Want to make your customers happy when things go wrong? Add more mea culpas to your conversations. Software developer Joel Spolsky has this advice for remarkable customer service -- admit that it's your fault. Spolsky admits that's not easy for many of us:
It's completely natural to have trouble saying "It's my fault." That's human. But those three words are going to make your angry customers much happier. So you're going to have to say them. And you're going to have to sound like you mean it. So start practicing.
Say "It's my fault" a hundred times one morning in the shower, until it starts to sound like syllabic nonsense. Then you'll be able to say it on demand.
In fact, Spolsky recommends that you memorize a number of phrases, including, "I'm sorry, it's my fault," and "That's terrible, please tell me what happened so I can make sure it never happens again."
In this age of generally awful customer service, you'll be amazed at how fast this can defuse a tense situation, providing an opportunity to solve a problem and prove that you're better than the competition.
