If you are one of the many people who has turned to online supermarket shopping, you may have endured a frustrating weekend.
The Tesco website and app went down on Saturday (23/10), leaving shoppers unable to buy groceries online at the country’s biggest supermarket.
And it didn’t return until late Sunday evening – almost 48 hours later.
So, how did the supermarket manage this crisis media management incident?
Communication
Well, what stood out for me was a lack of communication.
The issue was first acknowledged by Tesco, through its social media accounts, on Saturday morning.
But there was no further communication on Twitter until after 6pm on Sunday.
We’re still experiencing disruption with our groceries website and app.
— Tesco (@Tesco) October 24, 2021
We’re working hard to get things back to normal, and we're really sorry for the inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/vzWmlXIV7t
And there was then another gap until just before midnight.
Three updates across such a long outage seem insufficient and it seems, from what people have said on social media, there was little direct communication to customers. On our crisis communication training courses, we stress organisations must communicate frequently when something goes badly wrong.
You can’t over-communicate in these situations. And there is no harm in repeating your message.
So, for Tesco, it could have been as simple as stating that it was still experiencing issues and outlining the latest steps it was taking to resolve the situation.
Going quiet creates space for rumour, uncertainty, frustration and guesswork.
@Tesco Hi Tesco your grocery app and website for ordering is still down for nearly 2 days now. What is the actual reason. Why no communication? Have your systems been hacked?
— Justin Sandy (@JustinSandy13) October 24, 2021
Where are the updates Tesco. This is appalling communication!
— Jo Barker (@stargatejo) October 23, 2021
Being a customer of Tesco for many years, I am astonished about the lack of communication. Just tell us if it’s a hack or IT issue. Are my details safe? If no thorough update is given today, goodbye Tesco, hello Asda/Morrisons/Sainsburys. https://t.co/a0DcKULO9b
— Michael Charlesworth (@MCharlesworth19) October 24, 2021
Disconnect
Another issue was the apparent disconnect between what the supermarket was saying on social media and the information it was providing to journalists.
Tesco initially said the problem was caused by “an issue” and it did not elaborate on that on social media.
But it told the media on Sunday that it had crashed because there were attempts “to interfere with our systems.”
It said: "Since yesterday, we've been experiencing disruption to our online grocery website and app.
"An attempt was made to interfere with our systems which has caused problems with the search function on the site. We're working hard to fully restore all services and apologise for the inconvenience."
Why not also post the information on social media? All customers would surely want to see this information, not just those keeping an eye on the news.
And why not use the word “hack” if that is what you believe it to be? Talking about “interfering” instead could be seen as an attempt to play down what had happened.
Whatever term you use, customers would have been concerned about their data.
Saying "There is no reason to believe that this issue impacts customer data,” is not definite and leaves plenty of room for doubt.
Understandably, many people would still fear the worst. So, where was the additional information to tell them what they should look out for and what they should do if they noticed anything suspicious?
A question-and-answer page on its website – linked from its social media accounts – would have helped ease these concerns.
Sorry
Yes, this is something we have mentioned before in our crisis communication training blogs.
But, if you are going to say sorry, it needs to feel like you mean it.
Tesco fell back on the cliché “we apologise for any inconvenience” and “we’re really sorry for the inconvenience”.
We're experiencing an issue with our website and app and are working hard to get things back up and running. We apologise for any inconvenience.
— Tesco (@Tesco) October 23, 2021
That feels like an apology written on autopilot rather than something genuine and authentic.
Organisations should avoid using “if” and “for any” in their apologies. If it is clear customers have encountered significant problems, these phrases only serve as attempts to play down the significance of what has happened.
On our crisis communication courses, we tell delegates to adopt a human tone to ensure apologies sound sincere.
Ditch the corporate language and make it sound like there is a person behind it rather than a collection of lawyers and advisers.
We know that Tesco can communicate well. It received plenty of praise for its adverts earlier in the year, urging customers to support their local pub.
Great ad from @Tesco#supportlocal /@bryanroberts72 pic.twitter.com/4dDryhog88
— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) April 12, 2021
But good communication should not be reserved for when you have something positive to say.
Spokesperson
Tesco receives 1.3m online orders every week. It has 6.6 million app users.
And we are all aware of how dependent people have become on online shopping during the past 18 months. Tesco’s online sales now top £6bn.
So, the supermarket’s website and app going down for the best part of 48 hours is a big deal. Not to mention a costly one – The Times has reported it could cost £15 million in lost sales.
But it was seemingly not a big enough deal for the store to put a spokesperson forward for interview.
I saw and heard several news bulletins reporting on the outage over the weekend, and I did not once hear from a Tesco spokesperson.
The void was instead filled by interviews with disgruntled shoppers and tech and cyber security experts.
That approach typically leads to more speculation and rumours.
Organisations should have spokespeople available, whether or not an incident happens during a weekend, who can help them get their message across, provide some reassurance to customers and try to control the story.
It could happen to you
The Tesco incident also serves as a timely reminder of how vulnerable all organisations are to IT failures and cyber-criminals.
The supermarket chain is the latest in a long line of organisations that have been hit. These incidents are constantly in the news. And almost all sectors have been targeted, from universities to airlines.
Have you identified it as a risk to your organisation and its reputation?
Have you got crisis communication plans in place that cover the scenario? Have you tested them? Do you have people who could face the media and get your message across with clarity and confidence?
If not, you need to start answering these questions now and getting plans in place.
As Tesco has found out to its cost, every little helps when it comes to crisis communication preparation.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
Click here to find out more about our practical crisis communication and media training.