15 March 2002

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

But it shouldn't be: apologizing can win your company customers for life

by John H. Fleming
Coauthor of Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter (Gallup Press, November 2007)
When a customer feels wronged, companies rarely apologize. But when they fail to show contrition, the costs are high, and reduced customer loyalty, lost sales, and damaging word-of-mouth campaigns may be the result. To avoid the destructive consequences of inaction, try this six-step approach to problem resolution.
John H. Fleming, Ph.D., is Principal and Chief Scientist -- Customer Engagement and HumanSigma for Gallup. He is coauthor of Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter (Gallup Press, November 2007).
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What's Your Company's Purpose?
Problems, Problems, Problems
Time for Banks to Prune Their Branches?

Customer Engagement: Going Beyond Satisfaction

How do world-class organizations rise to the top in today's intensely competitive, turbulent global marketplace? High-performance organizations recognize the emotional drivers of human nature and leverage them to drive performance, one customer at a time.

This event will take place from 08:30 to 11:45 at the Gallup London office (The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HS). There is cost to register. To learn more or to register, visit the Customer Engagement: Going Beyond Satisfaction page on the Gallup Consulting Web site or contact James Rapinac on +44 (0)20 7950 4433.

For a complete schedule of learning opportunities, visit the Gallup Learning Events page.

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Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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