Sometimes, things just don't work out right; it's unavoidable in any business. And any customer service manager's training manual will tell you that mistakes are really a blessing in disguise: A customer with no problems will maybe tell one person, a dissatisfied customer will tell ten people... and a customer who had a problem which was resolved by management will tell four people.
The thing is that it's pretty easy to do when you work in a restaurant or retail: Management appears as a different entity from the person who created the problem, and a lot of folks are satisfied by a dessert comp, a discount, or an upgrade of some sort. When you're a sole-proprietor, however, you're operating from a bit of a disadvantage because the person who made the screwup (you) is necessarily the same person who'd be fixing it (you). And in a personal service field, if they're dissatisfied with you, they're likely to not be interested in a comp or discount for future services.
What are some different ways you can think of to handle dissatisfaction, and what have you used/enjoyed in the past?
When I've caught it at about the same time--I've scheduled poorly and have to move a client, I've gotten sick and have to cancel, etc--I've enjoyed sending uncirculated photos, offering a small discount to accommodate for the changed time, or offered an extended time period for the same money. (This obviously has happened less as I've gotten more experience! Except the getting sick one; I still don't want to give anyone a cold.)
When it's after the fact--and I've been working since April, so by now it could theoretically be as much as eight months after the fact--I'm just not sure what to do. Even giving a full refund is impractical, since no one's going to want to travel and meet for that (nor give a mailing address.)
So, yes! Ideas?
