My faith in service recovery has been restored! Many of you remember my tale of a cancelled flight and the subsequent call at 2 am that was a complete service recovery failure. If you missed it, check it out here.
Then, this morning, I get the following email (different company, different situation), that is again an attempt at service recovery. To me, this one is so many light-years better than my previous example, I just have to share it in it’s entirety. I don’t even think you need much context, I think you’ll get the drift.
Pretty spectacular, huh? Before we go any further, I will not hesitate to recommend SuperheroStuff.com for any of your superhero stuff-type needs. I needed buttons. You might need a t-shirt or a hoody. Here is a direct link their site: https://www.superherostuff.com/
Now, I hope we can all agree that this was a great way to handle a lack of inventory. Since I’m all about the learnin’, lets break this down to see exactly what they did so we can all up our service recovery game.
- Addressed me by my first name. This is personal to ME!
- Stated the problem quickly (and in a humorous way). ‘Holy Inventory error Batman!” Showed they knew what the problem was and weren’t afraid to admit it was their fault.
- Again admitted it was THIER problem (“we had a snafu”) then stated its impact to me.
- They apologized. Early and sincerely.
- Used soft language (“I was wondering if there was another item you might…”). No demands (“You gotta pick new ones” or “you’re going to have to drive to Charlotte” – see previous post for more on THAT one!)
- No robo-choices (“we’ve substituted 5 other random buttons”)
- Made the resolution easy (and their responsibility). I just had to pick 5 other buttons (link included) and viola – done! Even brought back a little humor!
- Apologized again and told me they appreciate my business.
- Showed more humor and consistent branding/theming in the signature block. But ALSO included a real name. Imagine responding and addressing the email to: Black Widow?
Was there anything else you noticed? How would you have reacted if you got this same email?
Most importantly, how many of these things do you or your teams do when responding to a guest concern or situation? I think one of the great things about this is how quickly they admitted wrongdoing and started proposing solutions. Gave me no time to stew and get disproportionately angry.
Have a great service recovery story to spin? Let me know!
Thanks for reading!
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Matt Heller - Performance Optimist 