Doing the right things when things go wrong

Some time ago I bought a multi-function printer online. Why did I buy online?

• It was cheaper than buying from a shop
• There was a special offer on – free delivery!
• It was quicker than getting into my car and driving to the retail park

These were all benefits I valued arising from my relationship with the online vendor. I had bought other IT-related items in the past from the same vendor. The experience had been a happy one. I wanted to repeat that experience with my multi-function printer.

When the printer arrived I didn't open the box for a while. I was comfortable in the knowledge that I had received a good service from this vendor in the past. When I was ready to connect to my new printer, it would be easy and straightforward. If not, there was always the technical support line, which I had previously been impressed with.

When I opened up the box to connect the printer to my computer, there was no printer control software. No CD.

I phoned the helpful technical support line. They answered quickly, and were helpful as usual. They helpfully told me I needed to speak to customer services, and gave me a different number to call.

This telephone number did not get answered. If you had not listened to Mozart for a while, and were keen to hear "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" over a tinny audio line, then this was the number to call. You could also get to know about some amazing new product offers from the vendor. But could you get through to a customer services person ...?

At last (after about 5 attempts, including one where I was left on hold for over twenty minutes) I managed to speak to someone in customer services, who said they would arrange for the missing software to be sent. But when this hadn't arrived after 10 days, I was back in Mozart hell, interspersed with news about some more amazing product offers. Then I was told I needed to speak to the company that made the printer. They would be able to send me the CD. I called them .... and of course they said they couldn't.

In desperation I listened to a lot more little night music and asked the online vendor to arrange to collect my printer and give me my money back. My printer was collected ... but no refund appeared on my credit card!

Back to Mozart again. Another long wait. Oh! I'd have to talk to the accounts department in Scotland. This time an Edinburgh number to call. Thankfully, no highland music to listen to. The man from accounts said he would look into it. He called back several days later. Yes, my printer was in the warehouse, but the reason my money had not been refunded was because ...... wait for it! ............. there was no printer software CD in the box.

I hope you enjoyed this story, but what does your company do when things go wrong? Do you mess up like the online vendor? Clearly, this experience with my multi-function printer completely negated all the benefits I saw in my relationship with the online vendor, and that particular relationship no longer exists.

When you put together a partnership – a relationship with another company – you need to think through how you will respond and behave when something goes wrong. There used to be a popular technique in the IT systems design arena called "Failure Mode Effects Analysis" or FMEA. You and your partner need to go through a FMEA, to decide how to handle situations where one or both of you have failed to deliver, or an external event occurs that threatens the relationship (e.g. your joint customer reneges on an agreement). Write down what will happen in such circumstances, and get support for this from both companies' senior management.

In the heady days of setting up a new partnership, it is easy to be optimistic and difficult to work through scenarios of failure. But how your company reacts when things go wrong will be crucial to maintaining relationships that may be vital to your company's continuing success. Doing things right when things go wrong will ensure that your partnerships are long-lasting and fruitful, and will earn your company a well-deserved reputation of being easy to do business with. Behaving like the online vendor will mean no one will want to partner with you – the hassle involved in putting things right when things go wrong will outweigh the benefits of working with you.

Partnering Points on doing the right things when things go wrong

• Try to ensure that for each of your partners, one person in your organisation is assigned as the primary interface to that partner, during both good times and bad. It is frustrating for partners if the first time anything goes wrong they find they have to deal with someone they haven't worked with before.
• Ensure there are workable, up-to-date escalation procedures in place, in both your and your partner's organisations, so that the necessary authorisation for any remedial action can be obtained quickly.
• Before deciding on what to do to put things right, always refer first to the work that was done when the partnership was set up. This may have been some time ago, with different people involved, but it is possible that the problems you now face were anticipated by the team that put the relationship together. What did they agree then that each company would do? If properly documented, any such agreement can provide a sound starting point for moving forward to a resolution.
• As part of the programme for putting things right, always include a study into what went wrong, how it went wrong, and how the same mistakes can be avoided in the future. Get your partner to agree to support this work and commit to making any changes that are required to prevent the same problems arising again. Likewise, make sure your own organisation implements any changes required.
• When setting up a partnership, encourage an open and honest dialogue so that potential issues can be identified and planned for. This is much better than hiding difficulties or concerns, only for them to emerge later and take you or your partner by surprise.
• Finally, if it is your organisation that is to blame for things having gone wrong, be prepared to acknowledge this and say "Sorry, we screwed up." People respect honesty far more than arrogance, and your partnerships will be all the stronger for it.

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