My new BFF, Jerry Doll, forwarded an email from the Ameristar Casino & Resort in St. Charles, MO. Apparently, they updated their slot machines' software and had a bug cause some problems. How they handled the issue is a great example of following the Old Rules of Business.
Look at how they handled this mini-crisis. They accept full responsibility for the problem. They apologize for the problem. They explain exactly what's wrong and to avoid having the problem. And they handle it in a humorous fashion by making fun of their programmers.
As I've discussed before, our #1 asset is the TRUST we build and maintain with our customers. Trust is based on full transparency, telling the truth all the time, no spinning, and genuine authenticity. Trust does NOT mean everything is going to be perfect all the time. If we have a long-term relationship with somebody, something will inevitably go wrong. Building and maintaining trust means that when that something does go wrong, we handle it the right way. No spinning, no misinformation, no hiding behind lawyers, no hiding behind silence.
PS: Want to be a BFF, like Jerry? All you have to do is send me something this, submit a Comment, send me an Old Rule, or Forward this to a friend. Then we can ALL be BFFs!
