We all make mistakes. Unfortunately, some of those mistakes may occur in the most inappropriate places and situations. Just take work for example. You really can’t afford to make any mistakes when it comes to your client’s projects, but sometimes there is no way of preventing them. We’re only human, though, so you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it too much. Instead of doing that, get to work at making things better so that your client isn’t too frustrated about it.
Here’s what you do if you do make a mistake in the workplace.
Be Prepared With Insurance
First of all, you might want to buy professional indemnity insurance with retroactive cover so that you are always covered for any potential mistakes that you may make. The best thing about professional indemnity insurance is that it will protect you in the event that the mistake you make causes your client to face a financial loss. You won’t need to reimburse them as the insurance should pay out to them.
Create A Plan To Correct The Error
As soon as you realize a mistake has been made, you need to come up with a plan as to how you are going to correct it. You should then present this plan to the client to make sure they are happy with your ideas. As long as you assure your client that you are working towards a quick solution, they shouldn’t get too mad about the situation. Make sure that the plan has actionable steps that detail how you will go about correcting the issue so that your client can clearly see how you are going to achieve things.
Take The Blame
Now is not the time to blame anyone else. If you made the mistake, then you need to stand up and own it. I’m sure that your client will really respect you for doing so. If you were working in a team-oriented environment and multiple people are responsible for the mistake, then you should all take the fall and share the blame equally.
Be Sure To Apologize To The Client
Don’t forget that it is crucial you say sorry to the client. If you don’t, then it will reflect very badly on your business as a whole and you could end up losing them to one of your competitors. So, make sure you always apologize and show just how regretful you are that the mistake happened in the first place. You might even want to apply a discount to the rest of the work you do for them as an olive branch.
Move On
There really is no point in beating yourself up about the mistake. They happen to the best of us, and it is really unreasonable to think that you would get through your whole career without making any. It’s best to view the mistake as a positive – see it as a learning curve that you can learn from.
Hopefully, you never make a mistake but if you do, these tips will help!
