For business owners and managers, it’s discovering your customer is upset and finding out that the culprit is you. The rule of thumb is, when the fault is yours, say so and say as soon as possible.
By now, you must have heard about the fiasco involving a well-loved fast-food brand. The customer ordered a set chicken meal, only to discover that the mouth-watering piece of chicken wasn’t chicken at all but something else. It took the customer some time to realize that the perfectly fried (and deceptively breaded) un-chicken was a towel. Her shock and displeasure led her to post the incident on social media. And the rest, as you know, is scandalous history.
The fast food’s procedures are airtight. Former employees claim that it’s likely sabotage rather than negligence. Whatever the cause, the damage has been done. The media is having a picnic, and the trolls are having their share of the spotlight. In the end, it isn’t just a public relations issue. It’s neither a human resources nor an operations issue alone either.
It’s also a customer service issue. How do you make amends? How can you de-escalate the situation and make things less bad?
Clients are likely to forgive once with a humble, sincere apology.
Whatever industry you belong to, regardless of how big or small your business is, here are some phrases to help create that consideration:
• Hi _______! We apologize for the _______________________. You know how important you are to us. We will never do anything to jeopardize this relationship. I hope you can forgive us for this mistake.
• Please tell me what you’ve heard from your end.
• I know that this was a poor decision on our part. Is there anything we could do better next time to not run into this problem?
• Our goal is 100 percent satisfaction. What can we do to make it up to you and your team?
• We are truly committed to ensuring this does not happen again. We are going to…
• In the X years we’ve manufactured this product or service, this is the first time this has happened.
• We are certainly partly to blame for this. However, we need your help to fix this. May we humbly request your support?
• We have several options to address this going forward. We have __________________, and _________________, and _________________. Which one works best for you?
• If you want us to assign a different account officer for this project next time, we would understand.
• You will definitely see a difference going forward. These are the changes we’ve made to our procedure.
• We are going to intensify our oversight and surveillance to ensure higher performance the next time around.
• As a sign of our commitment to you and your company, we are going to offer you ______________________.
This goes without saying that apologies work when the mistake is rectified. If a client remains irate or remains indifferent and unresponsive, what should you do?
The best course of action is to assess the circumstances and make a follow-up. Offer apologies but assert when necessary. Take your cue from any of these phrases to calm the conflict and get them to respond.
• Thank you for raising this issue.
• Please continue to let me know of any problems so we can address them right away.
• May I check back in _______ days or weeks to see how it’s going?
• I am now looking through the records and the schedule shows that the shipment left on time. May I get back to you within 24 hours?
• We wouldn’t have had this success if it weren’t for your support and contribution. This seems to be our first glitch. Can I give you a call to discuss this right away? What’s a good time?
• This may be a misunderstanding. But our terms say __________ so we are still within the time frame.
• We pride ourselves on our customer service. However, what you ask is way above what we can reasonably do. We can offer you these options…which would you prefer?
Last but not least, how you say is as important as what you have to say. Regardless of the heated exchange, make it your objective to keep your calm and composure. People mirror what they see. If you exude calm and courtesy, they will most likely reflect the same behavior, as well./PN
