We Screwed Up

Yesterday, I wrote a couple of pieces about customer services and how we must excel every single day.  Our clients and their families deserve that.

What they do not deserve is for us to screw up.  Not in a big thing and not in small things.  Last night I talked to the family of a client about something we did wrong.  We mailed some care worksheets to the client's home, and whoever at the office addressed the envelope misspelled the client's name. 

That is not respectful.  That is not treating our client with the dignity that person deserves.  That is not customer service.  That is not excelling. 

As the owners of Support For Home, my wife and I take full responsibility, and I made that very clear to the family.  It does not matter who addressed the envelope incorrectly.  We are responsible.  We take it seriously.  We will, in fact, be talking about it in staff meeting tomorrow, to create a process that prevents this from occurring in the future.  If that means two people look at material that goes out, even if it is just an envelope, then that is what we will do.

We want to excel.  Our clients expect us to excel.  Every single day is an interview.  Every client is the center of the universe, for us.