Handle a mistake the right way, and it may actually make you look good, not bad.
Customers will actually spread good word of mouth if someone in your contact center makes a mistake and makes up quickly and nicely for it. What’s more, customers who’ve experience problems and had them fixed are often more loyal than customers who’ve never had issues, researchers have found.
So how can a mistake make you look good? This example can help.
When United Airlines mishandled a passenger’s guitar – throwing and damaging it, then failing to take responsibility for resolving the issue – it was famously ridiculed on YouTube by the musician owner.
When WestJet Airways mishandled a passenger’s instrument, it was praised. Why? An employee took immediate responsibility for the mistake. He found the guitar, jumped in a cab and delivered it to the musician. From there, the happy customer took to the Internet to praise the company.
Bottom line: Acknowledge mistakes and allow agents to take responsibility for resolving them to the end.
