I just received the classic, "I'm sorry" email from a leading online retailer, Spiegel.com. The email was apologizing for a recent technical issue that may have been experienced while shopping on their site. In addition to the apology I also received a nice 20% off my next purchase offer code -- not bad.
The problem?
I haven't visited the site in a very, very long time - and then only for competitive analysis, not to shop. As such, I'm pretty confidant I wasn't on the site when the technical issues occurred -- thus, no reason to be "sorry".
This gaffe led me to ponder what mistakes marketers may be making when rushing to action to apologize for errors.
Via eHow's "How to Make a Sincere Apology" and some thoughts on how this applies to email:
Step 1: Be real and honest. If you're trying to fake your way through an apology, people will see right through it and it will only make the situation worse. Recommendation: Ensure that you are only sending apology emails to those customers that were affected. If you need to send more of a "blanket apology" be sure that the copy is generic enough to indicate that the customer "may" have been affected vs. "was" affected.
Step 2: Stay calm. If you can maintain your composure and be kind about it, instead of getting all riled up once again, it will just show what strong character you have. Recommendation: Think through all aspects of the apology prior to rushing to offer one. Is there really a ground-swelling of customer complaints being registered with Customer Service or are you simply being reactionary to a problem that occurred?
Step 3: Offer up reconciliation. Suggest putting the situation behind and moving forward as friends. More often than not, people have a hard time arguing with that. Recommendation: Offering up an offer or something of value is definitely a win on an apology - Spiegel scored points here.
Step 4: Forgive and ask forgiveness. An apology doesn't mean much if you can't simply say "forgive me." And if you're still harboring bitterness about the whole thing, you need to forgive the other person in order to make the apology even valid. Recommendation: Close the email directing customers where to go if they still have issues or complaints (i.e. Calling Customer Service).
Step 5: Get over it. Forget it. Don't resent the situation or the person, don't get bitter. What's in the past is past. Let's all move on. Recommendation: Mistakes happen - technology can have hiccups and people are fallible -- deal with the issue and then let it go.
The problem?
I haven't visited the site in a very, very long time - and then only for competitive analysis, not to shop. As such, I'm pretty confidant I wasn't on the site when the technical issues occurred -- thus, no reason to be "sorry".
This gaffe led me to ponder what mistakes marketers may be making when rushing to action to apologize for errors.
Via eHow's "How to Make a Sincere Apology" and some thoughts on how this applies to email:
Step 1: Be real and honest. If you're trying to fake your way through an apology, people will see right through it and it will only make the situation worse. Recommendation: Ensure that you are only sending apology emails to those customers that were affected. If you need to send more of a "blanket apology" be sure that the copy is generic enough to indicate that the customer "may" have been affected vs. "was" affected.
Step 2: Stay calm. If you can maintain your composure and be kind about it, instead of getting all riled up once again, it will just show what strong character you have. Recommendation: Think through all aspects of the apology prior to rushing to offer one. Is there really a ground-swelling of customer complaints being registered with Customer Service or are you simply being reactionary to a problem that occurred?
Step 3: Offer up reconciliation. Suggest putting the situation behind and moving forward as friends. More often than not, people have a hard time arguing with that. Recommendation: Offering up an offer or something of value is definitely a win on an apology - Spiegel scored points here.
Step 4: Forgive and ask forgiveness. An apology doesn't mean much if you can't simply say "forgive me." And if you're still harboring bitterness about the whole thing, you need to forgive the other person in order to make the apology even valid. Recommendation: Close the email directing customers where to go if they still have issues or complaints (i.e. Calling Customer Service).
Step 5: Get over it. Forget it. Don't resent the situation or the person, don't get bitter. What's in the past is past. Let's all move on. Recommendation: Mistakes happen - technology can have hiccups and people are fallible -- deal with the issue and then let it go.
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