It will, you know.

At some stage, whether in life or work, the sh*** WILL hit the fan.

When something affects your clients, you can either panic and run away (aka ignore it), or take a deep breath and take control.

By take control, I don’t mean try and brush  the dirt under the carpet.

I mean;

Inform the clients of the issue.

Keep them updated of any changes in the situation.

If you don’t have an update, tell them.

Don’t take things personally. You’re emotionally involved in the business (whether you’re an employee or owner) and you want to protect that business, so its going to be hard. Focussing on servicing the customer’s needs, helps. Empathising does too 🙂

Some people will be very angry. Others will understand. Some will not care what you tell them, they just want to complain for their own questionable reasons. Make sure to treat them all equally. Yes, even the last one. Answer them, in a respectful, timely and honest manner.

Once the issue is resolved,  let them know 🙂

Apologise for the issue and update them on the cause and how it was resolved.

See the common thread ?

You’ll be amazed at the response once the issue is fixed.

How do you handle service affecting problems ?