It was 5:00 p.m. at the office, and most of the team was winding down to head home. I decided to check a couple of last emails before wrapping up myself, and thatโs when I saw itโa flood of customer support emails pouring in, all reporting the same problem.
ย
At my former company, Shoutlet, we built a social media marketing platform that brands like Best Buy, Four Seasons Hotels, and 2KGames relied on to manage their social media posts. That particular afternoon, Facebook changed its API, abruptly cutting off our customersโ ability to post to the platform. We were dead in the water. ๐จ
ย
Facebook had grown into a behemoth with millions of users, and there was no quick fix. We couldnโt just call someone to sort it out. All we could do was submit a support ticket and wait. After what felt like the longest 30 minutes of my life, I decided we couldnโt wait any longer. I had to tell our customers that we were experiencing a Facebook API issue. Today, a minor technical hiccup might seem manageable, but back then, with fierce competition nipping at our heels, I knew some rival sales teams would be quick to tell our customers just how โunreliableโ our platform wasโeven if it wasnโt our fault. โณ
ย
Hours passed.
ย
I was humbled by how many team members stayed at the office with me, working through the night, glued to their screens as we scrambled to get updates or a resolution. I was too anxious to go home, and I think they were too. After several hours, I remembered a sales contact I knew at Facebookโs Chicago office. She was in sales, not technical support, but I figured it was worth a shot. I gave her a call, and, thankfully, she replied immediately. She confirmed that the API change was affecting numerous partners and promised to reach out to HQ. Within 30 minutes of her call, we were back online. She had saved us. ๐
ย
The next morning, I sent her the biggest bouquet of flowers I could buy and a gift card for a nice dinnerโa small token of my gratitude for stepping up when we needed it most. ๐
ย
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐
ย
1๏ธโฃ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป: Even if the issue isnโt resolved yet, keeping customers informed and up-to-date builds trust. When they know youโre aware of the problem and working on it, theyโre more likely to be forgiving.
2๏ธโฃ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐บ: My contact at Facebook wasnโt in a role that was meant to solve our problem, but because of the rapport weโd built, she went out of her way to help. Invest in relationships within your industryโyou never know who might be able to lend a hand when things go sideways.
3๏ธโฃ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐บ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ง๐ผ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฐ๐: Time is critical during a crisis, so donโt delay communicating or looking for creative solutions. Trust your team and act swiftly.
4๏ธโฃ ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ: The dedication of my team that night made all the difference. In challenging times, a supportive and loyal team is an invaluable asset.
5๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐: This experience forced us to reevaluate our API strategy, prompting us to establish a redundant backup plan that separated our API connections. This extra layer of security gave us a safeguard to better withstand future disruptions.
ย
๐ก Crisis management in startups is about preparation, resilience, and the willingness to go the extra mile. Having a plan is essential, but so is the ability to adapt, rally your team, and lean on your network. A crisis can shake a business, but it can also strengthen the bonds within your team and remind you of the importance of the relationships you build along the way. In the end, every crisis holds an opportunity to grow, improve, and fortify your foundation for the future.
