By Ben Rowley, Owner of NVC Media
If I’m an expert at anything, it’s human error.
We’ve pushed thousands of pieces content out there, and I’m sure mistakes can be found in all of it. Certainly imperfections. It’s probably the greatest source of stress in my professional life. We all make mistakes, but we all don’t, for example, print thousands of copies and distribute them throughout a community.
I’m sure I’m in blissful ignorance regarding many of the mistakes I’ve made over the years. However, some have been presented to me by disgruntled consumers. A few have been quite memorable. There’s nothing that sears mistakes into the soul like an agitated person shoving them in your face.
It all comes with the territory. In media, you are putting yourself and your stuff out there, imperfections and all. As I’ve navigated this reality, some principles have formed regarding how to handle the missteps that inevitably come. If you work with us or are considering working with us, understand this: sometimes we make mistakes. We try really, really, really hard not to, but it still happens. As it does, this is our mindset.
We Don’t Make Excuses
There are plenty of valid reasons for mistakes and imperfections that would help you understand where we’re coming from. We’re not going to use them. Bottom-line, our job is to produce exceptional work and that’s what we strive to do. When we make an error, we recognize it and own up to it. The reasons are our problem to address. Not yours.
We Will Try to Make it Right
We’ll fix it when we can, and we’ll run a correction when we can. We’ll learn from it and put in place processes to avoid them in the future. We’ll learn from it and improve.
We Don’t Swim in Toxic Waters
A motel owner was checking in a customer. He noticed she was sneaking in a dog, even though the sign clearly stated that pets were not permitted in the rooms. Strike one. Then the customer started asking snobby questions. Are the linens washed daily? Are the bathrooms clean?
After being asked whether the carpets get vacuumed, the motel owner asked for the room key back and informed her that the room was no longer available. The astonished ex-customer was then asked to vacate the premises.
I may have been a little more patient with that customer, but I agree with the principle. Doing business requires accord between both parties, and we prefer collaborating with understanding, amiable people. Even if we make a mistake, we don’t entertain endless consternation lobbed our way.
We work every day to provide quality service. We make no excuses. We own up to our mistakes. We fix what we can fix. We learn and improve. Then we move forward, enjoying the ride with great people.
Hope you can come along.