The Art of the Business Apology
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The business apology can be worth its weight in gold when done properly. With an intentional strategy, it becomes a part of the overall customer experience and part of a plan involving customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty.
It goes without saying that an apology is critical when the company has made a mistake.
An apology is equally as important when the company has not made a mistake, but the customer believes it has.
It’s incredible how many organizations don’t know how, when, or why to apologize and fail to train their employees on the value of uttering with sincerity the words, “I’m sorry.”
There are nine simple steps to a good business apology.
1. Say, “I’m sorry.” Admitting your mistake or your perceived mistake is the first step in avoiding conflict.
2. Be sincere. Your body language and tone of voice need to match your words. You need to look and sound sorry. A fake apology doesn’t fool anyone. It can only make things worse.
3. React quickly. An apology that is several days old loses its credibility and effectiveness. A lot of damage can be done when you delay your apology.
4. Drop the excuses. Take responsibility for whatever was said or done. You weaken your apology when you start piling on excuses such as “I was having a bad day” or “I just broke up with my girlfriend.” That last sentence actually came straight out of the mouth of a server in a restaurant. It did nothing to solve the customer issue.
5. Forget the blame game. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was. It happened.
6. Make amends. Take action to set things right. I once sent a product that failed to arrive on the day I promised, and I ended up with a very unhappy customer on my hands. I apologized immediately and sent a replacement overnight. There was an additional cost to me, but I won over the customer who has since come back for additional products and services. The shipping company was at fault, but the customer didn’t care. It was up to me to take responsibility and correct the situation.
7. Don’t get defensive and argumentative. Once you get your dander up and start arguing, you are headed for trouble. You will only make matters worse. I love the saying “Never argue with an idiot. Those watching may not be able to tell the difference.”
8. Listen without interrupting. When customers get upset, they need to vent. When you don’t let the customer finish what they are saying, you are likely to miss valuable information that could help you understand and resolve the problem.
9. Don’t go overboard and over-apologize. Say what you need to say and do what you need to do, then move on. You make the situation worse with excessive apologies. “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
No one likes to admit that they were wrong or that they made a mistake; however, saying you are sorry is the right thing to do. Knowing how to apologize should be part of your personal and your professional plan. Including it in your customer service strategy is critical for business relationships and for the bottom line.
- Lydia Ramsey
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