Zesty and the power of Sorry
Sarah Jons 
I had a lovely phone call from Jon Lane, Head of Account Management at Zesty and he clearly understands the power of the apology and connection.
I had a lovely phone call from Jon Lane, Head of Account Management at Zesty and he clearly understands the power of the apology and connection. Thank you for this Jon. I accepted his kind offer to re-book me (and pay for) a brilliant Physiotherapist, called Gemma Darley MCSP at HFS Clinics. It went really well and I appreciated the offer and personal contact, apology and desire to improve service. I wish Zesty well with the complex issues they face (getting people to do as they say!). It is a brilliant idea, that I hope will become a positive force for those in need of rapid booking service for Healthcare professionals. Thank you]
[original post]
Bill, I am so sorry to bring this up. I have a bad back and I am grumpy. It was a long time ago, in 1998 in fact, that a scandal surfaced about a sexual relationship between President Bill Clinton and a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. Although Clinton would initially deny the relationship, he would later deliver a nationally televised speech admitting an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with Miss Lewinsky. A formal investigation of the affair led to the impeachment of the president by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
President Clinton’s initial ‘apology’ joined Richard Nixon’s as a classic example of afailed apology. He never really apologised for anything in his life, and he didn’t now. He never used the words ‘I’m sorry’, and he acknowledged ‘regret’ only tangentially and euphemistically. Indeed, as he made quite clear, he wasn’t sorry, except, as all adolescents are, for getting caught. His passing imitation of an apology lasted for all of one sentence. By contrast, he devoted nearly nine full paragraphs to offering excuses.
We tend to view apologies as a sign of weak character. But in fact, they require great strength. We better learn how to get them right, because it’s increasingly hard to live in the global village without them. Originally, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) tells us apology meant a defence, a justification, an excuse. Its modern usage has shifted to mean to acknowledge and express regret for a fault without defence.
This modern definition captures the core elements of apology:
- acknowledgment,
- affect, and
- vulnerability.
Yet sorry seems to be hard for most people to say. Last year, I was very honoured to meet the great Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission for two years. At it’s conclusion he spoke of the missed opportunity to heal the wounds of apartheid if only whites had been able to match the willingness of their black victims to forgive. His remarks captured the opportunity that apology presents, the difficulty we have in seizing that opportunity, and the role that people can have in inviting apology?
My dear white compatriots… you have been let down by most of your leaders who have made you out to be too mean-spirited to respond to the incredible magnanimity and generosity of the victims. Please grasp this opportunity – or do you really agree with those leaders…? Is there no leader of some stature and some integrity in the white community who won’t try to be too smart, who is not trying to see how much he can get away with, but who will say quite simply: ‘We had a bad policy that had evil consequences. We are sorry. Please forgive us,’ and not then qualify it to death?
Consider this story and headline from yesterday (3.11.2014), about the UK Home secretary. Note the inverted commas on ‘sorry’ as used by the BBC: Home Secretary Theresa May has said she is “sorry” that the inquiry into historical child abuse has no chairman, following two resignations.
But how are you Tim? I am sorry to report I have a very bad back. I am amazing, but a bit stiff. A muscular tear above the 5th Lumbar vertebrae that has caused localised spasms, thank you for asking. My usual highly competent physiotherapist is out of town, so I thought I would test a new bit of online wizardry called Zesty, that claims to:
Find a Health Provider – Using Zesty, it’s easy to find a Dentist, Private GP, Physiotherapist, Osteopath, Chiropractor or Podiatrist. Simply pick a service, tell us where you are and we’ll show you great health professionals in your area. Read Reviews – Real people, just like you, have left valuable feedback from their experiences with health providers all over London.Book Online – Choose your healthcare provider, day and appointment time and book online right now. You can book an appointment anytime — never be on hold for Healthcare again!
Ok, excellent! I decide to book the nearest physiotherapist (about 4 miles away in London) and the next available slot. I clicked the time and ‘it’ asked for confirmation details and sent me a text with a code, which I then inputted into the system and ‘it’ confirmed appointment by text and email.
So, an hour later, I travelled across London. I was happy with this new, simple way, of not interacting with a real live medical receptionist person. The journey was slow and painful; but I had a chance of pain relief. I got there on time (5 mins before : see also 3 million dollars late) and interacted with the receptionist for the serviced offices, who rang the physiotherapist’s room. No answer. I sit in reception and waited 15 minutes. They (the reception team) took pity on me and rang a mobile number they had for the ‘physio’ and after a conversation with him, they pass the phone to me. I am told ‘we are having problems with Zesty and we didn’t see this appointment and we are going to cancel it. Come back again soon.’
