Be honest
Customers realize that a company is run by individuals working as a team and those individuals are human. Mistakes are made and many customers are very reasonable and understand this. The part where customers feel alienated is when an error is covered up or hidden from them. The first step to recovering from a poor service experience is to tell the truth. Admit to the customer that something went wrong and you will do everything in your power to correct the mistake in order to retain their business.
Always be a helper
A hallmark of good service is to help even when a mistake that was made was not the company’s fault. Service representatives should avoid laying blame on anyone and simply set to work fixing a mistake. Although a company may extend resources it did not have to, this is a sure fire way to gain and retain a client for life. It is also good to err on the side of caution, as a customer may feel that something is the company’s fault when it really is not. Compensation in the form of money back, in-store credit, and others are also an option. A customer will be very happy to receive compensation in some form as a result of an inconvenience they have suffered.
Client service mistakes are a routine part of doing business. No matter how good a company’s systems are, there will inevitably be mistakes made. Being honest and not covering a mistake up is the best policy. Fixing problems, even if they were not your fault, is a great opportunity to build rapport with new or existing customers. Sometimes fixing an error may only involve a few extra steps, while other times it may take compensation of one form or another. Either way, companies must work hard to fix customer service mistakes to maintain a good reputation.