Things happen, and sometimes not according to your plan. What would you do when a 2:00pm delivery arrives at your customer’s site at 7:00pm, and you have no way of improving the situation?
I think the following actions should be considered, and in that specific order:
#1) Call and inform.
Don’t be afraid to confront the customer. Most of them are understanding. You should be the one who initiates most of the communication. Call and explain what happened. Let them know that you will give them updated information every hour — even when the updated information isn’t always “good news”.
#2) Apologize and mean it.
You should apologize. Maybe the whole thing is your fault, maybe it isn’t. Who cares? It certainly isn’t your customer’s fault. Sure, saying you are sorry doesn’t make the whole thing better, but it won’t make it worse.
#3) Take accountability and the blame.
Have someone in charge contact the customer. Don’t put your customer on hold for 10 minutes while you look for someone in charge — that doesn’t help at all. You don’t always need to have the ideal solution, but you should always take the responsibilities on behalf of your company.
#4) Offer to make it better.
Maybe a 10% discount on their next purchase, or a free installation while you are finally at their site. I don’t know, but offer something. Again, it might or might not help, but it won’t hurt. You have already screwed up the first date, do something a little extra on the second one.
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