How We Royally Screwed Up Our New Client Launch (And The AI Solution That Saved Our Asses)

Alright, time for some brutal honesty that's probably going to make my business partner cringe.

This week, we absolutely face-planted with a new client at Bylders. Like, full-on belly flop into the concrete kind of face-plant.

Picture this: Brand new client, super excited to work with us, we're pumped to show them what world-class email marketing looks like. First three emails we send for approval? Two of them had typos.

Not subtle typos either. The kind where you read it and immediately think "Did a third-grader write this?"

The Moment We Knew We F'd Up

The client's response was... polite. Too polite. You know that tone when someone's trying really hard not to say "What the hell did I just pay for?"

"Hey team, just noticed a couple small errors in the copy. Can we get these cleaned up?"

Small errors. Right. More like massive red flags that we weren't paying attention to the details that matter most.

Here's the thing – we preach about being best-in-class. We tell our clients we're going to make their email marketing absolutely bulletproof. Then we send them copy that looks like it was proofread by someone scrolling TikTok.

The worst part? This wasn't some junior copywriter mistake. This was on us, the founders, for not having systems that catch this stuff before it ever sees daylight.

We Owned It (Because What Else Can You Do?)

Instead of making excuses or trying to downplay it, we did the only thing you can do when you mess up this badly: We owned it completely.

Called the client immediately. Not an email, not a Slack message – an actual phone call.

"Look, we screwed up. This isn't the standard we hold ourselves to, and it's definitely not what you're paying for. Here's exactly what we're doing to make sure this never happens again."

No corporate speak. No "we're sorry for any inconvenience." Just straight talk about how we dropped the ball and what we were going to do about it.

The AI Solution That Actually Works

Here's where it gets interesting. Instead of just promising to "double-check everything" (which is what most agencies would do), we built something better.

We trained a custom AI model to QC every single piece of copy before it goes anywhere near a client. Not just for typos – though it catches those like a hawk – but for:

• Relevance scoring: Does this actually make sense for the target audience?

• Quality assessment: Is this up to our writing standards?

• Language consistency: Does the tone match the brand voice?

• Technical accuracy: Are all the links, names, and details correct?

• Engagement prediction: Will this actually drive the results we promised?

The AI runs through every email, subject line, and piece of copy with a fine-tooth comb. It flags anything questionable and gives us a comprehensive report before we even think about hitting send.

The Results (And Why This Actually Made Us Better)

Plot twist: This screwup turned into one of the best things that happened to our process.

The AI system we built doesn't just catch errors – it's making our copy better across the board. We're catching subtle issues we never would have noticed before. Response rates are up. Client satisfaction is through the roof.

That client who got the typo-filled emails? They're now one of our biggest advocates because they saw how we handled the mistake and what we built to prevent it.

If You're Doing Email In-House (Learn From Our Pain)

Look, most of you don't have the resources to build custom AI models. But you can absolutely steal our approach and protect yourself from similar disasters.

Step 1: The 24-Hour Rule

Never send anything the same day you write it. Write your email, walk away, come back tomorrow with fresh eyes. You'll be amazed at the mistakes you catch and the improvements you make.

Step 2: The Read-Aloud Test

Before any email goes out, read it out loud. Seriously. If it sounds weird when you say it, it's going to sound weird when someone reads it. This catches awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, and flow issues that your brain glosses over when reading silently.

Step 3: The Different Device Check

Check your email on your phone, your computer, and if possible, a tablet. What looks perfect on desktop can be a disaster on mobile. Also, read it in different email clients if you can – Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook all display things differently.

Bonus tip: Get someone else to read it. Doesn't matter if it's your business partner, your spouse, or your teenager. Fresh eyes catch things you'll miss every time.

The Real Lesson Here

Mistakes happen. Even to agencies that charge premium rates and promise best-in-class results. The difference between good companies and great companies isn't that great companies never mess up – it's how they respond when they do.

We could have made excuses. We could have downplayed it. Instead, we used it as fuel to build something better.

Your customers aren't expecting perfection (though they're paying for it). They're expecting honesty when things go wrong and real solutions to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The Bottom Line

That screwup cost us some pride and a few sleepless nights building the AI solution. But it gave us something more valuable: A system that makes every piece of content better and a story that shows clients exactly how we handle problems.

Sometimes the best thing that can happen to your business is a really good failure. As long as you're willing to own it, fix it, and build something better from the ashes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go run this article through our AI quality checker before I hit publish. Some lessons are worth learning the hard way only once.

Jk I still free style these and embrace typos…LOL

-Parker Burr

Founder