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How to Apologize to an Unhappy Customer
By Lauren | June 9, 2008
A few weeks ago, I had occasion to attend a two-day meeting in a hotel that had just opened for business. Unfortunately, the overeager owners had jumped the gun, opening the hotel before it was fit for human habitation. The unfinished lobby looked like a war zone, one of the two elevators was out of commission (always worrisome when a hotel is more than a few stories high and there’s any risk of fire), and the staff was pleasant enough, but far from well-trained. My room was fine, but my fellow meeting attendees complained of unreliable power, ice cold or scalding showers and, in some instances, no water at all. It was, at best, an adventure.
When I got home from the meeting I received one of those “give us your feedback” e-mail surveys from the parent hotel chain. The place had been unpleasant enough that I decided to fill in the survey and, while I wasn’t unduly nasty, I wasn’t tactful, either. I sent my response into the Internet void, never expecting to hear another word.
It was a pleasant surprise to receive an e-mail the next day from the hotel’s manager. He apologized sincerely, responded to every one of my complaints, and explained what he was doing to bring the hotel up to par. He also offered me a free night in the hotel the next time I was in town.
So, what made the manager’s apology a winner? He didn’t dawdle – that e-mail was waiting for me less than twenty-four hours after I sent my survey response in. He was sincere and direct, and offered an explanation, but no excuses. He told me what he was doing to correct the problem, and he offered to make amends with a free night’s stay. It was a smart promise to make – I probably won’t be back in town to take him up on it anytime soon, but it felt like a genuine gift. I came away with a sense of having been heard, answered, and appreciated. Do that for your customers, and your apology is sure to be accepted.
Topics: Apologies, Business Ethics, business communications, customer relations |
June 10th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Wow, this is an excellent story! It almost sounds too good to be true; so good to hear that there are businesses out there like this!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Lauren,
The way in which a busineess goes about handling customer complaints is an extremely critical aspect of business management.
It appears as though the manager concerned actually took your complaint seriously and listened properly to what you were saying.
In any business, its twice as important to listen properly to what your customer is saying than it is to talk to your customer.
Cheers
Andrew
June 11th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
This doesn’t always happen, but hotels live and die by their reputation. Apologies go along with maintaining their image, but I’m glad we have an example of what a good apology looks like. Other hotels should take note of this.