During media training, we asked a company’s president about customers who called reporters and complained about the business’ service. The company president began his answer by delivering a figure he believes shows most customers are happy with their service. But then he, as if slamming the brakes on a car in a high-speed race, asked a crucial question.
“Can you give me a little more information?” he asked.
Instead of speculating about complaints he wasn’t aware of, he requested further information to look into the specific cases. You can offer a sentence or two about the company as a whole, but don’t start spewing generic sound bites when reporters ask about incidents you don’t know about. Get extra information and look into the situation. This helps prevent you from providing wrong information and shows you care enough to take the time to learn specific details and come up with a solution if necessary. Just because a reporter is racing for answers doesn’t mean you can’t slow things down to get it right. When you later get the details, make sure you follow up with the reporter.