“Sorry for the Inconvenience” – How to Offer a Genuine Apology

Good luck and do your NPS a favour, and never use the phrase: “Sorry for any inconvenience caused” ever again. Thanks to Liz Doig at Wordtree ... Home Menu Articles HintsandTips CustomerExperience EmployeeEngagement ServiceStrategy Management Skills Metrics Planning Quality Technology Explore Webinars UpcomingWebinars RecordedWebinars Resources Reports Research Directory Podcasts Newsletter Tips Hints&tips Tools ErlangCalculator Forecasting Multi-ChannelCalculator CheatSheets QATemplate JargonGlossary Erlang ErlangCalculator ErlangCalculation ErlangFormula ExcelCalculator OnlineCalculator WhatisanErlang? Insights IndustryInsights LatestNews CaseStudies Videos Events Forum Advertise Advertise MediaPack AboutUs “SorryfortheInconvenience”–HowtoOfferaGenuineApology Previous 163,960 Next RelatedArticles HowtoWriteaCustomerApologyLetter–WithanExample 16CustomerServiceApologyStatements CustomerServiceApologies-KeepingSorryFreshandSincere HowtoGetYourAdvisorstoShowGenuineInterestinCustomers ©Inga-AdobeStock-268886324     163,960 Filedunder-CustomerServiceStrategy,Apologies,Empathy,HandlingCustomers,Language,Rapport Sowhatisthebestwaytoapologizeforthemistakeandtheinconvenience? LizDoigofWordtreesharesheradviceforavoidingawfulapologystatementslike“sorryfortheinconvenience”andturning“sorry”intolifelongloyalty. WhereCanCustomerServiceApologiesGoVeryWrong? Noonelikesdealingwithangrycustomers.Andifwe’rehonest,alotoforganizationsbotchitwhentheydo,usingphraseslike:“Sorryforanyinconvenience”. Usinganyphraselike“sorryfortheinconvenience”lacksauthenticity. Yetwiththerightapproachesinplace,complaintscanbecomeagoldenopportunitytoturnunhappycustomersintolifelongsupportersandadvocatesofyourbrand. Imaginethisscenarioforasecond.There’saverynicewomanonthephonewho’spaidyourorganizationachunkofmoneytodeliverflowerstohermother-in-law. Theonlythingis,theflowersneverarrived–andnowhermother-in-lawthinkssheforgotherbirthday.Thewomanisupsetandangryandwantsyourorganizationtorespond. Sittinginthecontactcentreisanotherveryniceperson.Infact,hegravitatedtowardscustomerservicebecauseheloveshelpingpeople.Conflictisverymuchnothisthing.Sowhentheangrywomanonthephonestartsdemandingwhatheisgoingtodoaboutallthis,hewithdrawsemotionallyandtriestofindsafeground. Andinthecontextofacontactcentre,“safeground”oftenmeans: Usinglanguagethatcreatesdistancebetweenyouandyourcustomer Fallingbackonscriptsandpolicies Issuingnon-apologies Let’stakealookateachoftheseissuesandshareadviceforavoidingeachofthem,withtheaimofgivingapologiesthatarewarmandsincere. IssueNumber1–YourApologyCanCreateDistance Thisiswhenyou–usuallysubconsciously–pushasubjectawayfromyourselfbyusingwordsandphrasesthatmakeeventsseemasunconnectedtoyouaspossible. Here’sanexample: Don’tSayThis… InsteadSayThis… TheflowerswerepaidforonMarch14anddeliverywasconfirmedforMarch18,butnodeliveryoccurred? OK,sowetookpaymentfortheflowersonMarch14,andweconfirmedthey’dbedeliveredonMarch18…butthentheyjustdidn’tarrive? It’sasubtle,butimportantdifference.Ingrammaticalterms,thesecondversionfeelsdistantbecauseitusesthe“passivevoice”.Orinotherwords,nopeoplearereferredtointhecommunication.