Every company, no matter how large or small, makes mistakes from time to time. Customers tend to be understanding and forgiving about mistakes — so long as your company is open to admitting the mistake, offering a sincere apology, and making the wrong right. Is your answering service trained to admit mistakes and make amends with your customers?

If an order gets screwed up or there was a mistake made in offering the customer a reliable service, the customer wants to hear, “This was our fault,” and, “We are sorry.” Never try to hide your mistakes, and always be willing to make amends with the customer. This honesty and humility will set you apart from the competition. Make sure your call center is informed about mistakes made within the company that could affect their ability to provide good customer service, and instruct the employees on how to handle these situations.

Honesty Builds Trust

In the eyes of the customer, the company that willingly admits their mistakes and owns up to the consequences is trustworthy. Trust is vitally important in any relationship, and with the rise of social media, online consumer reviews, and other technological innovations, companies are in the position of fostering relationships with customers, no longer relegated to merely providing products or services.

Honesty Builds Loyalty

The byproduct of building a relationship with customers based on trust is their loyalty. Customers stick with companies that they feel they can trust, and this is brand loyalty you can never buy with ads and promotions.

Admitting your company made a mistake might be difficult, but facing the consequences of customers who no longer trust you and feel no sense of loyalty to the company is much worse.