Murphy's Law was in full effect. My associate and I conducted a live teleseminar together.
We rehearsed the night before using the conference service. She did a live recording of a different class the day before and it went off without a hitch. So we knew the service was reliable.
The day of our teleseminar we hit a glitch. As soon as we started the recording feature several people were kicked off the call. A flurry of emails warned us that they couldn't get back on. While my colleague furiously contacted tech support I carried on with my part of the seminar.
What should you do when you've prepared your presentation and you still get derailed?
Take a lesson from champion ice skaters. When they fall on the ice they get up and keep going. Immediately after the call, we recorded the same content without any listeners on the line. We then sent the link to everybody who registered. We offered them the recorded call, an offer to call us with any questions, and a refund if they were not satisfied. Only one person asked for a refund. (We sent her the link anyway).
What's the lesson here?
- Always anticipate what could go wrong and have a back-up plan.
- Choose reliable technology. (Higher priced plans provide better service).
- Rehearse using the technology and know that it can work well one day and not the next.
- Keep going. Continue your presentation with the people who can hear you.
- Do the right thing. Your reputation and integrity are more important than any profits. Your reputation is your profit center. If requested, we would have refunded every participant. Your content is only part of the message. Customer service is the REAL message.