Reputation Expert Holds Product Recall Crisis Management Seminar

By Dipo Olowookere

An international reputation management consultant and speaker, Mr Deon Binneman, has launched a one–day Product Recall Crisis Management Program, which he will facilitate in-house for interested clients.

The one-day in-house workshop ensures that team members understand the implications of a recall and their roles and functions during such an event.

The South African Consumer Protection Act places onerous responsibility on companies to recall faulty products in a manner that will cause no harm to the public.

This implies detailed Crisis Management and Crisis Communication protocols that incorporate best practice thinking, crisis communication & logistical management.

Product Recalls are expensive and have the potential to destroy brand reputation, trust and goodwill if not planned and executed correctly. Classical examples are the Tiger Brands Enterprise, the Ford Kuga and Samsung Galaxy 7 recalls.

A Product Recall is also a type of crisis that offers unique ethical, logistical, legal, communication and management decision making challenges.

Mr Binneman explained that this information-filled one–day workshop is designed to give an organization that professional edge when dealing with a crisis such as a product recall. Delegates will be able to evaluate their own organisation’s readiness to deal with a recall and/or develop a crisis plan to deal with such an event.

According to him, this workshop covers ethical, professional, legal, operational, managerial and communication aspects. The South African Consumer Protection Act places onerous responsibility on companies to recall faulty products in a manner that will cause no harm to the public.

Since a recall is always a possibility despite of quality controls and risk management, companies are well advised to plan to handle potential recalls well in advance, as handling product recalls professionally can go a long way to safeguard reputation.

He said the training includes detailed case studies that will test decision-making, communication, organizing abilities and ethical responsibilities.

This workshop is similar to a desktop simulation and will enable participants to make recommendations in their company on how to better manage reality and perceptual challenges that may arise from a product recall. As such, this training is also useful for benchmarking and auditing purposes,” the facilitator said in a statement made available to Business Post on Wednesday.

Mr Binneman has more than 30 years crisis management and communication experience and has provided advice to companies in 17 countries.

In 2011, he advised the Department of Statistics during the 2011 Census on Crisis Management and Crisis Communication strategy and protocols.