Hmmm… no sorry, just excuses; but on the bright side, I got a sincere apology from the generic receptionist (I showed them confirmation on my text to confirm I am not an idiot and had the correct date / time). I journey back into central London, in pain and log on to read Zesty’s email where they invite me to give them feedback (on Trustpilot) which won’t be good. I see a phone number on the email which invites me to call if there was a problem. Ok, I will give them a chance (I do work within the hospitality industry and always think a call should be the first thing one does before reaching for trip advisor) and I make that call.
Big mistake.
After explaining what happened, I got a ‘thank you for letting us know ’ and ‘your feedback is always useful’ from an unidentified male, who really didn’t care less. I said that was not good service and I got the classic response, ‘there must be a problem between us [Zesty] and the providers’.
Yes, yes there is. But no apology? No sorry? so…
Zesty reviews
64 reviews on Trustpilot
TIM" class="redactor-autoparser-object">https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/r... – Latest review 5 hours ago
5 hours ago
Made a booking to see a Physio and had it confirmed. Turned up to the appointment and no one there. Called physiotherapist Blue Calm Room in Waterloo and they said ‘oh yes we have a problem with that and we didn’t see it’…I rang Zesty and explained got a ‘thank you for letting us know’ and ‘ that is a problem between us and the company’ – no apology, nothing. Very, very poor customer service and not efficient or effective…wasted 2 hours.
Now Zesty this is what you have on you front page: Read Reviews – Real people, just like you, have left valuable feedback from their experiences with health providers all over London.
You see, the act of apology represents one of the core reparative opportunities in damaged relations. It’s not easy but then again it isn’t that hard (training Zesty, training). Social media is everything, based on web-based, mobile based or cloud based technologies, they have created wonders as far as accessibility is concerned. For decades in hospitality management we used to say: you do one thing bad ten people will know by the word of mouth. For Zesty and many others, social media has changed that proverb overnight as the word of million mouths.
Think on this Zesty: so rapid is the spread of communication that it can make or break businesses, governments, or any agency. A genuine apology offered and accepted is one of the most profound interactions of civilised people. It has the power to restore damaged relationships, be they on a small scale, between two people, such as intimates, or on a grand scale, between groups of people, even nations. If an apology is done correctly it can heal humiliation and generate forgiveness.
Social media can have both positive and negative impact not only smaller businesses but also on franchise corporations. Actions become necessary and timely response to the reviews when they are genuine can result in a big payoff. This becomes important when brand image is concerned. Many hospitality businesses have utilised social media beneficially. Whether the reviews were positive or negative, they have nicely responded to their advantage. Opportunity here Zesty, to interact, to apologise and make good.
With the rapidly changing technology it is impossible for any business to ignore the social media. It should also be taken into consideration that it is just the beginning and nobody knows where it would lead us. An apology is a show of strength. It is an act of honesty because we admit we did wrong; an act of generosity, because it restores the self-concept of those we offended. It offers hope for a renewed relationship and, who knows, possibly even a strengthened one. The apology is an act of commitment because it consigns us to working at the relationship and at our self-development. Finally, the apology is an act of courage because it subjects us to the emotional distress of shame and the risk of humiliation, rejection, and retaliation at the hands of the person we offended.
Ken Cloke is one of the foremost authorities on the origins of past and present day conflict and how it is resolved. From the basics of interpersonal relationships and emotions to crime, labour management relations, prejudice, the environment, politics, education and economics, Ken walks us through what it means to become a global citizen on this planet and empowers us with techniques that are different from what we have done unsuccessfully for thousands of years. Ken showed me and many others, how to transform our social, economic and political institutions, and help save the planet. Read this (from Mediating Dangerously) and see if the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is taken from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission:
Instead of revenge, there will be reconciliation.
Instead of forgetfulness, there will be knowledge and acknowledgement.
Instead of rejection, there will be acceptance by a compassionate state.
Instead of violations of human rights, there will be a restoration of the moral order and respect for the rule of Law.
Let’s make it happen. Right now. Starting with us.
All dimensions of the apology require strength of character, including the conviction that, while we expose vulnerable parts of ourselves, we are still good people. Come on Zesty, don’t do a Bill.
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