A bus contractor was given a contract to provide 27 buses to carry a group of people for a day-picnic to a resort near Mumbai.
The buses arrived in the morning on time. 3-4 buses were only partially filled, as some people canceled at the last moment. But, all the buses reached the resort on time. The contractor had outsourced some of the buses from other contractors as his own fleet did not suffice for this big group.
In the evening, while returning, it was discovered that three of the buses belonging to the other contractors had left early as they were getting late for their next trip. They were not concerned about stranding the passengers at such a remote place. The drivers of those buses just left the venue.
At that time, the contractor happened to be at the resort. This being a big group, he had decided to come personally to check if all was well when the group was going to return.
Seeing the contractor present there, many of the group members started complaining and shouting at him.
Then, the contractor said:
“I am sorry this has happened. I express my sincere apologies. The unruly behavior of some of the drivers has caused this problem. This is not acceptable to me. I have never encountered such a problem.”
Still, some of the group members expressed their anger rudely. They wanted to shower their frustration on him.
At that time, his response was:
“You can tell me whatever you wish. I am here to listen. I understand you are troubled and I empathize with you. But at this moment, please let me arrange another bus immediately so that we can transfer these 35-40 passengers as soon as possible. I am here to take your frustration, but first please let me solve this problem. It is my humble request.“
He then did whatever he could do to salvage the situation and arranged for a bus in some 45 minutes. The remaining passengers were finally transported albeit late by about an hour.
He then turned to the organizers, expressing his apology again. The organizers were all understanding. They all had witnessed what had happened and what efforts were made by the contractor to salvage the situation. They accepted it was not entirely his fault, but different service standards of the sub-contractors had caused the problem. They let it go and thanked the bus contractor for being there and handling the situation. They assured him of their repeat order for the forthcoming events.
Such crisis situations occur in the service industry, due to the varying attitudes of employees and different standards and values of associate agencies, sometimes the service provider fails in providing the promised level of service. When such a thing happens, one needs to handle the situation carefully. If done well, such a negative episode can also be turned to its head.
The bus contractor converted the crisis situation into an opportunity to build a stronger bond with his customers.
What did he do right?
- He showed up
- This is a big plus. There is no bigger reassurance of our commitment than showing up when needed. Possibly, he was concerned about the big order and wanted to ensure that all goes well.
- He accepted his mistake
- In such a situation, we can be tempted to argue to prove that it is not our fault. He did not argue. His apology and his communication to the affected people were the right things to do to dowse the fire.
- He handled it calmly
- He quickly got into action mode. Without losing his calm, he asserted himself to be allowed some undistracted time to solve the problem.
- He salvaged the situation
- Shit happens. We all encounter partial or full failures in serving our customers satisfactorily. He focused on the solution and did whatever was possible. He did not hesitate in spending almost all his profit in the transaction in arranging an alternative vehicle urgently.
Conclusion:
He demonstrated how a crisis situation can be prevented from spoiling customer experience and can be actually used to convert into a big loyalty-building opportunity.