“We”didn’tgetitwrong.Itwas“thedelivery”thatfailedtohappen. Thisispartoftheproblemwithphraseslike:“Sorryfortheinconvenience.” Theydon’tfeelgenuineandtheymissanopportunitytoshowthatyoucare. Toyourcustomer,itfeelslikeyou’renottakingownership.Andbecausetheprocessofdeliveringtheflowersistalkedaboutratherthanthepeopleinvolvedinthatprocess,thecustomerbeginstofeellessimportantthantheprocess,andthattheyaredealingwitharobotic,heartlessorganization. Thisispartoftheproblemwithphraseslike:“Sorryfortheinconvenience.” Theydon’tfeelgenuineandtheymissanopportunitytoshowthatyoucare. Formoreadviceforshowingthatyoucarewhenapologizinginthecontactcentre,readourarticle: CustomerServiceApologies–KeepingSorryFreshandSincere IssueNumber2–FallingBackonScriptsandPolicies Anothersafeplaceanadvisormightwanttoretreatintoisscriptsandpolicies. Sowhenthecustomerraiseshervoiceanddemandstoknowwhathe’sgoingtodoaboutit,itwouldn’tbeunusualfortheadvisortosaysomethinglike: “Ourdeliverypolicystatesthatdeliverieswillusuallybemadeonthedateselected,betweenthetimesof7amand7pm,andthatasignaturewillberequiredupondelivery.Intheeventofadverseweatherconditions,civildisturbanceorotherdisruption,thereisnoguaranteeofdelivery.” Again,theadvisordoesnotknowwhattodowiththeangrywomanandistreatingtheconversationlikeagameofping-pong.Aslongastheadvisorsayssomethinginresponse,theyfeelliketheyaredoingtheirjobcorrectlyandtheirevaluationwon’tsuffer. Thecustomer,meanwhile,isnowheadingtosomewherebetweenincandescentandapoplecticrage.Notonlydoesthecustomerfeelalittlefoolishfortrustingyoutogetthisright,buttheadvisornowseemstobetakingthemick. IssueNumber3–IssuingNon-Apologies Manycompanies–especiallythosewithin-houselegalteams–haveafearofsayingsorry.Theyworrythatapologizingcanbeinterpretedasanadmissionofliability.Sotheyban–oratleaststronglydiscourage–employeesfromapologizing. Forcustomerservicesteams,thisisdifficult.Ifyou’retalkingtosomeonewho’sclearlyhadarubbishexperience,whatelsedoyoudobutapologize?Well,unfortunately,manyissuethenon-apology.Thesorry-not-sorrythatisexpressedalongthelinesof“I’msorryifyoufeelthatway”,or“I’msorryifyoufeelthishascausedyouinconvenience.” Ifyou’retalkingtosomeonewho’sclearlyhadarubbishexperience,whatelsedoyoudobutapologize?Well,unfortunately,manyissuethenon-apology. Ohboy.Toacustomer,talkingthisislikepouringoilonanalreadyragingfire.Becausewhatthesenon-apologiesdoisportraythecomplaintasbeingallinyourcustomer’shead.You’reonlysorryabouttheirfeelings,notwhathappened. Asaresultofthesestandardlacklustreapproachestosaying“sorry”,somecustomerswon’tuseyourorganizationagain–andthey’lladvisetheirfriendsnottoeither.Ifthey’reangryenough,somewillhitsocialmedia,ventingtheirunhappinesstotheworldatlarge. Butthere’sanotherwaytodoit.Insteadofmakingyourcustomersfeelliketheymeannothingtoyou–andthatyourcontactcentreisthereasabarrierbetweenthemandtheorganization,ratherthanawelcomingandhelpfulinterfacewithit–youcanturncomplaintsintogoldenmoments.Here’show… Formorephrasestoavoid–like:“I’msorryfortheinconvenience”–readourarticle:15ThingsaCallCentreAgentShouldNeverSay(ButManyDo) AnApproachforOfferingGreatCustomerServiceApologies