Eggleston Business Development http://eggbizdev.com Providing Small Business, Education - Resources - Support Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:48:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 EggBizDevhttp://feedburner.google.com How to handle technical issues that effect your customers http://eggbizdev.com/2012/02/10/how-to-handle-technical-issues-that-effect-your-customers/ http://eggbizdev.com/2012/02/10/how-to-handle-technical-issues-that-effect-your-customers/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:09:33 +0000 Chris Eggleston http://eggbizdev.com/?p=5035 I use this program, Arq by Haystack Software, to automatically backup my hard drive to my Amazon Simple Storage Server (AS3). It works great, I love it and recommend every Mac owner use it! I’ve never had any problems with the application, it always works. However recently I received this email from Haystack;

I’ve discovered a bug in Arq versions 2.0 through 2.0.4 which could cause loss of backup data.

Because of the bug, Arq could potentially launch more than 1 “helper process” at the same time, and these helper processes could conflict with each other, causing corruption of the backup data.

Please update Arq to 2.4.3 or newer immediately!

Please take a moment right now to launch Arq and pick “Check for Updates” from the Arq menu. If it says there’s a new version, please install it.

 

I sincerely apologize for the bug. I wasn’t able to reproduce it, but more than one customer has reproduced it, and I was able to fix it with their help. I’m trying not to let it happen again.

- Stefan Reitshamer, Haystack Software

Things to consider

  1. Haystack does not need to email its users about updates, the software will notify the user when there are new updates available.
  2. Haystack did not need to explain the issue, or admit their mistake (the “bug”).

Why did they send the email and admit mistake?

Officially, I do not have the answer to this question, but I can tell you why I believe the way they handled the situation was the best option. After all, the most successful (and I’n not referring to profits) companies are the ones that offer the best customer service!

  1. The issue was critical. It could have lead to some very unhappy customers if the issue was not fixed.
  2. Everyone needed to update their software, and not everyone uses the auto update checker thing, and even those that do, don’t always update.
  3. Explaining the issue and fully admitting to any mistakes made by the company shows leadership and dedication.
  4. The explanation also shows the severity of the issue and creates urgency for the request to update the software.
  5. The last sentence, “I was able to fix it with their help” shows a huge level of appreciation for the customers and their contribution.
  6. It is an honest email, with a sincere effort to do what is right and provide the best customer service possible!

When I got the email, the first thing I did was update my software! I did not question their abilities, I was grateful for the email and notification.

How to handle technical issues that effect your customers

  • Be honest, tell the whole truth.
  • Get notice out quickly and in multiple ways (email, blog, social media, etc…)
  • Put the customer first and make it about the customer
  • Be available (personally) to personally handle any inquires that arise from your notice
If you are committed to your customers and their happiness, you should be doing things like this already! If you’re not, it’s time to reevaluate your customer service efforts.
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