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NEW YORK (AP) – Erika Wasser and her collaborators arrived for an important appointment – hairstyle and makeup for an 11-year bridal party – to realize that someone had gaffed and space of living room that they share in a Miami hotel was not available day. And the bride was expected in an hour.
"We ruined everything," says Wasser, owner of nine Glam + Go salons in three cities, who remembers Saturday a year ago. She quickly withdrew her credit card, booked a suite at the hotel and "the bridal party and our team literally transported everything – dryers, chairs, just not nailed – from our living room and recreated a Glam + Go in after.
"There's a day when you do not want to want to mess up," says Wasser, "it's a marriage."
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Comprehensions, Errors and outages can occur in any business – including a giant like Amazon, who has had the embarrassment of its website not working properly at the start of its first so much advertised day. Small business owners know that they might not be able to survive negative reviews on social media, so when they have disasters, they must not only appease the customers but also enthuse them or even enthuse.
wanted to help, so the move was done quickly. When the bride arrived, everyone told her that she had had a free upgrade. Wasser, who usually charges champagne at wedding appointments, paid as much as everyone wanted. A disaster became a memorable event
In the face of disaster, Davis Smith and Brandon Carter made a phone call that Smith calls "panic".
Young entrepreneurs, who were cleaning grills in Austin, Texas, "He was furious because we had ruined his grill," he says, "we tried to offer a free refund or cleaning, but nothing did not console his loss. said.
Both realized that the solution was buying the customer a new $ 600 grill. Even though their College Grill Cleaners business had up to now earned only $ 2,000, the new grill was an investment in the future.
"The client was extremely understanding and pleased with the way we handled the situation," explains Davis. The man also posted a positive online notice and referred neighbors to the company, which now has branches in the Dallas and Houston area.
When they spoil, companies should focus on building relationships rather than excusing marketing professor at the Amore-McKim Business School of Northeastern University. At the same time, homeowners should not ask, "What can we do to make you happy?", The equivalent of a blank check.
Fombelle's suggestion is to say, "We screwed up in the air. Here are two options for what we can do now. "In trying to mitigate the damage, the owners should not make promises that they can not hold."
"You'll fail twice in a row," says Fombelle.
When an angry client calls or shows up, the owners or employees must listen, not be defensive or condescending and do not say, "I can not help you," says Nancy Friedman, who runs The Telephone Doctor, a company of Customer Service Advice Employees who do not know how to respond should say, "I'm going to ask someone to help you, and no one should ever give the impression that the client is having pain.
"You have to make someone feel that it's important," says Friedman.
Sometimes even a good service can not be solved
The Broker John Holloway's insurance, NoExam.com, was honest with a customer from the start: He might not have a life insurance policy because he had had cancer ten years ago.
Holloway and his business partner, Jonathan Fritz, looked for an insurer who they thought would be a good partner, and helped the client with the application. After being rejected, the client phoned once or twice a week for several weeks and kept Fritz on the phone for half an hour
"He (Fritz) explained to him again and again what The situation was, that we We did our best, "says Holloway, whose company is based in Roswell, Ga. While the calls were difficult, Fritz persevered.
" We could easily have avoided it, but it could have been leading to online complaints, "says Holloway.Finally, the client has stopped calling.
In trying to right a wrong, the delay may still be better than ever. Kimberly Marek has discovered that a staff member assigned to monitoring a customer service phone line did not – for two months Marek, co-owner of the online jewelry retailer 7 Charming Sisters, the other owners and employees reviewed client records to see if any of the 25 people had also sent an email to the Fredericksburg, Virginia, company and got what they needed. three did. Marek called them, including the one who had been waiting for seven weeks.
"They were frustrated but understanding, and they were surprised to call me personally and apologize," says Marek. She continued with gift bags and handwritten notes.
And sometimes, a resolute crisis can have a bonus at the end. After the wedding, Wasser invited her salon director to spend the afternoon and evening in the suite for which she had paid 800.
"We stayed there drinking wine and watching movies" said Wasser.
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Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg. His work can be found here: https://apnews.com/search/joyce%20rosenberg
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