I've posted a link to a video posted on Youtube by Dave Carroll, called 'United Breaks Guitars'. In just a few days it went global with more than 4.5 million views. Seems this client's guitar was destroyed when he traveled on United. When he wasn't able to get the issue resolved, he took matters into his own hands. The rest as they say is history.

Enjoy the video, but as you do, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do your clients want to continue doing business with your firm as a result of the actions of your employees? Employees represent the firm. To the client, employees are the firm. Dave encountered an 'attititude of indifference', the 'not-my-job syndrome' and more. The result was a broken guitar and a frustrating experience.
• What policies do you have in place that are not client-centric? Are employees put in the tough spot of implementing policies that aren't in the best interest of your clients? You won't be able to convince your employees, let alone your clients, that customers are important if your policies aren't aligned.
• What service recovery process does your company have in place that would stop a posting like this from occuring? When clients complain about an issue, how is it resolved? Is the process well thought out, or is your clients' experience left to chance?
• Is the true cost of not resolving issues taken into consideration when implementing policies or making decisions? Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Social media, such as Youtube, Facebook, e-mail and blogs can spread service issues quickly. 4.5 million to be exact. This makes delivering a consistent excellent experience that much more important.