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Service Verses Technology


Blog by Terri Knox | August 1st, 2009


My apologies to those subscribers who received a duplicate of my initial newsletter!To my new subscribers...Enjoy the read!  

You know the saying ..."Tell the truth and you never need a good memory!" Here's the truth - I messed up and accidentally sent my initial newsletter to everyone! I begin with an apology as most of you have better things to do than receive an outdated newsletter while trying to keep up with everything else that comes your way! My first reaction was to blame my computer but as with most technology it only does what we tell it to do. I set it up to send out my current newsletter but I had attached the old information to the new date! It was a good reminder that in any customer related situation we need to step up when we make a mistake, accept responsibility, and apologize.  Now, here is the latest information about service verses technology!

I'm as passionate about delivering value added service as I am about fixing a complaint or unsatisfactory situation with a client or customer. Research has proven that if we take the time and effort to fix an error, the affected clients become satisfied, long term customers more often than someone who has not experienced a problem initially. It's been proven that what we think an individual wants in return for their inconvenience isn't half of what they truly want.  The biggest thing most people look for is empathy. Empathy = "em" is a Greek word meaning to see through; "pathy" is Latin word meaning to see through another's eyes. So what's the lesson? Every mistake comes with a life lesson and it’s up to us to learn from them. Some of us just have had more lessons than others. In my school days we were called "slow learners". That's OK also as I never intend to stop learning.

The lesson for me is to dig into this wonderful Ezine newsletter program that I use to write and format these newsletters, and learn the settings properly. Rather than blame the computer or the software program, I intend to use that priceless energy to teach "Terri" yet another lesson! I challenge you (and me) to embrace this message when we get into these negative situations on a personal level with friends or family.

Can you admit to the mistake you made and apologize? Sometimes we apologize in order for the affected individual to forgive us. That's out of our control, but apologizing isn't. Now that school is over for a while lets kick up our feet and enjoy the summer! Thanks for allowing me to "go to school" on you! Enjoy yourself and one another while celebrating this amazing gift called "life"!