Were you busy on Instagram? Or watching the new movie trailers on YouTube? Or was just looking at those adorable cat videos in your newsfeed? And you forgot that you were supposed to be doing your job? And you had to make an important delivery a while ago, and you sent it late, and you know you’re in trouble if your boss finds out? But mistakes are good, they’re the stepping stones to learning; we all make them, so don’t let it make you give up on life, and just stay in your pajamas and watch Netflix. There could be many ways a business can say sorry to its customers; whichever way you choose to show it, be sure to send them a warm apology letter along with it.
A Good Apology Pays Off
Poor or skimpy services can damage your brand equity, market share and reputation easily, online or off-line! Sending an apology letter to the customer for their bad experience is vital for a prospering business.
Timing Is Everything
It’s best to make sure that the letter is sent to the customer right way. Be empathetic, considerate, and give perspective. Make sure it’s addressed to the right person, and by name to make the customer know they’re close and valued.
Walk A Mile In Their Shoes
“True contentment comes with empathy.” – Tim Finn. Show your concern for the inconvenience your delayed delivery may have caused, and that they’re important to you and your company. They don’t want or have to hear about the reason; all they really wanted to hear is you’re sorry, and that you understand.
Take Full Responsibility
Make sure own it, and assure your customer that this won’t happen again. Remember, when dealing with customers, you’re not you; you’re the company. Admitting your mistake makes you human to both your customer and your employer, and heals any painful experience for any party before it could wound your career or the company’s reputation in the long run.
End the letter by thanking them, and telling them how you’ll try your best to make your services better, and that you will do whatever is necessary to help them and assist them in any way possible.
Here’s a sample of an apology letter to a customer for delay in delivery:
Sample Apology Letter to Customer for Delay in Delivery
December 18, 2016
Dear Ms. Hicks:
It has been brought to my attention that your order was not delivered to you on time. Please accept our sincere apology for the trouble and distress this has caused you. Know that you’re important to us, and hearing that our service was less than optimal for you, we feel awful and are terribly sorry.
We regret that we failed to deliver your product to you on time; as it’s not the norm at our company; this is absolutely unacceptable, and we promise we’ll get to the bottom of this right away as to the reason for the delay.
We promise to expedite your delivery on top priority basis, and make sure this type of situation doesn’t happen again.
With this letter, we’re sending you a 50% OFF coupon for your next order, as a gesture of respect and homage to your patronage.
We take this very seriously! I assure you that we’ll strive always to raise our services to your satisfaction, and if there is any difficulty, don’t hesitate to contact us on our email or phone.
Thank you for your valuable feedback and patience,
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Scarlett M. Hanson
Customer Relationships Manager