As a glued to the TV youngster, I watched countless cowboy shows and used to run around the neighborhood spouting cowboy clichs like, Well cut m off at the pass.

That hokey phrase came to me from somewhere back in my memory the other day when talking to a client who was in trouble with a customer over a delayed delivery. The customer was going to be furious and my client was hoping the problem would just blow over without a confrontation. But somehow we knew that it just wasnt going to go away.

I strongly suggested that, rather than wait until the customer got so angry that they called and verbally exploded, we should cut m off at the pass by proactively calling the customer politely and apologize, explaining the situation and what you will be doing to correct it, then giving the new expected delivery date (and then duck!). This shows that you are aware of the situation and doing whatever you can to minimize the effect of it. You are giving assurances that you will be working to expedite it to the best of your ability and, assuming that the customer is a reasonable person, will lower the volatility of the confrontation. Of course, you still have to deliver on your promise and the customers new expectations.

No one wants to hear bad news but it is so much better to own up to the situation by confronting the problem head-on then wait for it to be resolved in an exchange of fury. If the problem is handled well, many, if not most, customers will be somewhat understanding. They know that problems arise, errors are occasionally made, (gosh even I will admit to making a few! Lets see, April of 1997 I think but I digress) and most people will extend a second chance.

When problems arise and you know you will fall short of both your promises and your customers expectations, cutting m off at the pass will defuse the situation enough to give you the time to deliver on your promises and hopefully keep your customer from abdicating to your competition.