of all the small details in order to get everything in
order to address a crisis.

Employees: Employees need to know almost just as much as the owner in any crisis. This
prevents making matters worse, with having an uninformed team. They represent the brand just
as much as the owner, and they need to be prepared to answer the hard questions, and how they
should be answering the hard questions. Employees also have the right to ask questions too.

Landlord: Your landlord will likely have questions if a crisis happens regarding the building. If
you are at fault, one on one communication needs to happen being you are in their building. You
do not want to give someone any reason to no longer rent to you, leaving you and your business
stuck with nowhere to go.

Vendors: Anyone who is selling their merchandise for their own profit are trusting you to sell
their product and take care of it. They are essentially a small business partner internally, and you
do not want to lose other small business connections and reliability.
Consignors: All boutique consignors do not need to be involved in every crisis. They should only
be involved if it directly has to do with them and their items that are in the store. If this is the
case, they need to be reached out to directly. If it is a large issue that involves many consignors, a
statement will likely need to be made on social media.

Customers: Customers are different than consignors. Customers are people who only shop in
your store. There are multiple different types of crises that would involve customers. Customer
crises often result in speaking with them one on one during a single crises. If something along
the lines of a huge customer scandal occurred, then social media would be the best place to
release a statement as a small business.

Potential Crisis Scenario’s

1. Contract Agreement: People often sign contracts without reading what they are signing.
This leads to confusion and conflict later on. Things could happen like a person wanting
to retrieve their item(s) that are well over the dates of their signed agreement. Per
contract, their items then become property of the boutique, where prices can be lowered
and things can be donated. It is not the boutiques responsibility to inform you of when
your dates are up, and consignors who do not read do not understand how the process
works. Let’s say the consignor causes a scene in the store, and leaves a negative review
both online and on social media. This needs to be addressed in order to protect the
reputation of the boutique.
2. Online Malfunction: Everything on the Style Exchange website is individually added to
the website by the staff. What happens if the online Shopify crashes or malfunctions
completely, wiping everything out? Not only will the website be empty, but there will no
longer be access to new or existing online orders. How are you going to contact those
who are waiting for their orders when their information is no longer available?
3. Building Flooding: It is known to the owner, landlord, and employee’s that there is a
plumbing issue in the building. Water has risen from the drain multiple times, but was
caught in time to avoid damage to the merchandise. It is always a possibility that this
could happen when no one is there, causing severe damage to the gowns that are
primarily from consignors. If the dresses are damaged beyond repair, the consignors
 would need to be compensated to some degree for the loss of their gown on the
boutique’s behalf.
4. Organizational Crisis: With everything being added and taken off of the website
individually, things are bound to slip through the cracks. For example, if someone places
an online order for something that is no longer available, but has not been taken off the
website yet. An apology will need to be issued right away for the wrongdoing, along with
how you will make it up to them.
5. Staff Social Media Crisis: The staff represents the business 24/7, especially with small
businesses where the staff is more known. Let’s say someone new has been hired, and
have been working for a few months now doing great. She’s posting/commenting
offensive or racist things on her personal social media without our knowledge, and people
who shop at the boutique see it. They begin to make comments on Style Exchange’s
social media pages about how their store supports racists, and no one should shop there
anymore. Action needs to be made quickly and correctly to resolve the crisis and avoid
the stores reputation from being tainted.

Crisis Communications Team

This response team is crucial for any crisis. Only a level 3 or 4 crisis will result in needing to
bring the entire team together, but you should always be prepared just in case. For most crises,
certain team members will not need to be contacted. This teams responsibility is to assess every
crisis situation, keep the key audience informed, go over the situation and how it was handled
after it has been resolved, discuss how to prevent this from happening in the future, and
determine how you would better handle the crisis if it happened again.

Owner- The owner is the “face” of a small business, and any crisis that needs addressed on a
larger scale should be addressed by them. People feel like things are actually being taken
seriously if it is being addressed by the owner themselves. The owner will also need to determine
if the situation is an emergency, what actions are needed, and they need to oversee everything
before action takes place.

Contact: 412-881-1171 (boutique) 412-537-6470 (cell)

Staff- General staff need to be able to adapt during a crisis and handle things they normally
wouldn’t have to. This includes being prepared to answer difficult questions, and knowing how
and when to avoid certain questions. The customer service skills need to be top notch when
handling a crisis, as well as after the crisis had died out to avoid any further negativity regarding
the public.

I.T.- The I.T. manager needs to be involved during any crisis involving the official website or
Shopify. This includes smaller crises such as broken categories and specific tags in website
listings. As well as the larger crises such as a complete crash, an outdated website purchase, and
if there were ever a case that required a mass refund among online shoppers.

