I guess we go into “recovery “ when we mess up or have had a breakdown. Depending on how well we recover from the problem determines the customer’s experience. It is the old adage: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
My husband and I had three service breakdowns on my recent trip to South Africa, and each one was handled with ultimate grace.
The first occurred when our crack of dawn sedan driver promised us that he would be there to pick us up at the end of the day. He forgot to actually write it down and make the booking, even though he assured us that he would. I called the company he worked for to inquire about the apparent lapse and the owner of the company directed me to a taxi, asked me to let him know how much the ride was, and refunded me the cab fare. I never expected it, especially considering he had no idea what I was talking about because his employee never actually scheduled it.
The second recovery occurred at a hotel on the Garden Route. When we checked in, we were told that breakfast was not part of our rate even though I was quite sure we had reserved it as a B and B situation. When I went to pay the bill, I asked the owner of the Inn why breakfast wasn’t included when I thought I had paid for it. Instead of being annoyed, he profusely apologized for the mistake as his employee read the computer wrong and “recovered” by not charging me for our third night. Wow, he didn’t just remove the breakfast fee of $20 a person, he gave us a complimentary night. I would have been fine if he had discounted the rate, especially being in the business and understanding these types of things. The fact that he was so genuinely generous and ultimately good-natured about the situation totally turned it around. The genuine part being the operating principle.
The third incident, however, was one of the best service recoveries I have ever experienced. We were in Doronawas, a wilderness camp in Damaraland, Namibia. My husband could not understand one word our guide was speaking. While it is a fact that Bill has hearing issues, he also has difficulty with some accents, so the confluence of those two issues and a decision the tour leader made that Bill disagreed with, I had an unhappy camper on my hands. I specifically asked Bill to let me handle it, which he was happy to do. I expressed our concerns to the Front Office Manager who had reached the ripe old age of 22. She said she was sorry and would take care of it. I asked her if she wanted me to say anything to our guide and she said, “No, we will handle it.”
OK…. While Bill and I were having dinner, our guide and another guide come up to our table. The guide that frustrated Bill said he was happy to introduce us to our new guide and hoped we had a fabulous time together. It was all done with so much grace and class and ease that I was literally blown away.
With all of my 30 years of experience, I could not have thought of any better way to handle the problem. The fact that a 22-year old handled the situation so well made it all the more remarkable. Especially considering there was no company protocol around this issue and she had never had never received a complaint of that nature before.
I guess it always boils down to doing what is the best and most human thing for all concerned. We, as the customer received what we deserved, a Guide we could understand, and the employee got to save face. I felt proud of the manager. I was glad it happened, because I loved the recovery more than I disliked the problem.