Whenwe’reangryorupset,whatmostofuswanttohearfromthepersonwho’smadeusthiswayis: Acknowledgement Apology Action ThesethreeAsarethekeytogettingangry,unhappypeoplebackonside. Acknowledgingthatsomeonehasareasontobeupsetisimportant.Let’simagine,forexample,thatyourneighbour’scarblocksyourdriveandasaresult,you’relateforwork. Whenyouseethem,youaren’tbestpleased.Butifyourneighbourimmediatelysays:“Ohno,I’mcompletelyblockingyouin…Ihadnoidea…I’msosorry,”youmightstillbeannoyed,butitwouldbeverydifficulttobemoremadather. “Apologizeonce,apologizewell.”Bythiswemean,it’suselesstoeitherpartyifyoujustkeepapologizing….Butapologizeonce,sincerelyandopenly. TheApologyisimportanttoo.Weshouldtelladvisors:“Apologizeonce,apologizewell.”Bythiswemean,it’suselesstoeitherpartyifyoujustkeepapologizing.Sodon’twastetheirtimewithit.Butapologizeonce,sincerelyandopenly. Forthecustomerwhosemother-in-lawdidn’tgetflowers,thiswouldmeantheagentsaying:“Ohno,thatdoesn’tsoundgreat…letmelookintoitforyou…itappearsthedeliverywaswithdrawn,butIdon’tknowwhy…I’msosorry,let’ssortthisoutnow…” Sortingthingsoutisimportant.Humanbeingshaveaninnatesenseofwhatisfairandwhatisnot.Ifwefeelwe’vebeentreatedunfairly,itmakesusdeeplyupset. Buttheupsideofthisisthatthevastmajorityofpeoplearehardwiredtoplayfairtoo–socustomerstendtobeveryforgivingifyouputyourhandsup,saysorryandexplainwhatyou’regoingtodotoputthingsright. TheActionyoutakewillhavefarmoreimpactifit’sthoughtfulandtailored.Forexample,forthewomanwhowantedtosendflowers,youwillofcourserefundher.Butyoucouldgoatinystepfurtherandsendflowerstobothherandhermother-in-law,alongwithalittlenotetosaysorry,andthatitwasyourmistake. Thewayyouexpressallofthesethingshastofeelgenuineandheartfelt.Don’tcreatedistance.Don’tfallbackonscriptsandpolicies–anddon’t,whateveryoudo,say:“Sorry-not-sorry.” Formoreonthefirstofthe3As–showingacknowledgement–readourarticle:TheTop12AcknowledgementStatementsforCustomerService 5KeyTipsforSaying“Sorry”Well Whiletheapproachabovehelpstogiveyourapologygreatstructure,thefollowingtipsarealsogreattokeepinmindwhenthinkingaboutyourcustomerserviceapologies. 1.MakeSureYourQualityScorecardAccommodatesComplaintsandApologies Ifyouwantadvisorstodeliveraperfectcomplaintsexperience,thenyoumayhavetotweakyourqualityassurance(QA)andevaluationcriteria. AverageHandlingTime(AHT),forexample,shouldnotbeassessedthesamewayfordealingwithcomplaintsasitmightbeinothersituations.Angrypeopleneedtovent.Youradvisorneedstolisten.Thiswilltakeextratime.Thosethoughtfulactionsthatwillmakeyourangrycustomerloyalforlifewillalsoneedafewminutes. Doesyourframeworkevenallowangrycallstobecategorizedascomplaints?Somesystemsonlyrecognizeacomplaintifacaller–orpersonwhowritesaletteroremail–usestheword“complaint”or“complaining”.Soitmaybeworthbroadeningwhatcanqualifyasacomplaintandempoweringyouradvisorstotagcomplaintsthemselves. Formoreadviceonbuildingtheidealqualityscorecard,readourarticle:HowtoCreateaContactCentreQualityScorecard–WithaTemplateExample 