Landlord- The landlord is essential to be involved in any crisis in the form of a natural disaster or
building related issue. They need to be the first call and should always be available to answer a
call. Crises could happen at any time that is out of the owners control, and only the landlord can
resolve. A flooding from a known, unresolved plumbing issue that damaged merchandise would
fall under the responsibility of the landlord.

Boutique Accountant/Financial Advisor: The boutique accountant needs to be involved in any

financial crisis before any decisions are made. Even if the financial crisis is small and can be
handled without them, they should still be contacted so you are correctly advised in your
decision making.

PR- The PR professional will work directly with the owner to oversee the crisis communication
plan. They will also gather necessary information, and help with things like holding statements to
address the audience.

Social Media Manager- The social media manager will monitor all social media platforms,
provide online community insights, and work on drafting the messaging for social media. They
are beneficial help to the PR professional being they can give reports as to what is being said on
social media.

Legal Advisor- In the case that there is risk of being sued, or the boutique needs to take legal
action against someone in any given situation, your legal advisor needs to be put on speed dial.
Whether it involves the landlord or a customer, if the crisis is as big as a legal issue, the entire
team will need to come together to discuss. The legal advisor will play the most important role
here.
Key Communications Resources and Tools

While this small business does not have an official statement of company communications
policies or official social media posting policies, they still do have guidelines that each employee
is expected to know and follow. This includes the boutiques social media voice. The voice is a
mix of professional and fun, and most importantly informative and outgoing! It is important that
the followers feel a personal aspect when scrolling. It will not work out if an employee posting
makes things very dry, and not personal.

Template for Website Statement-

WEBSITE/HOLDING STATEMENT
Date

Contact: Person
Boutique Phone #
Owner Cell #
Email
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Incident/Crisis

Style Exchange Boutique has been made aware of… We have been working internally to
resolve this issue…

Here, provide as much information as you can. This includes where, when, why, who, what,
and how. Be sure not to share too much that could hurt the boutique.

Here, provide a statement from the boutique owner. This could include further explanation,
but ultimately, lets the public know that this is being handled seriously.

Here, let the public know what is being done to resolve the issue. Who will be affected? Is
there anything consignors need to do? What is your game plan?

Here, let people know where they can go for further information. Is it your website? Is it
your social media? You will want people to be informed of where to go next.
Communications Tools-

• Website: Merchandise, new arrivals, general boutique information

• Social Media: Posting merchandise, interacting with followers
• Email: Style Exchange has a database of each consignors emails, that can be used on a
mass scale if needed.
• Newsletters: Being a small business, this would only be needed in the most severe of
cases if a crisis were to go viral.

Access-

• Website: Website designer or Shopify

o Shopify Login: Username (Style Exchange Boutique) Password (**********)
• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
o Instagram & Facebook: Username (@styleexchangeboutique) Password
(*********)
o TikTok: Username (@styleexchangeboutique) Password (****************)

Fact Sheet/Policies-

• Consignment Splits
o Under $100, 60/40
o Over $100, 50/50
o Over $500, pre-set reserve
o Consignors are not paid until the items sell.
• Consignment Period
o All consignments are 90 days
o On the contract, consignors will receive a set of dates with a week timespan.
During that week, they will have to come into the boutique to either extend their
dates, or retrieve their items. If they let their dates lapse over two weeks past their
dates, their items will them become property of the boutique, where prices can be
dropped and items can be donated.
 • How pricing works
o All items are researched, and priced accordingly based on their current retail
price. Items are then priced at about 50% off the retail price.
o It is important to note that prices drop over the years, and what someone may
have bought a purse for a few years ago, may not be the current retail price.
• Additional Policies
o There is a $20 consignment fee taken from the first check. This fee is only taken
out once.
o If a consignor is far out of dates, we continue to sell their items for them, for store
credit until the end of the year.
o If a consignor wishes to pick up any items before the end of their consignment
period, there is a 10% fee for each item.
o Consignors have to be at least 18 years old.
o All sales are final, due to the consignors split going directly into their account
after a sale.
o If a consignor chooses to use their earning on items from the boutique, they get an
additional 15%.
o It is the consignors job to check on their account if they choose. We do not call
each consignor after each sale. We recommend calling at least once a month.

Notification Systems-

• Social Media
• Website Orders
• Private Messages
• Emails
• Voicemails
• Google Reviews

Communicating with Internal Audiences-

The main internal audience for a small business is your staff/team. The best form of
communication with your team could be phone calls, video calls, staff meetings, and email.
Key Contact Lists & Standard Form of Documentation

Key Staff Members-

Dana (Owner): 412-537-6470

Miranda (Employee/Social Media): 412-680-1125
Laura (Employee): 412-***-****
Sabrina (I.T.): 412-***-****
Joe (Landlord): 412-***-****
Mike (Accountant): 412-***-****
Legal Advisor: 412-***-****

