You Screwed Up? 5 Steps To Take NOW

Everyone makes mistakes; it’s how you deal with them that matters, whether they’re personal (“I forgot her birthday!?) or business (“I forgot to follow up on that email?!”). Timely action can prevent a screw-up from derailing a good relationship. Here’s how:

1. Move quickly in the right direction: If your customer has a problem, guarantee that you will address it that same day – and follow through. If they can see you’re doing your best, it’s reassuring and shows you have their interests at heart.
2. Don’t take it personally: Your customers may be furious, even confrontational. Don’t let it throw you. Recognize it for what it is – an indication of the stress they’re under – and know that when you solve that problem and relieve their stress, they’re going to be twice as grateful, and more likely to come back to you in future.
3. Even if it’s the customer’s fault, it’s still your problem. Sometimes it’s user error on the other end that causes the screw-up. You still need to find a way to save the day and solve the problem, because that customer will never forget that you’re the company that came through for him when he was under the gun. That’s what creates real loyalty, and even if it costs you something, you’ll be more than amply repaid over the long run.
4. See # 3 – and remember, the customer is always right, even when he’s wrong. We once sold a large, production model three-roll mill to a pharmaceutical company who’d bought a smaller machine from us in the past. Even though we’d carefully gone over the specs and the power requirements of this larger model beforehand, when it got to his facility the customer had to partly disassemble it to get it upstairs – then discovered his wiring wasn’t up to the task of running it. We didn’t waste time when he called us, furious and frustrated; we got an engineer there the next day who repaired the machine, got the wiring fixed, and gave them some training sessions on how to use it. While they did have to pay for his time and work, they were delighted to do so, because they recognized their culpability in creating the issue. The main thing was, we made it right – and that’s what they remembered.
5. Come up with a creative solution that's a win/win for both of you. We sometimes have customers call us for repairs on aging machines that we didn’t build. We can’t service them, but we can offer help in another way, with a discount on one of our new machines with their trade-in and fast delivery, so their production schedule doesn’t take a hit. They’re usually delighted with this solution when we show them how they’ll save money in the long run with greater productivity and less headaches in future.

Bottom line? No matter whose fault a screw-up is, your timely action and demonstration of caring for your customer can save the day, and a valuable relationship.

Adapted from Amazon Best Seller Book: FROM START-UP TO STAR: 20 Secrets To Start-Up Success, by Ken Kuang, Joyce Zhang, and Eileen Han