Why do so many businesses point fingers when something happens that affects their service to their customers? Wouldn’t you rather know one of your local utility company’s transformers bit the dust instead of them blaming the power failure on high winds? I’d rather know the truth. Why? Because the truth reminds me that the company is honest and when the issue is resolved, obviously competent to get the job done.
Why is it so hard to admit when we’ve made a mistake?
Businesses worry that being imperfect in the minds of their customers will somehow lead to a mass exodus – and it will – if mistakes aren’t learned from and occur repetitively. But generally speaking, businesses make mistakes occasionally, and most of the time those mistakes aren’t linked to the same cause. Still there is a hesitation to admit when we’ve made a mistake.
What do you have to gain from admitting a mistake?
For starters, your goal to clients is to provide them with excellent service, whatever it is that you’re selling or supporting. How can you provide excellent service to your clients if you fail to admit your mistakes? Like the poet and philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
This is the first lesson in admitting mistakes in business: to learn from them so that they don’t occur again.
Second and maybe most profitable of all, admitting your mistake to the customer automatically diffuses any possibility of a confrontation between your company and the customer. Wouldn’t your time be better spent admitting the mistake, working with the customer to find a solution and ensuring that your organization doesn’t spend valuable time and money trying to explain away what happened? Sure it would. Be honest on the front end, diffuse the situation and your customers will thank you for it.
What do you have to lose from not admitting a mistake? Customer loyalty and that could be the exodus you’ve been waiting for.
Admit when you’re wrong, communicate how you fixed the issue and ensure the customer that changes have been made to prevent the situation from occurring again. This is how to keep a customer.
About the Author
Brooks A. Brown is the founder and principal of Shout Out LLC, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based marketing, public relations, and communications firm serving clients throughout the nation.
