We all know we're going to have service failure moments, no matter our business. None of us work in a fully controlled experiment. Stuff happens.
The key is to decide what we're going to do about our failures...in advance. We need to get the thrashing out of the way when things are calm. We need to draw our lines in the sand when we have more freedom to make a good decision. And, we need to determine how our decisions support our culture ahead of show time.
Should we offer to pay for the mistake? Should we invite them to return as our guest? How much are we willing to compensate for the problem? Are we willing to be wrong even if the evidence indicates otherwise? Of course, we can't foresee every detail. We don't need to. But, what we need to understand is how we're prepared to make someone feel despite any problems. If the true goal is to let no one leave unhappy, it's a line in the sand which comes with a price. And, sometimes it's expensive, in both dollars and humility. Are we empathetic, compassionate and humble? Are we willing to be gracious in the face of failure? Or, are we more interested in being correct?
What's the failure for? Is it a gift...a chance to make an even more memorable impression? Is it a chance to rally around our values? What's the story we get to tell about how we do things around here in the face of adversity? Choose in advance. Choose wisely.