Usernames/Passwords-

Computer Access

Password: 1171

Website/Shopify

Username: Style Exchange Boutique Password: *********

Instagram/Facebook

Username: @styleexchangeboutique Password: *********

TikTok

Username: @styleexchangeboutique Password: ******************

List of Service Providers-

• Comcast (Phone & internet)

• Lenovo (Computer systems)
• Access Direct (Messaging system)
• Liberty Consignment (Consignment software)
• Shopify (Online shopping)

All Social Media Handles- @styleexchangeboutique

Local Officials-

Brentwood Police Department: (412)-884-2600

Brentwood Fire Department: (412)-884-1433

Brentwood Municipal Main Offices: (412)-884-1500

Standard Forms-

Media Call Logging Form

Message for: Dana (owner)/Style Exchange Boutique

Date/Time of call:

Caller name + station/paper working for:

Call back phone number:

Return call by:

Question(s) asked:

Who responded/called back?:

Date/Time of call back:

Summary of response:

Further action needed?:

Media Response Policies and Procedures

Template for Immediate Holding Statement-

HOLDING STATEMENT
Date
Contact: Person
Boutique Phone #
Owner Cell #
Email
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Incident/Crisis

Style Exchange Boutique has been made aware of… We have been working internally to
resolve this issue…

Here, provide as much information as you can. This includes where, when, why, who, what,
and how. Be sure not to share too much that could hurt the boutique.

Here, provide a statement from the boutique owner. This could include further explanation,
but ultimately, lets the public know that this is being handled seriously.

Here, let the public know what is being done to resolve the issue. Who will be affected? Is
there anything consignors need to do? What is your game plan?

Here, let people know where they can go for further information. Is it your website? Is it
your social media? You will want people to be informed of where to go next.

Press Release:

Contact Information:

Style Exchange Boutique

Dana Mazzarini

412-881-1171

styleexchangeboutique@gmail.com

Release Date:
(Date)

PRESS RELEASE

Style Exchange Boutique

{BRENTWOOD, PA Month Date}- Grab readers attention, and briefly state the crisis in which
you will be speaking about. Ex: Style Exchange Boutique has announced that a portion of
inventory has been damaged due to the unexpected flood…

State important information, such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. Include most
important and beneficial information. Ex: The flood happened only in the back of the store,
causing damage to a number gowns, as well as some casual clothing…(plus additional
information)

Include any quotes if necessary. These quotes should be a statement from the owner, and
possibly the landlord if there was a crisis from a building related issue.

Call to Action: What is being done about this crisis? Where can people find more information?
What are you able to tell them right now? Ex: How can people know if their merchandise was
ruined because of the flood? You can state that you have already contacted any consignor
affected, or will be individually contacting these people very soon.

Social Media Template-

A few rules to go by:

• Respond in a timely manner

• Apologize and take accountability when needed
• Do not argue
• Address the issue
• Address the most frequent questions after monitoring social media

General Response Template…

Style Exchange is saddened by what has occurred, and we are staying on top of this to avoid any
further _______. (Option depending on crisis): What happened was very unexpected. (Option
depending on crisis): We value our consignors and customers, and always aim to make you feel
satisfied and understanding of our services. (Options depending on crisis): We are in contact
with those affected, and will continue to remain transparent with each and every one of our
valued customers. (Option depending on crisis): We are looking into our current policies, to
ensure that each sentence is well understood by our consignors in the future.

Each potential crisis will come with different types of responses. If the boutique is at fault, you
will likely take more accountability and explain how you will do better. If it is a customer who is
at fault, but the crisis went viral, you will likely explain where you are coming from and why it
was handled in the way it was. No matter the crisis, the response should never be rude or have an
attitude behind it. If someone needs corrected, the voice in which the response is written should
be informative rather in a way in which it can be taken that you are speaking down on someone.

Online Media Room-

This will be a separate section, added to the official website. This includes:

• A copy of each new press release and holding statement, such as the ones above.
• Fact sheets, or common question and answers regarding the particular crisis.
Ex: Q- How do I know if my gowns were damaged in the flood? A- Each consignor
whose gown(s) were damaged have been notified. If you have not been notified, your
merchandise is safe and not damaged.
Q- I placed an online order before the website went down, should I be expecting my
order or will I be refunded? A- We are currently working to retrieve our online system
merchandise as well as existing online orders. Our top priority is getting your order to
you. Please contact the boutique for assistance from an employee, who can work with
you on confirming your order and proceeding to have it shipped.
• Links to websites and news articles with more accurate information and statements from
the boutique. This could include a news video from KDKA, where many questions and
concerns were addressed.
• Provided links to all social media platforms.
 • If the crisis is flood related, or a natural disaster, photos may be included to allow the
public to get an inside look.
• Immediate contact information…
o Business Hours Contact: 412-881-1171
o Outside of business hours: 412-***-****
o All hours email: styleexchangeboutique@gmail.com
• Blog posts may be included for daily or even hourly updates depending on the crisis. If it
is ongoing, the public can go to this blog section to read the newest updates.

