Why Handling Mistakes Well Is a Key to Amazing Customer Service

Good customer service becomes noticeable for two reasons: 

1. A company or brand can be known for amazing customer service and experience. Customers may notice the employees’ attitude, how easy they are to do business with and more. But sometimes they don’t, because it’s expected. However, over time, customers will notice that there are never problems. It may not happen right away, but eventually, customers will realize why they like the company. The experience is what they want and expect every time.  

2. A customer’s complaint or issue is resolved in such a way that the customer notices. They are pleasantly surprised at how well it was handled. Eventually, customers may realize this is normal for that company. Everyone at the company does their best to create a good experience, and if there is a problem, they fix it.   

If you’ve ever been to a fancy steakhouse, you expect a higher price, but with that price comes the expectation of a good meal and a high level of service. The only way to exceed the expectation is to manage a mistake. Perfection in customer service is not always possible, but the way a mistake is handled can make up for imperfections.   

My friend Tom Baldwin, former CEO of Morton’s The Steakhouse and Benihana, shared his definition of customer service: “Great customer service is mistakes handled well.” While there may be more to customer service than handling mistakes, this is a pretty good start. His point was that nobody should ever walk out of the restaurant unhappy.  

Keep in mind that it takes more than fixing the problem. A steak that isn’t cooked to the customer’s liking can be fixed, but there is more to fixing a problem than just making it right. I’m not going to go into my simple five-step process for handling complaints, as I’ve written about it a number of times. However, I do want to emphasize three ideas: 

1. Use the Right Words: The right words and the way you say them count. Apologizing with empathy is important when the experience doesn’t meet expectations, or there’s a problem. 

2. Take Responsibility: This ties into exhibiting the right attitude. Don’t blame others for a problem. Just accept that there is a problem and that it’s now your opportunity to fix it, regardless of how it happened or who was at fault.  

3. Convenience: Make it easy for the customer to complain and for a mistake to be fixed.  

Customers want a positive experience. They don’t want to complain, but when there is something to complain about, they want to know they can always count on you to make it right. And this may be most important. Mistakes handled well is not just fixing a problem. It’s about restoring the customer’s confidence that gets them to say, “I’ll be back!”

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.