Apology

When writing an apology, use formal language and letter formatting. Be brief and direct. Lengthy explanations can appear as though you are making excuses or talking around the issue. The customer is already unhappy – don’t aggravate the situation by sending roundabout or patronizing letters. Write a polite, formal letter, and make sure you proofread before sending. An effective apology can be the difference between keeping and losing a customer. Follow these steps to write an effective letter of apology:

• • Include the date at the top of your letter.
    • Put the date that you are sending the thank-you letter in the body of your letter.

Although this information is automatically recorded if you are sending the letter by e-mail, including the date makes this information easy to locate and starts the letter on a formal note.

• • If you are sending the letter by regular mail, include an inside address.
    • Restate the address to which you are sending the letter, two lines below the date.
    • Include the recipient’s name, street address, town, state, and zip code.
  • Use an appropriate greeting.
    • Use a formal greeting when apologizing.
    • Dear and the person’s name is generally appropriate for formal letters.
  • State your apology in the first line of your letter.
    • Say that you are sorry immediately in the letter.
    • Be specific.
    • Refer to the customer’s complaint.
  • Express responsibility for the situation.
    • Tell the customer that you and your company take responsibility for the situation.
    • Avoid placing blame or accusing others of misaction.
  • Explain how the situation has been or will be remedied.
    • Summarize actions that have been taken or will be taken to resolve the situation so that it will not happen again.
    • If you are offering the customer anything as part of the apology, explain clearly what you are offering and how to follow up on your offer.
  • Provide contact information for following up on the situation. In case the customer may need to contact your company again regarding the situation:
    • Tell them the correct person or department to contact.
    • Include details: the person or department’s name, preferred means of contact, and availability.
  • Express your willingness to help.
    • Let the customer know that you are available to help with future questions and complaints.
    • Provide your contact information and availability.
  • Apologize again before closing.
    • Restate your apology before closing.
    • Be briefer than in your original apology.
  • End your letter with an appropriate closing.
    • Sign off your letter with a complimentary close that fits the tone of your letter.
    • Sincerely will probably work well.

Apology Basics

Be aware of your tone, style, and assumptions when apologizing. You are already in a precarious situation with an unhappy customer. Do not aggravate the situation by being overly presumptuous or insincere. Use formal language and re-read your letter to make sure that you do not sound flippant or like you are avoiding responsibility.

Consider these domain-specific tips as you write and revise your apology:

Focus/Purpose

• • Be specific. Clearly, you are sorry that the customer is unhappy, so state exactly why and for what you are apologizing. Refer to the customer’s complaint. Explaining why you are sorry and taking responsibility for out-of-line actions are important parts of a sincere apology.

Development/Elaboration

• • Stay on-topic. Only include information that is directly related to the customer’s situation and its resolution. Other information, no matter how interesting or strong in your defense it may be, dilutes the power and sincerity of your apology.
  • Be brief. State your apology and explanations directly and concisely. Make sure that you have included enough information to be clear but avoid being too wordy or drawn-out. Remember, the customer is already aggravated. Wasting his or her time will not help.

Organization

• • Organize your letter into paragraphs based on topic. Divide your writing into categories based on what each sentence is doing or trying to say. The steps for writing an effective apology, above, are good topical divisions for paragraphing.
  • Use transitions to help your sentences flow. Connect sentences logically with transition words. Because your apology should be brief, it is important to make sure that it flows logically from one idea to the next.

Language/Style

• • Format your letter professionally. Follow guidelines for formatting professional letters or e-mails, as briefly described in the steps above.
  • Use proper grammar and language. Check your grammar, spelling, and usage. Double-check that you have spelled the customer’s name correctly. Using proper grammar helps ensure that your meaning is clear and will not be misunderstood.
  • Use the active voice. Using the active voice is the first step toward accepting responsibility. It is more concise and direct. Instead of saying, “Your situation is being resolved,” say “We are resolving your situation.”
  • Be sympathetic but not pathetic. Express how apologetic you are no more than twice (once at the beginning of the letter and once at its close). Show understanding for the customer’s feelings of frustration and annoyance in how you word your explanations.
    
    Avoid telling the customer what should or should not have happened. Do not overdo how ‘very sorry’ you are; apologize graciously and remedy the situation. You are trying to reinstate the customer’s confidence in you and your company. Show some confidence and pride.