Who can speak with the media/Spokespeople?-

Either the owner, or PR representative spokesperson. This depends on the severity of the crisis. If
legal issues are involved, it would be best to have a representative professional who handles
speaking to the media. If the crisis is more minimal to moderate, people will want to hear from
the owner herself. No matter the crisis, there should be one consistent spokesperson who speaks
on the boutique’s behalf.

Spokesperson 24/7 Contact:

• 412-***-****
• Example: spokesperson@gmail.com

Scripted response examples for key audiences-

Staff: “As you all may have heard, (state what happened). We are going to need the entire team
to come together to manage this and make sure we are all prepared to answer the questions from
customers. Please come forward with any questions or concerns that you may have. A team
meeting is going to take place to bring everyone up to speed with what is currently happening,
and the type of response we are expecting from (consignors, public, customers, reporters, etc.)If
you are uncomfortable answering these tough questions from customers, just let us know and we
can make sure that only a select few are qualified to give out information.”

Landlord: “Hello Joe. We are reaching out to inform you of a severe situation that has occurred
here at the boutique. Earlier today, we came in to find (explain what happened… this could be a
flood). With this being a building related issue, we are going to need you to come in ASAP to
come up with a solution in order for us to go back to business as soon as possible.”

Vendors: “ (Name), we are reaching out to you with very upsetting news. (Explain what
happened… the vendors merchandise could have been stolen, or even damaged due to a
disaster.) We want to work with you one on one to come up with the best solution that will
resolve this for the both of us and our business relationship. It is a top priority to continue our
business relationship, and we hope some of our solutions will satisfy your needs.”

Consignors: “To our loyal consignors. We have always promised transparency, as well as having
your best interest in mind. With that being said, we would like to address some talk that has been
circulating regarding (state the crisis that happened). This is being handled very seriously, and
not at all being swept under the rug. (State your solutions to the crisis here). If you have any
questions or concerns, give us a call at 412-881-1171, where we will be happy to discuss further.

Customers: “To our customers, new and old, we would like to address recent circumstances that
have come with many questions. (State what happened). (State how this crisis is being resolved).
We are always open to hearing feedback, especially given recent circumstances. For any
questions, concerns, or feedback of any kind, please give us a call at 412-881-1171.

Monitoring and Tracking

Media Monitoring-

Follow media coverage from local or even national stations including…

• KDKA
• WPXI
• WTAE
• WPGH

National (more likely is a level 4 crisis for a small business)

• CBS
• ABC
• NBC
 • FOX

Etc…

Social Media Monitoring-

Monitor what people are saying regarding the crisis on all social media platforms, including ones
that the boutique may not even have an account on…

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Google+
• LinkedIn

These will need to be closely monitored manually, and also using key words through a separate
tracking system.

Tracking System-

The most useful tracking system during a crisis would have to be Hootsuite. On Hootsuite, you
can track the media by…

• Getting real-time updates regarding the status of the crisis.

• Getting updates on positive and negative comments.
• Using key words regarding the boutique and crisis to see everything being talked about
across all media. These key words can include…
o Style Exchange/ Style Exchange Boutique
o Dana
o Consignment/ Pittsburgh Consignment
o Flood, fire, contract, website order, racism, Brentwood, consignor, etc. (any key
words describing the type of crisis)
Follow Up

After following the crisis communication plan, what went right and what went wrong? This will
help to see what should be done differently, if this were to happen again in the future. List
below…

Right: _________________________________________________________________

Wrong: ________________________________________________________________

Maybe the key audience didn’t take your apology or accountability well. Or maybe you were
in the right, but people already had a bad taste in their mouth from how it was addressed.

Or maybe the crisis was undoubtedly your fault, but through correct communication, it did
not blow up because it was resolved correctly before it had the chance to.

These important details are important to document so it is easier in the future, to already
know the best route to take. If your apology/statement was not taken well, even after the crisis is
over you should consider re-working the response to compare the difference and update your
plan.

Post Crisis-

How will you show your audiences that you have compassion and are not just forgetting about
the crisis now that it is over? Some examples include…

• Evaluating wording of policies to avoid further confusion

• Investing in updating the online experience
• Doing background checks on all employee’s
• Discounts or applied credit for those who were directly affected by the crisis
• Special training for employee’s if there is a racial bias situation
• Maybe even a period of closure to re-evaluate how the boutique is managed

When recovering from a crisis, it is like walking on egg shells. It is important to not only watch
what may still be said by the public, but also what you say in post in your life outside of the
boutique. Watch what you post on social media, and be careful what you say in the public. You
do not want to be heard talking about how ridiculous the crisis is in public, which can lead to it
being spread that Style Exchange doesn’t take things like this seriously.