Sharing bad news with a customer is never fun. Most people are afraid of having bad news. There are numerous types of bad news, for example an order didn't ship, a deadline will be missed, something was damaged, etc. It really doesn't matter what the bad news is, how you handle the bad news is the secret to managing the customer experience. Which takes me to Dollar Shave Club, which had to share the information that its rates were rising.
 
Although the price hike wasn't very much – just a dollar a month – the news still had to be shared with their clients. How they did it was a perfect lesson on how to share negative news, ideally without upsetting the client.
 
They sent a letter to their members. The first couple of paragraphs sum it up:
 
Hey Ryan,
 
We are sending an email informing you of the increase in each Executive cassettes price by $1 as of the 13th of May 2019. Such cassettes are normally issued once a month. We think that we're being fully transparent with our Members, even if it requires delivering tough news.
 
We know. It's a bummer. We don't want to do it.
 
The letter further explains that since 2012, they have not raised prices, and wish to keep delivering the quality their members expect from them. Sure this is only a dollar more, but nobody likes paying more for something.
 
Some of the more important points to highlight: First, they used my name. Second, the style of the email was casual which aligns well with their brand. Third, they were direct and to the point. It's all in the first sentence.
 
When delivering bad news, there are many ways to do it, in person, through an email, letter, etc. Regardless of how it's delivered, consider the following steps:
  1. Be direct.
  2. Apologize - do this in order to empathize with your customer, not because you're at fault.
  3. Be personal.
  4. Thank the customer for both their past and potentially future patronage.
  5. Provide an explanation, not an excuse.
  6. Be available to answer the customer's questions.
Bad news happens, it's unavoidable. Life is not perfect regardless of how vigilant we are. You will eventually have to send someone bad news. So long as you handle bad news tactfully, it doesn't have to be all bad. Dollar Shave Club did just that. So turn that frown upside down, and turn that bad news into a good customer experience!