Today I visited my local bagel shop. Let’s call it “Smart Guys.” It is so close to my house that I could easily walk there. I used to frequent the place until they were frequently out of the bagels I wanted. I didn’t do statistical analysis on how often they didn’t have what I wanted; I just got tired of the “sorry, we’re out” and stopped going.

Today my boys wanted bagels. So I tried again. Guess what? They were out of one of the two bagel types I wanted. I mentioned this to the “assistant manager.” He was a pleasant fellow and explained how that sometimes happens.

No apology.

No “What can I do to make it right?”

No, “We value your business.”

I was mellow. I was conversational. I didn’t get excited. After all, I’ve lived a full life without their product for quite some time now. I can live long and prosper if I don’t go back again.

In a better world, the assistant manager or the manager (lurking in the background doing important things) would have been engaged and maybe a little excited. In this economy it is tough getting customers in the door. You want them to come back, not go away disappointed.

For them, it was business as usual.

Customer service mistakes are made all the time. We make them in my office despite our very best efforts. What should do you when they occur?

First, APOLOGIZE. That should be self-evident but I rarely experience it. If you aren’t genuinely sorry you disappointed a customer–for whatever reason–you need to find a different line of work.

Second, EMPATHIZE. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. How  would you feel if you wanted to give someone your hard-earned money but you didn’t get what you were willing to pay for? You don’t necessarily have to agree with the customer’s reasoning but you do need to understand why and how they feel.

Third, MAKE IT RIGHT. Think really, really hard about what you can do to prove you value the customer’s business. Here’s a kooky idea: why not give them a free bagel to make up for the fact they couldn’t buy the one they wanted? The cost is miniscule but the impact is major. Or how about a coupon for a free bagel on the next visit (there’s a nice way to get them to come back. Just make sure you’re not out of bagels again).

Finally, MAKE IT EASY TO COMPLAIN. I couldn’t find any customer feedback cards at Smart Guys Bagels but was able to track them down online. I emailed my feedback to see if, when and how they’d respond. The only thing worse than a complaint you get is a complaint you don’t get.

Like most things in life, service recovery is simple. It means knowing what to do to prove you appreciate the customer and then doing it.

It also means teaching everyone on your team these simple techniques and making sure they use them.