Preemptive Apology: How Netflix Earns My Respect, and My Business
Netflix is a company that has strict standards. They understand they live and die by how fast they can turnaround movies and get them back in the hands of their customers.
So whenever there is a hiccup, they apologize. And they apologize whether I complain or not! It just happens.
Perfect example:
A couple nights ago, my wife and I sat down to watch a movie through Netflix using their “Watch Instantly” feature. Surprisingly, there was a notice posted on the web site saying there were technical issues: no movies were available to watch instantly.
Oh, well. No big deal. My wife and I changed plans.
With any normal company, that would’ve been the end of it. They would have fixed the technical issues, and the next time we would’ve been able to watch a movie as planned.
But get this… I open my email and I see that Netflix has contacted me. The subject line says, “We’re sorry you may have had trouble watching instantly on your computer.” The email goes on to say this:
Dear Ryan,
Last night, you may have had trouble watching movies or TV shows instantly on your computer due to technical issues on the website.
We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. If you were unable to watch a movie or TV show last night due to the technical issues on the website, please click the link below, and we will apply a 2% credit to your next billing statement.
If you tried to watch a movie or TV show on the website last night and would like a credit, click on this account specific link in the next 7 days to apply your 2% credit. Credit can only be applied once.
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1-866-923-0898.
-The Netflix Team
Wow! Now that’s what I call customer service. Not only did they offer me a preemptive apology — they also offered me a 2% credit on my monthly bill just for my inconvenience!
What’s impressive about this is not so much the 2% credit — it makes no difference to me. What’s impressive is the effort they’re making to keep my business. They really care.
And that’s refreshing.
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. Do you think Comcast could learn a thing or two from Netflix?
