Adding my bit to the post, and follow-up, by the John Moores, is a memory from my days as waiter.
I remember a lot of the other waiters getting overly upset with the grillers when they made the occasional mistake with an order. It never bothered me though. I was almost always guaranteed an extra 5% tip when there was a mistake, because I got to show how well I handled it. Damage recovery is one of the very few times you get to show-off. It’s often difficult to shine when all is running as expected.
When we help our clients with pitches, the case studies we produce almost always highlight installation teething problems. Why? Well, they always happen, they’re expected, so there is no reason to hide that fact. On the other hand though, there is nothing more powerful than a client saying, “Well there was a hiccup at the beginning, but the team went into overdrive and got things sorted in hours.”
Damage recovery has to be the single easiest way to impress a client, cherish those opportunities.