Virtually every company has had the experience of making a significant and embarrassing mistake they'd rather not have their customers know about. If the humiliation alone weren't bad enough, the mistake's discovery might also have sizable financial consequences that rub salt in the wound. Our natural impulse is to fix the big problem quietly, hoping our customers don't notice so we can minimize the damage.
It turns out this is actually the worst thing we can do, since inadvertent mishaps create rare and powerful moments of truth through which customer loyalty can be strengthened and preserved.
