Michael, one of our agency directors, drove across town to pick up lunch for the 15 people in our office. (The rest of the staff were on a company-sponsored trip.)
When he got back, he realized that one of the large foil trays of food had been mislabeled. Instead of the peach cobbler he ordered he was given green beans.
Hardly a tragedy, but Michael called the restaurant to see how they might correct their mistake. “Just come back and pick up the cobbler,” the manager suggested. But the restaurant was 20 minutes away, so Michael would have to make another 40-minute roundtrip just to get what he ordered.
Michael asked if the manager could send a driver to our offices with the cobbler. “No,” came the reply.
“But you cater, and I saw two of your company vans in your parking lot,” Michael reasoned.
“Can’t do it,” said the manager.
Guess who will never make another $260 purchase at that restaurant.
Rather than seizing the opportunity to be a customer service hero - by correcting a mistake his team made, no less - the manager chose the easy, short-sighted approach. No suggestion of any options. No offer of a free meal or future discount. Not even an apology.
Imagine how quickly any bad feelings could have been prevented with a heartfelt “I’m so sorry about that” from the manager.
We’ve said it before in this blog: no one expects perfection from your company. Screw-ups are going to happen now and then. But not owning up to those mistakes and making them right will cost you brand damage and buyers.
Can’t fix the problem right away? Then offer a sincere apology on the spot and let your customer know you’ll contact her within a specific amount of time with a few options. Then, let her choose which make-good she wants.
Even the best advertising can’t compensate for a lack of customer care or a staff that’s not empowered to make things right when they go wrong. Every encounter - EVERY encounter - is a chance to wow people and create a business that's worthy of customer loyalty.
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