Bringing Order to Chaos

by Richard Rutigliano, PriMedia, Inc.

You need a plan, a message, and a communications strategy

With apologies to Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Bette Davis, lately I find myself leaning into a famous misquote: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” Mankiewicz’s brilliant script warned of a bumpy night, but in our current environment, the malapropism is more fitting.

As always, I pen this article in early February. You are reading this sometime in the latter half of March. In the four-to-six weeks between those two points, a lot could have happened. Right now, the business landscape is in chaos. The country is waiting to learn if proposed tariffs will be imposed on imported oil and gas; if the pause on tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico has held or not; the fate of relationships between the United States and friends and/or business partners in the Middle East; the status of the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Hamas and Israel; upheavals on the regulatory front; and so much more.

The answer to chaos is order. And the best way to create order for your business and your customers is to utilize your current open lines of communications.

1) Develop a plan.

Before you can create messaging to calm your customers, you need to understand what these variables will mean to your business and what your options may be. That will require frank discussions with your wholesalers and advisors.

From your wholesalers, you need to learn if they will be passing any additional costs on to you; how much of their supply comes from imported fuels, and how much from domestic product; and how secure their current and future supplies are. Do you have alternate suppliers who may be able to offer better rates for wet barrels?

From your business advisors, you will need a cost-benefit analysis of your options regarding retail pricing, and what changes you need to make in your price protection agreements for the coming year to reflect potential tariffs and surcharges.

At the same time, review your company’s assets and capabilities. Do you have a storage facility, and how much pre-tariff/pre-crisis-priced product do you have on hand? Are you able – or willing – to hold prices to pre-tariff levels to maintain your customer base – and for how long?

The right plan will be different for each company, but however you decide to manage these potential upheavals, you will have had all the necessary data when reviewing your options.

2) Develop your message.

Once you know how you will proceed, you will need to shape your company’s message. This should not be something slick or insincere. Your messaging will be the basis of your customer service representatives’ responses to accountholders, your technicians’ answers to questions from homeowners, and a future where your customers work with you.

This messaging should include a brief description of the issues the country is facing and how they affect your prices or supply. It should also outline your company’s strengths which could minimize the effect of the crisis – from independent storage facilities to pricing and supply contracts to relationships with wholesalers. Are you using a higher blend of domestic biodiesel in your heating oil that could mitigate any increases on the costs of imported fuels?

What about company discount programs? Many liquid fuel providers offer discounts for prompt payments and to senior citizens and current or retired members of the military. Others offer a break to first responders, or have special pricing offers for members of specific community organizations. If you offer these, remind your customers!

This information should be part of your overall messaging and consolidated into one easy-to-read talking points document. Review the document with your CSRs, techs, and drivers. Your marketing and communications materials will most likely highlight one point at a time, but your team needs to understand your positions fully.

3. Communicate!

I cannot emphasize this enough. The companies that best withstand times of crisis are those that keep the lines of communication open.

During the polar vortex a few years ago, prices were high and supplies were short. Service calls and deliveries were delayed. Some companies explained the issue to their customers, apologized for any inconvenience, promised to do their best to serve all, kept their CSRs working the phones as late as the drivers were on the roads, and made sure to get fuel to customers before tanks ran dry. Other companies turned off their phones and did not respond to emails or posts on their social media. Guess which ones continued to get rave reviews despite delays, and which had strings of 1-stars from angry customers. So, that would be the first line of communications – answer your phones and emails!

If it turns out that you will be forced to increase rates, do not surprise your customers! Add a note to your website and on your digital invoices, and include a reminder that the surcharge is due to policies beyond your control. If your trade association has a grassroots campaign to remind elected officials of the pain these policies create, ask your customers to sign on.

I am a strong believer in the power of digital communications. Whether you are updating Facebook or Instagram, putting a pop-up on your home page, or sending texts and emails, each action is another touchpoint in your relationship with your customers.

These platforms can be used effectively to control the chaos – positively. Your customers know the area is in the grips of a cold snap, have seen reports of tariffs or fuel shortages, and are feeling the inflationary pinches to their bank accounts. They need to know you are trying to protect their costs and their comfort.

Messages of “we’re working around the clock to get to you – please be patient” acknowledge delays while reinforcing your company’s dedication. “We’re in this together” is usually a successful tactic when talking about outside pressures and increasing prices. The most important part of your messaging, on your website and social posts as well as in texts, emails, and conversations with customers, is to recognize the customer’s difficulties and let them know you care.

Correctly, our industry makes a big deal about companies being “family-owned” and bringing customers “into the family.” Family works both ways. If you have been open with them during negative situations beyond your control, most customers will respect that transparency and return your trust.

Richard Rutigliano is President of PriMedia, Inc., an integrated marketing and communications firm specializing in the home energy sector. He can be reached at 516-222-2041 or rrutigliano@primediany.com.

Related Posts