I recently started compiling and sending the newsletter for Business Mums Network and I have to say, I was really, really excited to be working with Melissa.
Even though Melissa had moved house and was waiting for her telephone and broadband to be connected, she sent me the content old style (aka via a disc in the mail), I received it in time to start compiling our first newsletter together.
The newsletter was created in a timely manner and I sent it out that Friday night. And that’s when problems occurred. Unknown to both Melissa and myself, the campaign sending software was undergoing a standard upgrade and sent the newsletter to some people on the list 8 times while others missed out totally.
Me being the person I am, felt personally responsible. I felt it was all my fault and I was the one who made the decision to click ‘send’. But in reality, it wasn’t my fault and I had no control over what happened.
I apologised to Melissa so much that she probably started to get sick of the sound of my voice but I couldn’t help myself and that’s when I realised that my sense of responsibility towards my clients forms part of my customer service policy.
In the end, we found out from the campaign software technicians that all was well now but for me I still felt like backpedaling to make things up to Melissa even though it wasn’t my fault.
So how do you make it up to a valued client when you make a mistake or perceive that you’ve made a mistake? How do your clients react and are they as forgiving as Melissa?
