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Building Trust in Your Utility: When Not to Apologize
Author(s) -
Goetz Melanie K.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/awwa.1654
Subject(s) - complaint , mistake , business , key (lock) , service (business) , event (particle physics) , customer service , marketing , computer science , computer security , law , political science , quantum mechanics , physics
Key Takeaways When a utility makes a mistake that affects its customers, an apology is warranted from the utility's management, not from its customer service staff. Customer service representatives should not immediately apologize when a customer issues a complaint if the event facts are unknown or as a response to a given, such as rates. Knowing when to apologize, and when not to, is important for engendering customer trust in a utility.