I’ve got some bad news for you: you’re not perfect. You, your employees, and your business will make mistakes that directly impact your customers.
When you make a mistake, you may be tempted to hide it, ignore it, or even deny it.
Don’t run from your mistake.
You need to be proactive in addressing the issue and resolving the problem with the customer.
How you handle mistakes speaks volumes about you as a business.
The last time we had to get a battery for our van, we went to the nearest Sears auto center. They installed a new battery and about 30 minutes after we had gotten home, they called us on the phone.
Apparently, the mechanic had forgotten to tighten a bracket during the installation and they told us we should go back in and they would take care of it.
I took the van back, the mechanic apologized for his mistake, tightened the bracket, and I was on my way.
If Sears hadn’t been proactive in notifying me of the problem, I would have found out about it later.
The same is true of mistakes you make with customers. The mistake will be discovered eventually.
It is to your advantage to identify it, confess it, and fix it before the customer realizes there is a mistake.
This will show your customers that you actually care about them after they pay and have left your store or business and will help build a long-term relationship with them.
Once the issue is resolved, take a look at why the mistake happened and learn how you can prevent that mistake from happening again.