2.TrainAdvisorstoDealWithAngryandUpsetCustomers Oursurvivalinstinctshavebeenhonedovermillenniatoprotectusfromthreateningsituations–sonoonereallylikestalkingtoangrypeople. Ontopofthis,customerservicespeopleareoftenhighlyempathetic,andthereforequitesensitive.Whichcanmakeitevenmoredifficultforadvisorstodealwithangrycallswell. Sotrainyourteams.Letthemknowthatanangrypersonisapersonwhowantshelp–andthatiftheyhelpthembyacknowledging,apologizingandtakingthoughtfulaction,thenthey’llhavetheabilitytoturnthecustomerintoalifelongadvocate. Makesureyourteamsfeelsupported.Andbesuretheyknowtheirevaluationwillnotsufferiftheyneedtotaketimetorespondtocomplaintsinwaysthataremorelikelytoresultingold-standardcustomerloyalty. Foradviceonhandlingmanydifferenttypesofdifficultcustomers,readourarticle:HowtoHandleContactsFromChallengingCustomers 3.GetRidofYourComplaintsTeams Ifyouhaveadedicated“complaints”teamthat’sstaffedbycolleagueswho’vebeenaroundforever–thenthinkofdisbandingit. Especiallyinregulatedindustries,therecanbeafeelingthatbecausecomplaintsoftenstrayintolegalorcomplianceissues,thenyouneedspecialistteamstodealwiththem.However,specialistcomplaintsteamstendtobemadeupofpeoplewho–thankstotheirrole–onlyeverseethecompanyanditscustomersintheworstpossiblelight. Specialistcomplaintsteamstendtobemadeupofpeoplewho–thankstotheirrole–onlyeverseethecompanyanditscustomersintheworstpossiblelight. Ifyoutalktoacomplaintsteam,itisn’tunusualtohearthemrattleoffallthethingsthatthecompanyisdoingbadly–buthavelittleideaaboutwhatit’sdoingbrilliantly.Thisshouldn’tbesurprising,becausetheirday-in,day-outexperienceishearingabouteverythingthatgoeswrong. Also,afterawhile,youcan’tblamethemforthinkingthattheyworkforafailingcompany.Theycanalsodevelopajadedviewofcustomers–becauseaswellasallthegenuinecomplaints,theydealwiththeserial,orevenprofessional,complainers.It’snotdifficultforcomplaintsteamcolleaguestofeeltheyliveinaworldwheretheircompanyisterribleandcustomersareconartists. Ifyouthinkadedicatedcomplaintsteamisnecessary,thenrotatepeoplefromacrosstheentirebusinesstoworkinit.They’llgainbrilliantinsightintowhatcustomerswantandneed–andofcourse,intowhattheydon’twantatall. Alternatively,thinkaboutabsorbingcomplaintsintothemainbodyofthecontactcentre,sothateveryonedealswithamixtureofhappy,middlingandangrycustomers. 4.ScheduleConversationsWithYourColleaguesinLegal Ifyourcolleaguesinlegal(and/orcompliance,ifyouworkinaregulatedindustry)havestrongviewsaboutapology,schedulesometimetotalktothem.ItmightalsobehelpfultoinvolvecolleaguesfromBrandintheconversationtoo. Usethemeetingtoexplainthatnon-apologyhasthepotentialtocausereputationaldamage–andthatyoufeelyou’dbebetterabletodeliverabrand-alignedexperienceifyouradvisorscansay“sorry”whenit’sappropriate. Tellyourlegalcolleaguesthatyou’llbehappytoincludetheirinputintotrainingandonboarding–butthatyoucan’thaveasituationwhereit’simpossibletoapologize. WhatAboutWhenItIsn’tYourFault? Sometimescustomerscomplainaboutthingsthathavegotnothingtodowithyourcompanyoritsservices.Thesimplerulehereisthatifit’snotyourfault,thendon’tapologize. However,youshouldbewarmandfriendlyinyourresponse.Thiscanlooklikethefirstexample,notlikethesecond. SayThis… DearJoe, Thanksforyourpatiencewhilewelookedintothecolourfadeonyourjacket. Theindependentlabsweusetoinvestigatepossiblefaultssaythefadingisduetosunlight.They’resuggestingthatyourjacketmaybehangingsomewherewhereonearmisexposedtoverybrightsunshine.I’veattachedtheirfindingstothisletter. Thisisn’tafault,andsowewon’tberefundingyouforthejacket. Kindregards, JohnSmith NotThis… DearJoe, FurthertoourinvestigationintoyourcomplaintregardingcolourfadeonyourWinterSolsticeDownJacket,IcanconfirmthatallfadingwasinfactduetounevenUVexposure.TheworkingassumptionofindependentexpertsatXYZLaboratoriesisthatthishasbeenastorageissueratherthanafaultandwearethereforerejectingyourclaimforcompensation. Pleaserefertoourtermsandconditionsofsaleforfurtherinformation. Kindregards, JohnSmith Sothenexttimeanangrycustomergetsintouch,fightyourinstinctstorunamile.Thinkinsteadabouthowyoucanmeetalltheirneedsandturnherintoaloyalbrandadvocateforlife. Alternativesto“SorryforanyInconvenience” Knowingwhat’sbesttosayisonething.Butintheheatofthemoment,it’seasytoslipbackintobadhabits. Timeandtraininghelptoestablishnewnormals.Soasyou’relookingtocreatebetterwaysofhelpingunhappycustomers,herearesomebetterthingstosaythan:“Sorryfortheinconvenience…”. I’msosorry,thismusthavebeensofrustrating. [INSERTPROBLEM]soundslikeanightmare/doesn’tsoundgreatatall.I’msosorrythishappened. Thanksforlettingusknowaboutallthis.I’msosorrywegotitwrong. EachoftheseexampleshasbeentakenfromCallCentreHelper’spopulararticle:16CustomerServiceApologyStatements FinalThoughts Customershateitwhenyourapologyisnon-committal;theywantyoutotakeownershipoftheissueandshowempathy.Thiscanhelpyouturnanegativecustomerexperienceintosomethingmuchmorepositive. LizDoig The3Asapproachoutlinedinthisarticlewillhelpyoudojustthat,aswellastheextratipsandgreatcustomerserviceapologyexamplesthatwe’vealsopresented. GoodluckanddoyourNPSafavour,andneverusethephrase:“Sorryforanyinconveniencecaused”everagain. ThankstoLizDoigatWordtreeforsharingthisarticlewithus. Formorelanguageadviceforcreatingmorepositivecontactcentreconversations,readourarticles: HowtoWriteaCustomerApologyLetter–WithanExample Top25PositiveWords,PhrasesandEmpathyStatements 17ProbingQuestionstoImproveYourCustomerService PublishedOn:25thMar2020-Lastmodified:22ndOct2021 Readmoreabout-CustomerServiceStrategy,Apologies,Empathy,HandlingCustomers,Language,Rapport Previous Next RecommendedArticles HowtoWriteaCustomerApologyLetter–WithanExample 16CustomerServiceApologyStatements CustomerServiceApologies-KeepingSorryFreshandSincere RelatedReports WhitePaper:HowArtificialEmpathyCanEnhancetheCustomerExperience WhitePaper:4KeyContactCenterTrendsforthePost-PandemicWorld EmpathyInCustomerService-AConsumerSurveyandPracticalGuide ContactCentreReports,SurveysandWhitePapers Getthelatestexcitingcallcentrereports,specialistwhitepapersandinterestingcase-studies. Choosethecontentthatyouwanttoreceive. 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