QA Revistied :: Avoiding Mistakes

Back in January we talked about reviewing the quality control basics. Because this morning I received two separate correction messages for things we didn’t cover in January I thought it was a good idea to revisit the topic.

One of the messages I received today was an updated version of a message I received yesterday that contained an email address in the message to RSVP to an upcoming event. The email address was wrong – an 's' at the end where there should have been none. Today's message asked that subscribers reply to the message that was sent this morning if they were interested in attending the event.

A simple review of the copy before the message went live could have eliminated the embarrassment and a second message.

The other correction email I received was related to an incorrect offer going out. The interesting part is I opted in to receive messages from this brand two days ago. I never received the original message.

The brand chose to honor the incorrect offer – 75% off, which was nice of them. However, now they have opened the offer up to everyone, including those who have opted-in since the message was sent.

While I appreciate their generosity, had it been me, I might have limited my correction message to only those who were sent the original message.

Mistakes happen, after all, we are only human. However, there are ways to minimize the risks:

Have other members of your team review your message before it is sent live.

Do not send your message until you have final approval from your main stakeholder. If you are the main stakeholder, it is especially important to have an extra set of eyes before you send your message.

Check, double check and then check again any links or email addresses in your message to be sure that everything is correct.

By reviewing copy and getting approvals, both of these correction messages could have been avoided.