I’m Sorry?

These two words are often uttered in an effort to quickly resolve an uncomfortable situation. In recent months, I have heard these two words a great deal. You see, I sought the expertise of several service providers for multiple projects from landscaping to graphic design to renovation. While each industry is distinctly different, I noticed these providers had a few things in common. They all were noted as experts in their field, each of them provided great service to other clients and each of them had to say ….. you guessed it… “I’m sorry.”

I began to think about the definition of the words we all have heard so many times before, Service Excellence, Quality Service, Top Notch Customer Service and so on. As the Chief Executive Officer of an international firm, excellent service is what I, along with many of my colleagues, strive for daily. I realize writing about Excellent Service Delivery may place our firm in an uncomfortable position; after all, this sort of commentary places a higher expectation on J. PR & Associates. Nevertheless, it is worth visiting in hopes that we all can learn something.
I sincerely believe I’m sorry is always in order when our customers and clients have not received what we have promised to deliver. However, in many situations these two words may not be enough. Imagine this:

A Certified Public Accountant decided to branch out on her own and has been preparing for the busy season. She has contracted with several providers to make sure everything will run smoothly. Her company is preparing for a major marketing and advertising blistz scheduled 5 weeks before the busy season. There is only one problem; the provider responsible for converting her extensive client information log in to an electronic version had a few delays. This log is being developed to assist with billable hours, invoicing, client tagging, and revenue generation. This electronic masterpiece is going to set the tone of her business and be the identifiable difference between her and the competition.

The provider assures the CPA that a few minor adjustments are needed and the electronic log will be ready shortly. Three weeks into the busy season, she receives this much-anticipated masterpiece and an apology. Unfortunately for the CPA, the original manual version of the log was discarded by the provider, when testing the electronic version seemed to produce stellar results. Six weeks into the busy season, every employee has been trained on this new system and as expected, it was indeed a masterpiece.

Needless to say, the service provider delivered the product they promised but the timing was horrible. The CPA lost revenue, lost employees, and professional credibility with the clients she promised to service. Now, the CPA may have been able to address things differently, but she had a realistic expectation that the provider would do what they promised. The CPA cannot get that particular busy season back; nor can she recoup the more significant losses she has experienced. I’m sorry, in this situation, was not enough. I have come to learn that Excellent Service Delivery does not mean errors are never made it does not mean you never have to say I’m Sorry but rather, knowing when I’m Sorry is just not enough!

I am interested in the methods you use to service your customers in an excellent manner, particularly when things do not go as well as expected. I will share some of your examples with everyone who visits our site. We believe information sharing leads to excellence. Let’s help each other.

~Paula