It’s been a rough week-plus for companies affected by a faulty update from a cybersecurity company used by organizations around the world — none more so than customer-facing companies like airlines, including Delta Air Lines.

The malfunctioning update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike that began on July 19 resulted in thousands of canceled Delta flights last week, more than any other airline affected by the technology outage. Delta apologized Wednesday and said it would cover the cost of alternative travel for affected covers. It also offered meal vouchers, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations where available.

The CrowdStrike crisis so severely impacted Delta’s operations that the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would investigate Delta’s response to the outage, which the department said affected more than half a million of the airline’s passengers.

The event reminds us that a crisis can happen at any instant. One post, one glitch, or one misconstrued comment can set things awry, and in the age of social media and cancel culture, it’s more important than ever to be prepared when it comes to managing a crisis.

So, what lessons can companies learn from something like the CrowdStrike outage? Two communications experts shared their insights with Women Leading Travel & Hospitality on steps organizations can take to ensure there’s minimal backlash and that they’re effectively communicating with their customers.

Be Transparent and Consistent

“You always want to be out in front of any crisis,” said Denise Graziano, a strategic advisor and expert in organizational communication and change. “You can’t make one statement and walk away. If it’s an ongoing problem, you have to keep giving updates.”

Graziano noted that frequent updates in times of crisis are extremely important to keep a company’s credibility intact. The key is to own any mistake and provide a remedy as soon as possible, or at least provide some sense that a remedy is coming and you’re doing everything you can to get there.

Communicate Quickly 

The speed at which companies must communicate with their customers during a crisis is almost instantaneous — the longer a company waits to put out a statement and share information, the quicker customers will fill in the blanks with rumors and their own disgruntled opinions, said Gail Borden, president of Benchmark Communications.

“When it comes to communications, we say, ‘Fill the void.’ If you don’t fill the void, someone else will. In the case of Delta, unhappy customers filled the void,” Borden said.

Own the Fault and Apologize

Borden said when a crisis happens, companies are often quick to condemn a vendor or push the blame onto a peripheral organization that contributed to the situation. They’re also slow to apologize, fearing liability without factoring in the public’s emotions and perceptions.

While other organizations quickly recovered from the CrowdStrike outage, the disruption required Delta to perform a manual fix on each of its computer systems that ensures each flight has a full crew, experts told ABC News.

The oil giant BP, for instance, blamed multiple entities — including a rig owner and a company working on the well — for the largest oil spill in U.S. history 14 years ago. A judge later ruled that BP was at least two-thirds responsible for the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Don’t blame,” Borden said. “There’s a time to say, ‘The buck stops here.'”

Companies that apologize and empathize early come out much better and are viewed as more trustworthy and transparent, Borden said. The Maple Leaf Foods 2008 tragedy, where a foodborne illness spread in one of its prepared meats facilities and resulted in 23 deaths, is an example Borden shared of a company that did it right: Borden said the CEO quickly addressed the issue, provided live updates to the media, reiterating how unacceptable and sad the situation was, and apologized. Multiple reports in the years following the incident showed that after the CEO’s apology and repeated acknowledgements of the situation and the company’s role in the outbreak, media coverage was more sympathetic toward both the CEO and Maple Leaf Foods.

“It takes a boldness to do that,” Borden said.

Acknowledge the Human Experience

Above all, affected customers want to know they’re being heard and that their experience matters, Borden said. Being human and showing empathy is crucial to winning public trust.

“When you accept the other person’s reality, everything becomes easier,” said Borden. “When you resent the other person’s reality, everything becomes harder. Resistance meets resistance. If you resist the public’s reality — in this case, the customer — then you’re going to get resistance back.”

Borden said it’s more important to lean into the emotional side of the issue than the technical side. She’s seen a lot of companies address the technical issues in a crisis, but not the human experience.

“If you’ve got all these people who have had their vacations ruined, they can’t get home — not just for hours but for days — and are incurring expenses, you better prioritize that as the biggest piece of the human experience,” Borden advised.

Graziano said a good apology is honest, humble, transparent, and stated in such a way that the company understands the pain it caused.

“You really want to speak to what this did to the customer and why [the company is] so sorry,” she said.

Share the Solution

Graziano said any good crisis communications plan will include the steps companies are taking to remedy the situation and ensure it doesn’t happen again. “They want some sort of remedy or solution that makes them feel like they’re a little bit more whole,” she said.

What if, especially at the beginning of the crisis, the solution is yet unknown? Graziano said there’s power in saying, “I don’t know, but we’re going to get you answers by such and such time for an update.” It’s about having the courage to say “I don’t know” instead of sharing something that’s not factual or not saying anything at all.

Train Your Front Line in Crisis Response

Of course, you can’t plan for everything. Both experts said it was important to equip front-line employees with the tools necessary to address affected customers during a crisis. Graziano suggested front-line employees be provided with language to use so customers feel heard, as well as trained on how to handle difficult, irate customers.

Borden said front-line associates are often the ones making a lasting impression on the customer and it’s not enough to have communications only coming from leadership.

“You could have the greatest spokesperson or leader in the world, but it’s that boots-on-the-ground human interface that’s going to be what makes for a good communication experience,” she said.