(Knock knock knock) “Amy.” (Knock knock knock) “Amy.” (Knock knock knock) “Amy.”
Any Big Bang Theory fan knows what’s coming next. Sheldon’s signature knock brings him into Amy's laboratory, where he has to do something far outside his comfort zone: apologize for being a jerk while assisting her. It doesn’t begin well.
Sheldon: “I wasn’t myself. I had lost a lot of thumb blood.”
Amy: “That’s not an apology.”
Sheldon: “That is your opinion.”
And it just goes downhill. “I’m sorry that you weren’t able to ... that my genius ... that the soap was ...”
If Sheldon’s encounter teaches us one thing, it’s that crafting a decent, honest apology isn’t easy. When your company has cheesed off a customer for reasons within or beyond your control, your first impulse may be to deny, deflect or defend yourself in ways that don’t constitute an actual mea culpa.
But customers can see right through a phony apology. And you’d have to be just plain naïve to believe that this communication stays between you and the recipient. Not these days. If you mess up, your inappropriate email will make its way into somebody’s Facebook or Twitter page. What luck – your faux pas can then go viral all over the internet!
Of course, there’s an upside to an apology email – a heartfelt and results-oriented response can get shared, too. That’s great for boosting your credibility.
So without any further ado ...
Do React Quickly & Summarize the Problem Clearly
You have to let the customers know you understand what made them angry enough to complain. A great example of fast response and clear summary comes from the CEO of Buffer, a company that suffered a security breach affecting many customers. Here’s his opening paragraph -- and note his use of the more personal "I" as opposed to the corporate "we":
“I wanted to post a quick update and apologize for the awful experience we’ve caused many of you on your weekend. Buffer was hacked around 2 hours ago, and many of you may have experienced spam posts sent to you via Buffer. I can only understand how angry and disappointed you must be right now.”
Don’t Get Mealymouthed
The key signs of mealy-mouthedness are words like “if” and “may.” I’m sorry if anyone was offended. I regret any trouble this may have caused. Clearly, if something is so messed up that you must apologize, it’s beyond the “if” and “may” stage. It actually happened. Own up to it.
Similarly, don’t turn responsibility back on the victim. Nothing raises hackles like that patronizing line, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
Do Make it Right
“I’m sorry” goes a lot farther when you demonstrate your commitment to fixing the problem. You may not have an issue that matches the scope of Airbnb's when a host’s home was vandalized by a guest, but you have to admire the take-charge tone expressed by CEO Brian Chesky in a portion of his company apology:
“We want to make it right. On August 15th, we will be implementing a $50,000 Airbnb Guarantee, protecting the property of hosts from damage by Airbnb guests who book reservations through our website. We will extend this program to EJ and any other hosts who may have reported such property damage while renting on Airbnb in the past.”
Don’t Turn the Apology into a Sales Pitch
If a mess-up is bad enough to warrant a single or mass apology, this is not the best time to pat yourself on the back. Step off that thin ice before you start to talk about your company’s great history or new gadget or top standing in the marketplace.
Offering a special coupon code or discount to affected customers can help generate goodwill, but take a lesson from GoDaddy’s tone-deaf response: They “apologized” for a service interruption by offering a 30% discount – which GoDaddy frequently offers anyway – for the purchase of new products. Customers were not amused.
Make it Your Business to Apologize Well
Writing apology emails is a humbling, but educational, experience. Done right, this kind of messaging can enhance your reputation.
Even Dr. Sheldon Cooper figured it out. At Amy’s insistence on a real apology, he drops the pretense and simply says, “Sorry.” And all is forgiven.
* Image courtesy of depositphotos.com
* Gif courtesy of meagancurd.com
