To Err is Human. To Make Up for It Is Even More Human: A Lesson In PR & Damage Control in the Internet Age

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To Err is Human. To Make Up for It Is Even More Human: A Lesson In PR & Damage Control in the Internet Age

Posted by yoni67 under Public Relations
From http://jobshuk.com 5073 days ago
Made Hot by: lyceum on June 7, 2010 5:58 am

1974: A family trip to Florida. A bad batch of milk lands us in the hospital and ruins the vacation. The hotel offers us $1.50 for three glasses of milk!!! A lesson in PR and damage control in this, the Internet Age!

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Comments

Written by andrea.chensten
4910 days ago

Im pleased that i have come to encounter and read this article of yours,Yoni. Certainly true, we must always learn how to LISTEN and to be HUMBLE. It really helps a lot in controlling situations like that.

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Written by m4bmarketing
5071 days ago

Sorry I did not get back to you last night Yoni and you are right, by not taking corrective action it just makes it worse. By the way how do you know which are the highest rated posts?

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Written by globalcopywrite
5071 days ago

Hi Yoni,

I appreciate your candor in saying you have made mistakes with your clients. We all do, but it's something that isn't often written about. I had a very smart manager that maintained a screw-up was an opportunity to prove just how good your service really was. It's an odd viewpoint but he was right. Most customers complain because they want you to fix the mistake. If you do it in such a way that shows you care about their business and will make their problems a priority, you are usually rewarded with loyalty. No one expects perfection but they do expect to be dealt with fairly. Your mother's reaction to the $1.50 reimbursement is proof of that.

I'd forgotten about letter writing campaigns. My own mother spearheaded a few of those herself.

Sarah

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Written by yoni67
5071 days ago

Sarah,

Thanks so much for your feedback! In this incredibly fast paced biz-world, a screw up is to be expected from time to time. Admitting it is the tough first step, how we deal with it is the next. Your manager was right: it is a golden opportunity to demonstrate who we are.

All the best,

Yoni

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Written by GlobalReach
5071 days ago

Great article -- and the story makes it come alive. Point #1 is the cornerstone: Listening, really listening. (How often, when we're confronted by someone, do we look as if we're listening when we're actually busy forming our own argument.) It's important, too, to filter what you're hearing through human ears, not just business ears. Obviously, no one at that hotel caught on to the humanity of the situation: 2 small children with broken vacation dreams. Tragic.

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Written by yoni67
5071 days ago

Global Reach,

Thanks so much for your feedback and comments. You are so right about the "human ears!"

Yoni

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Written by m4bmarketing
5072 days ago

Hi Yoni,

What you are saying is correct. These days I think companies need to work out quickly how to deal with issues, how to empower those at the front face to solve problems.

That said, having worked in large companies it is not always easy to get these actions in place and followed. It can be done of course but it is not always simple to do.

Susan

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Written by yoni67
5072 days ago

Susan,

BTW, I have to run. Will you be posting today??

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Written by yoni67
5072 days ago

Susan,

Thanks so much for your response! I think you are right in that it is often not an easy thing to do. But the implications of not can be harder to deal with. All it takes is one bad review or one negative comment to hurt.

I have had a few difficult customers who I ended up bending down and "kissing the rings on their fingers" to please them because I knew that if not, they seek their vengeance.

I think one of the best solutions is to find out who is going to be the combative, belligerant and non-cooperative customers and filter them out before we even get started with them. There are usually those initail signs of being over-demanding and "whiny!"

I believe you summed it up very nicely in one of your BizSugar posts, which is now, by the way, the fourth-highest rated post in BizSugar history!!!!

All the best,

Yoni

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Written by yoni67
5073 days ago

Heidi,

Thank you for your kind and gracious words! I'm glad that you like my articles and I thank you for being a faithful reader and supporter here and at Job Shuk!

Yoni

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Written by lovedthisarticle!
5073 days ago

Yoni, I love how each of your articles feels like a magazine article or chapter from a book. I also love how all of your advice is always proceeded by a story. It feels adventurous! You are a great writer and if you are ever able to reveal who you ghost blog for I would love to read those blogs as well! Great article,

Heidi K.

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