In business, our reputation is the most valuable possession we have. With social media and smarter consumers, building and reserving our reputation must be tantamount.
This week I attended an annual meeting sponsored by an organization I belong to. I was looking forward to both the meeting and the banquet facility. I had been there twice, and in both instances the food and service was excellent. This time, things were different.
As the program opened, the servers began serving. That was about 12:10. Within ten minutes everyone had their plate of food in front of them…except our table. We waited, and waited, and waited. The servers were busy taking care of those already served, and our table was ignored. Finally, at 12:55, our food arrived. The waitress who delivered the food said in a monotone voice, “Sorry for the delay”. We began to eat our lunch just as the party was breaking up. The people at my table were not “happy campers”.
Every business makes mistakes or falls short once in a while. That is understood. Often, it is when we goof up that we have the best opportunity to show just how good we are. If the management of this restaurant has sincerely apologized and offered us a free drink or gift certificate, our confidence in them would have been restored. Statistics show they would have had a 95% chance. They did not, and their reputation suffered. We need to own our mistakes. When we do, we gain respect and preserve our reputation.
