To err is human

Recovering from the error though, does not (in most cases) need divine intervention. Just a well thought out and well executed process, the heart of which is a "true apology".

3 Key aspects of a true apology:

Acceptance

Upon reaching late for a scheduled meet up

“I am late... grossly so. You are important to me but my behaviour did not demonstrate that”

Acknowledgement

“It must have been very frustrating for you to sit here alone and wait for me”

Corrective action

“I will do better. Now that am here., I am turning off every distraction and ensuring my full attention. ?Next time I will ensure i reach before time by

1. Booking a time that's realistic for both of us
2. Mitigating everything that caused my delay today (specifics)”

A true apology – The heart of superlative service recovery

A true apology is a very good framework to use to build a service recovery process that actually drives engagement!

For example, how would a service recovery following the true apology framework look like, in the scenario where the process of video self-verification for a new vehicle insurance, has broken down.

Ownership

“We accept our process is not working for you. We are sorry for it. We realize this has caused you trouble , loss of time ?and tremendous anxiety as your insurance process is stuck.”

Stress transference

“We assure you we will get the process completed with you. There are three other ways to get this done

1. You could try the process again, with our support team online with you this time, to help get this done for you”OR
2. You could visit our nearest branch (at location-xyz, based on address shared) with the vehicle and our team will get this done for you.OR
3. Our representative can visit you as per your convenience and complete the process on your behalf.

Just let us know what works best & we will take it from there!"

Proactive updates on resolution

“As per your feedback, we have scheduled your appointment on dd/mm/yyyy? for the vehicle verification, at our branch XYZ . Our representative, K. Charan will assist you with the completion of the entire process”.

‘Reminder call’ on the date, with address details & directions as well as list of documents etc needed to complete the process.

Post closure loop back

"We have investigated the reasons why our video self-verification process could not work for you. We realize the size limit we put on the video could make it difficult for some of our customers to easily upload the verification in a single video file. Our app now has the option to split a large video file into multiple smaller files.? We have also improved the apps buffering and data transfer capabilities to work better on networks with low bandwidth."

We are grateful to you for having raised the issue with us and for having given us a chance to fix the problem.

How many of you have experienced such a "service recovery" from your service providers & preferred brands? Do share!