By now we have all heard plenty regarding Toyota’s problems, the huge recall and production shut down. This has to be the biggest PR crisis in the industry since the Ford-Firestone problems nearly a decade ago. We have seen the Twitter and blog chatter and it is ugly.
Toyota shares have tumbled nine percent on the New York Stock Exchange. Rental car companies are pulling Toyotas from their fleets. Competitors are acting fast to gain share amongst the situation. Another round of recalls in Europe is announced. And then, Toyota announces to stop production of eight of its 10 best-selling models in North America. Seems an extreme course of action considering their current financial woes.
I am guessing Toyota isn’t concerned about short-term financial impact as much as they are long term customer trust and loyalty. Shutting down production was a necessary step to reassure frantic consumers. The company has spent 30 years building its’ reputation for quality and the company has acted accordingly; a strong message to send to your customers.
Visit the Toyota USA Twitter page and you will find an automaker with 14,000 followers, also following 13,000 other people. What’s more, is that they are posting updates about the recall situation every 30 minutes. Honest effort to communicate on their part considering they have been proactive using Twitter as a communication tool for some time to build that type of following. And they aren’t just using Twitter as a tool to share their own information, they are commenting on their followers questions as well. More info can be found on their YouTube channel, Web Site and Press Room.
So why can we continue to trust Toyota? Trust is all about doing the right thing and then communicating that you are doing the right thing. For me, I’ll take our Tundra in for the recall. Come spring, I’m still planning on trading in my Chrysler for Toyota number two.
Author – Jess Held
www.lessingflynn.com
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