No one is exempt from making mistakes. Errors are human and both brands and companies are made up of structures where people’s actions and decisions are a constant in everyday life. This implies, of course, that companies can make mistakes and make mistakes even in their efforts to offer the best of themselves to their own customers. But when this happens do we really learn from it?
There are many ways to make mistakes, as there are many types of errors. Error of concept, of calculation, errors of measurement, of appreciation, etc … Nevertheless among the companies, those more important usually are those that finally derive in a bad experience on the part of the client. Therefore, it is essential not only to have mechanisms to correct such errors, but also to have the capacity to learn from them to avoid recurring.
Since it is inevitable that at some point we are wrong, we have to consider yes or yes the option of contemplating such errors as a great opportunity to correct what does not seem to work or what we might be failing. Of course, always with the attitude and disposition necessary to face any important decision or change, before such mistakes can become the cause that destroys our reputation or the foundations of our own business.
To begin by recognizing our mistake will undoubtedly be the best way to redirect our strategy to avoid collateral damage. Avoiding responsibilities or “making ourselves Swedes” can lead to new and bigger problems. A client whose experience has been negative as a result of one of our mistakes can manifest his frustration, discomfort and “anger” affecting the perception of our business by other people.
Social networks have become “a kind of nebulous or super-accumulation of testimonies of bad experiences and denunciations” of dissatisfied clients who manifest their discomfort and at times, a sample of the deficient solutions that many companies offer. The new role of consumers is now more than ever that of “influential” capable of conditioning with their testimonies and experiences, the buying decisions of other consumers.
For this reason, any error can become a multiple reaction of chain events that may even end up becoming a real crisis of reputation. A much more dangerous and costly incident will certainly shut down than any remedy used to satisfy our most frustrated clients.
The customer as the center of the universe
Whether you believe it or not, the customer will always be the center of the galaxy in which our business coexists. There are no other laws that can think or believe otherwise. Playing against them or attempting to manipulate such laws implies that we may encounter unknown phenomena and consequences.
If we have made a mistake that affects the experience and expectations of our customers and we are unable to solve it, our customers will feel simply deceived. We must bear in mind that, when we establish a company / customer relationship, it is simply because we are offering a certain good to meet certain needs. When this transaction fails, whatever the reason, we are not fulfilling our mission and our obligation is to remedy the deficiencies given during this process.
Customer service, a vital aspect to overcome and learn from our mistakes
Undoubtedly, one of the best formulas for correcting and solving our mistakes is the ability to offer a customer service based on transparency, information and, above all, good intentions. There is no use having a call center serving hundreds of customers, and using dissuasive strategies and excuses that do not solve any problem.
Relationships must be based on trust, that can serve to explain to any client, that their problem may be simply due to an error that of course we will repair by offering you the best solution.
Learning from mistakes is the best way to make our business or company a safer, more reliable entity with a better reputation. Making a mistake is no sin if we are willing to repair them by offering efficient solutions to win the trust of our customers. Of all of them, we will be able to acquire a greater experience and a valuable information of the mechanisms, strengths and deficiencies of our business.
In this of the mistakes you already know, Volition is power!