Mistake Cake is order for Zane’s Cycles in Connecticut!
Take a look at this Twitter find and fabulous example of what we call masterful mistake management.
It was written by customer service expert, Jeanne Bliss.
A customer was paying on layaway for a special bike she was going to give her husband for a surprise Valentine’s Day gift. Greg, a Zane’s employee, was supposed to display that particular bike in the window of the store on Valentine’s Day so the customer could stroll past the bike store with her husband on their way to a romantic dinner. Things didn’t work out as planned, however, because Greg forgot to display the bike in the window that day.
Zane’s felt horrible about the mistake and apologized to the customer by delivering the bike to her house and forgiving the final payment. And Greg, the salesperson who forgot to display the bike, wrote Chris Zane an apology letter and enclosed a personal check for half the cost of the bike (which Zane never cashed). Talk about a wow moment! Greg was willing to be out a week’s pay to right the wrong.
Greg works in an environment at Zane’s where he is encouraged to do the right thing. And Zane and Greg both clearly understand the value of a lifetime customer. The recovery of this one customer, while memorable, is not an isolated act of customer heroism, but a usual part of this (and any) beloved company. The cultural instinct to do the right thing and repair broken relationships is genuine and caring.
PS Greg still works for Zane’s!
Here’s a link to the blog post where we found the story: Does your culture stick when times are tough?
And here is information about Jeanne’s new book: I Love You More Than My Dog. Don’t you love that title?
Great stuff! Thanks, Jeanne!
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- Hooray for Viking Travel
- Brainteaser of the Week #46
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