Author: Shep Hyken

The other day a friend of mine ordered a grilled sandwich. When it came out it was burnt. He pointed out to the server that it was burnt and she replied, "I know. I didn't think you would want it like that. I can't believe the chef would let it come out like that." Are you allowing burnt sandwiches to be served to your customers? 

The other day a friend of mine ordered a grilled sandwich. When it came out it was burnt. He pointed out to the server that it was burnt and she replied, "I know. I didn't think you would want it like that. I can't believe the chef would let it come out like that."

So, why did she bring it out? Maybe she should have gone to the chef or the manager and said, "This is unacceptable. Our guest will either send it back, or worse, he may not ever come back." 

How often at work does someone notice something is wrong, but lets it go? The strategy is simple:

Watch each other's back.

In our office, it is the job of everyone to find the mistakes before they leave the office. A simple example is that my assistant almost always finds mistakes in the letters I write to clients. One of her responsibilities is to catch them and fix them. If anyone spots a mistake or problem, related to anything, it is part of everyone's job to get it fixed before it gets in front of the client.
   
When it comes to taking care of customers, we are all on the same team. Watch for opportunities to make things right before they are discovered to be wrong.

Copyright 2006 by Shep Hyken. Used with permission.