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Business apology tip #2: dig in and don’t delay!
By Lauren | April 10, 2009
Once you decide to apologize to an unhappy client or customer, there are a few things you need to do before saying you’re sorry. You may only get one shot at apologizing, so it’s important to get it right the first time. But the clock is ticking, and every day you delay can make your apology a lot less effective.
You need to get moving.
First, find out exactly what happened. If you’re apologizing because of something one of your employees did, get that person’s side of the story and talk to anyone else in your company who knows something about what occurred. You’ll also want to take a look at whatever written records there may be of what went wrong - collect and review any relevant letters, internal memos, bills of lading, and so forth. Don’t forget to check e-mail - people tend to treat e-mail as casually as an off-the-cuff comment, but once an e-mail has gone out it becomes a permanent record of a contact between your company and your customer. It can be terribly embarrassing to make an apology only to find out that the mistake you’re apologizing for was worse than you thought.
Finding out what happened is an essential first step toward deciding exactly what you’re apologizing for. It can also be crucial as you seek input from a trusted professional advisor. More on that next Friday.
Topics: Apologies, Business Ethics, Personal Ethics, Professional Ethics, Risk Management, business communications, customer relations, ethics |
April 14th, 2009 at 2:25 am
I find this to be wonderful advice - especially the first paragraph - not just for business, but for private life as well. I once did some things I deeply regret that hurt one of my best friends. I wanted to apologize, but for a number of reasons delayed doing so for so long that, when I finally did apologize, it fell rather flat. Our friendship, thankfully, survived my tactlessness, but the situation had involved anyone less inclined to forgive than my friend, that rift I created simply by putting off my apology might never have been repaired.
April 16th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
[...] presents Business apology tip #2: dig in and don’t delay! posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “In order to make an effective apology for any [...]