SPINNING FLAWS INTO GOLD
How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes
It’s normal for brands to think of the mistakes they make as PR nightmares. No one wants to stay up all night crafting the perfect statement to a plan that didn’t quite go the way you thought it would.
It could be your fault. It could be a simple misunderstanding. Once your customer is upset, it doesn’t really matter.
What does matter is how you respond.
Listen Up
Understanding what went wrong can teach you a lot about your customers and what they expect from your brand. Don’t rush to delete or hide those negative comments. Take notes! Use this information as you prepare for your next campaign. The better you know your customer, the happier you can make them!
Be Accountable
This is a biggie. You’ve already been caught with your pants down. The next worst thing you could do is delay your response or point fingers and try to shift the blame. Apologising genuinely and taking responsibility for your choices and actions is the only way to regain the trust and respect you may have lost in the kerfuffle.
This is your opportunity to reiterate your brand values, but it only works if you can hold up your end of the deal.
Make it Right
If the situation allows you to make amends, jump on the opportunity! Replace the faulty product (at your own inconvenience), take down the offensive video, return the ticket costs of the poorly organised event. This will help establish that you aren’t in it just for the cash grab - that you too believe your product should be everything your marketing makes it out to be.
Do Better
If you don’t change anything about your process, you’re heading down the path of making the same mistakes over and over again. Let this valuable feedback from your customers pave a new path for you. It shows you’re listening, that you care, and that you’re interested in bettering your brand and product.
When faced with terrible service, many customers may just choose not to continue patronising your establishment. A customer that reaches out to complain is someone who thinks you can do better and is making the effort to let you know that. You should take that seriously and act accordingly. You should thank them.
After all, if you’re thinking of your customers as expendable, what’s to stop them from treating your brand the same way?
There is an art to responding to complaints and criticism, but your heart also has to be in it.
Customers want brands that genuinely care - and your response here is your best chance to prove that you actually do.
