Keep your customers informed!

Mistakes are a fact of life. Even with a very good Quality system, things still go wrong: accidents happen, and people do foolish things. Therefore every Quality system has to spell out (among other things) how to respond when something bad happens. "How to respond" typically includes several elements: containing the problem, finding the root cause, implementing corrective actions, and so on. But there's another element that can be just as important, but that is often overlooked: Let your customers know what's going on!

A friend of mine drives a Kia Soul. She's had it for years. Last fall, Kia notified her that her car was subject to a recall. According to the official documentation (NHTSA campaign number 23V652000): 

"The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.... Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete."

So far, so good. Kia discovered a risk and proactively notified customers so they are aware of it. And of course Kia explained that they will repair the vehicles free of charge. 

What the notice did not contain was an estimated date that the fix would be available. And as the months went on, all my friend heard was more silence. From time to time she called her local dealership, but they were as much in the dark as she was.

To be clear, I can imagine reasons why Kia might have found it hard to give a precise date right at the beginning. And if the issue were comparatively minor—if, say, they were offering a new design of floor mats or steering wheel covers—there would be no reason to handle the communications with urgency. But when you have just told your customers there's a chance that their car will unexpectedly burst into flame, it's probably a good idea to keep them well-informed and up-to-date on when they can expect the fix to be available.

Let your customers know what's going on.

The good news is that—according to the NHTSA website—letters finally started going out late this spring and into the summer that the fix was available. They were staged according to model type, and my friend's model came at the very end of the line. So she still has to make arrangements with her local dealership. But it's progress.