Google’s Mistake : Something to Learn From?

Google’s recent app error has been evaluated by various analysts, media, and blog writers all over the place. Many of these, that I have seen, have ridiculed the company for, first of all, making the mistake, and secondly, how it was handled.

Google’s Mistake… Sorry Everyone

“Sorry we messed up,” was the response that Google reps gave on Twitter, shortly after they “pulled the app to fix the problem.” Is this really a bad way to handle it?

Actually, I find that Google handled the situation with humility. Besides, being in a technical, fast-paced, industry means there’s destined to be mistakes here and there. It is implausible to expect a company, regardless of the size and resources, to never mess up. Part of the technical world involves the exact element of trial & error. However, can there really be a strategy behind handling company mistakes? Absolutely!

Responding to Your Customers – Company Mishaps

Okay, so we can agree or disagree on whether or not the company can make mistakes like this. However, let’s talk about the method of handling such mistakes. Every company will eventually have to deal with it. How would you handle the “oops” moment? Google has handled this in a very human way. Rather than spending 10 days crafting a very corporate, non-offensive, perfect (bland) response, the company issued a very timely and every-day-guy comment. It was as if there was a Google tech sitting behind his computer on on his smart phone just writing a typical message. Basically, it was personable; and that, is a respectable approach. No excuses. No fluff.

What’s your company’s approach?