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Turn a Negative Into a Positive
In a high-volume service business mistakes happen. The actions that result and the speed at which they’re taken to make things right with the affected customer are critical.
Focusing recovery efforts solely on correcting the errors, while failing to address the inconvenience they have caused for the customer by not responding to their initial needs may generate potential negative word of mouth.
Recently, my friend Mike had an experience at a hotel that dealt a negative experience but promptly turned it into a positive one by responding to his requests. As a result, he’s a word-of-mouth promoter for the company.
As a Hilton Diamond member, Mike made a reservation at the Hilton San Francisco. Upon making the reservation, the Hilton Diamond Desk sent him an email and asked him to complete a survey. On the survey, he indicated that what matters most to him is having the room ready at 10 a.m. and when he opens the door two Diet Cokes should be waiting in his room. The email bounced back, which frustrated him because he took some time to complete the survey. He, in turn, copied and pasted his reply into the body of an email and sent it to the Diamond Desk. The Diamond Desk forwarded the note to the concierge who called my friend within two hours to apologize. Later, upon his arrival at the hotel, the Hilton prepared the room by 10:30 and room service brought Mike two Diet Cokes accompanied with ice and a tin of Ghirardelli chocolate drops. Two business cards were included—the director of sales and marketing and the vice president/managing director of the hotel!
By giving Mike the executives’ cards with their direct lines was something little that went a long way with Mike and will go even further with every friend, family member, and colleague that he tells.
Do you have a negative experience that turned positive? Share it here.
I went to a Verizon Wireless store several years ago because my phone had died. Coincidentally, I wanted to add a line to my plan for my wife.
If you remember, what is now Verizon Wireless is a collection of older, mostly smaller wireless carriers. I had been with Cellular One, then GTE Wireless, and then Verizon for several years. Both of the other companies ultimately became part of VZW.
They had just introduced a new program called "New Every Two", wherein if you signed up for a two year service contract, at the end of it you got a $100 credit toward the purchase of a new phone.
I asked the store manager if I was eligible for "New Every Two", and she said, "No". An associate continued checking the computer, and said, "Ma'am, he's been a customer since 1995." She turned to me and said, "You have 'New Every Two' starting right now." I took advantage of it, added a new line for my wife, and we've been happy ever since.
Previous encounters with cell phone stores had made me gird my loins for battle before I headed in, so I was stunned at the turnaround. I am impressed with their database, the flexibility that the manager had, and now, I'm looking forward to October when my next "New Every Two" comes around. We'll probably add another line for the kids at the same time.
P.S. Verizon's coverage in the North Carolina area -- particular the mountains -- is the best. When I'm out there, I'm often the only one of my group to have any bars.