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04/23/2019

Daily Buzz: How to Explain Mistakes to Members

How you handle mistakes can improve your member relations

Let’s face it: Even the most experienced team makes mistakes. And when they do happen, it’s important to be transparent with members about the error—and how you’re going to fix it.

Sure, there’s no easy way to say “We messed up,” but acting swiftly and owning up to the problem can establish more trust in your member relations.

“Regardless of what you say or how minor the ‘whoops’ was, a best practice is to reach out ASAP,” said Callie Walker from the MemberClicks blog. “Email is typically the best method for this, as it’s a quick and easy way to reach your entire membership.”

As for what you should say about the mistake, well, that depends on how critical the error.

“If it was something as minor as getting the date wrong in one of your emails, then there’s really no need to go into a long explanation,” Walker said. “But if it was something that caused a bit more of an inconvenience to your members, then an explanation may help.” She recommends outlining why the mistake happened, what you’ve done or are doing to correct the situation, and any next steps—but only providing details as needed.

“If there’s only one takeaway you get from this, it should be that the lines of communication between you and your members should always be open,” Walker said. “And, like we mentioned, email is typically the best tool for that.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.

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