Be Different or be dead

June 10, 2020

Why being sorry is the secret to great customer service

Source: Unsplash

It’s counterintuitive perhaps, but if ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t in your customer service playbook you’re missing the opportunity to create amazing experiences for your customers.

And be rewarded for it.

No apology = no service recovery = no customer

The service recovery chain goes like this:

— You screw-up;

— You acknowledge that you screwed up;

— You apologize;

— You atone for your sins;

— You fix the problem to the customer’s expectations;

— You blow the customer away by doing something they DON’T expect.

A failure to apologize breaks the chain and a de-dazzling event (with a loss of customer loyalty) ensues.

So, lose your ego.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Its not about culpability, its about empathizing with the customer and feeling bad that you screwed them around.

Being human, not an impersonal organization.

Some claim an apology will actually reduce settlement claims for major screw-ups.
That said, the short term economics of “I’m Sorry” are overshadowed by the long term loyalty you achieve by not breaking the chain and having a mind-blowing Service Recovery.

Be at ease with apologizing; it’s a strategic act.

Make no mistake about it.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 6.10.20 at 12:59 pm by Roy Osing
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