ReWork

www.fastcompany.com/magazine/04/hiring.html
    † Ibid.

CHAPTER
DAMAGE CONTROL

Own your bad news
    When something goes wrong, someone is going to tell the story. You’ll be better off if it’s you. Otherwise, you create an opportunity for rumors, hearsay, and false information to spread.
    When something bad happens, tell your customers (even if they never noticed in the first place). Don’t think you can just sweep it under the rug. You can’t hide anymore. These days, someone else will call you on it if you don’t do it yourself. They’ll post about it online and everyone will know. There are no more secrets.
    People will respect you more if you are open, honest, public, and responsive during a crisis. Don’t hide behind spin or try to keep your bad news on the down low. You want your customers to be as informed as possible.
    Back in 1989, the
Exxon Valdez
oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Exxon made the mistake of waiting a long 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,