time before responding to the spill and sending aid to Alaska. Exxon’s chairman failed to go there until two weeks after the spill. The company held news briefings in Valdez, a remote Alaskan town that was difficult for the press to reach. The result: a PR disaster for Exxon that led the public to believe the company was eitherhiding something or didn’t really care about what had happened. *
Contrast that Exxon story to the rupture of an Ashland Oil storage tank that spilled oil into a river near Pittsburgh around the same time. Ashland Oil’s chairman, John Hall, went to the scene of the Ashland spill and took charge. He pledged to clean everything up. He visited news bureaus to explain what the company would do and answer any questions. Within a day, he had shifted the story from a rotten-oil-company-does-evil narrative to a good-oil-company-tries-to-clean-up story. †
Here are some tips on how you can own the story:
The message should come from the top. The highest-ranking person available should take control in a forceful way.
Spread the message far and wide. Use whatever megaphone you have. Don’t try to sweep it under the rug.
“No comment” is not an option.
Apologize the way a real person would and explain what happened in detail.
Honestly be concerned about the fate of your customers—then prove it.
Speed changes everything
“Your call is very important to us. We appreciate your patience. The average hold time right now is sixteen minutes.” Give me a fucking break.
Getting back to people quickly is probably the most important thing you can do when it comes to customer service. It’s amazing how much that can defuse a bad situation and turn it into a good one.
Have you ever sent an e-mail and it took days or weeks for the company to get back to you? How did it make you feel? These days, that’s what people have come to expect. They’re used to being put on hold. They’re used to platitudes about “caring” that aren’t backed up.
That’s why so many support queries start off with an antagonistic tone. Some people may even make threats or call you names. Don’t take it personally. They think that’s the only way to be heard. They’re only trying to be a squeaky wheel in hopes it’ll get them a little grease.
Once you answer quickly, they shift 180 degrees. They light up. They become extra polite. Often they thank you profusely.
It’s especially true if you offer a personal response. Customers are so used to canned answers, you canreally differentiate yourself by answering thoughtfully and showing that you’re listening. And even if you don’t have a perfect answer, say something. “Let me do some research and get back to you” can work wonders.
How to say you’re sorry
There’s never really a great way to say you’re sorry, but there are plenty of terrible ways.
One of the worst ways is the non-apology apology, which sounds like an apology but doesn’t really accept any blame. For example, “We’re sorry if this upset you.” Or “I’m sorry that you don’t feel we lived up to your expectations.” Whatever.
A good apology accepts responsibility. It has no conditional
if
phrase attached. It shows people that the buck stops with you. And then it provides real details about what happened and what you’re doing to prevent it from happening again. And it seeks a way to make things right.
Here’s another bad one: “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.” Oh, please. Let’s break down why that’s bad:
“We apologize …” If you spilled coffee on someone while riding the subway, would you say, “I apologize”? No, you’d say, “I’m so, so sorry!” Well, if your service is critical to your customers, an interruption to that service is like spilling hot coffee all over them. So use the appropriate tone and language to show that you understand the severity of what happened. Also, the person in charge should take personal responsibility. An
Contrast that Exxon story to the rupture of an Ashland Oil storage tank that spilled oil into a river near Pittsburgh around the same time. Ashland Oil’s chairman, John Hall, went to the scene of the Ashland spill and took charge. He pledged to clean everything up. He visited news bureaus to explain what the company would do and answer any questions. Within a day, he had shifted the story from a rotten-oil-company-does-evil narrative to a good-oil-company-tries-to-clean-up story. †
Here are some tips on how you can own the story:
The message should come from the top. The highest-ranking person available should take control in a forceful way.
Spread the message far and wide. Use whatever megaphone you have. Don’t try to sweep it under the rug.
“No comment” is not an option.
Apologize the way a real person would and explain what happened in detail.
Honestly be concerned about the fate of your customers—then prove it.
Speed changes everything
“Your call is very important to us. We appreciate your patience. The average hold time right now is sixteen minutes.” Give me a fucking break.
Getting back to people quickly is probably the most important thing you can do when it comes to customer service. It’s amazing how much that can defuse a bad situation and turn it into a good one.
Have you ever sent an e-mail and it took days or weeks for the company to get back to you? How did it make you feel? These days, that’s what people have come to expect. They’re used to being put on hold. They’re used to platitudes about “caring” that aren’t backed up.
That’s why so many support queries start off with an antagonistic tone. Some people may even make threats or call you names. Don’t take it personally. They think that’s the only way to be heard. They’re only trying to be a squeaky wheel in hopes it’ll get them a little grease.
Once you answer quickly, they shift 180 degrees. They light up. They become extra polite. Often they thank you profusely.
It’s especially true if you offer a personal response. Customers are so used to canned answers, you canreally differentiate yourself by answering thoughtfully and showing that you’re listening. And even if you don’t have a perfect answer, say something. “Let me do some research and get back to you” can work wonders.
How to say you’re sorry
There’s never really a great way to say you’re sorry, but there are plenty of terrible ways.
One of the worst ways is the non-apology apology, which sounds like an apology but doesn’t really accept any blame. For example, “We’re sorry if this upset you.” Or “I’m sorry that you don’t feel we lived up to your expectations.” Whatever.
A good apology accepts responsibility. It has no conditional
if
phrase attached. It shows people that the buck stops with you. And then it provides real details about what happened and what you’re doing to prevent it from happening again. And it seeks a way to make things right.
Here’s another bad one: “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.” Oh, please. Let’s break down why that’s bad:
“We apologize …” If you spilled coffee on someone while riding the subway, would you say, “I apologize”? No, you’d say, “I’m so, so sorry!” Well, if your service is critical to your customers, an interruption to that service is like spilling hot coffee all over them. So use the appropriate tone and language to show that you understand the severity of what happened. Also, the person in charge should take personal responsibility. An
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