We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Letter of apology. What to do if you are slandered, but you are not guilty of anything?

The ability to admit guilt and apologize is one of the characteristics of a mature personality. But sometimes they are mistakenly perceived only as an important part of sociocultural norms, and from childhood we are taught to say: “Forgive me, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Unfortunately, this skill does not always develop throughout life and often gets stuck at the very level we were taught. Therefore, the apologies of adults sometimes sound untenable, like baby talk.

Why is it so difficult for us to apologize?

It means admitting that you're wrong and that you're wrong, and it takes courage to show that you're not perfect. As children, they demanded an apology from us, forcing us to think about our behavior or threatening to deprive us of sweets or cartoons. As a result, sociocultural norms were not realized, but were imposed from the outside, and were accompanied by misunderstanding, infringement, and resentment.

Adults with power demand what the child does not want or cannot yet understand, and many of us, along with the skill, internalize this feeling of humiliation for a long time.

There is a big difference between “I’m sorry” or “I ask for forgiveness” and “I’m sorry (forgive) me, please.”

In an attempt to avoid feelings of humiliation, adults do not always choose truly correct formulations. Surely you are familiar with the phrases: “Forgive me if I offended you,” or “Forgive me, but I think...” - sometimes we say them unconsciously, without realizing that these “ifs” and “ but” speak of insincerity. They hide the speaker’s uncertainty that he really repents and understands how he offended the other.

There is a big difference between “I’m sorry” or “I ask for forgiveness” and “I’m sorry (forgive) me, please.” In the first case, we appeal to ourselves, and this is more like a formal fulfillment of social conventions. In the second case, we turn to the person whose feelings have been hurt. This is much more difficult because it makes us vulnerable: the other person is free not to accept an apology.

Why do this

Why do we even ask for forgiveness? Try asking this question to yourself or someone you know, and you will probably hear in response something like: “Because I was wrong/mistaken,” or “It was the only right thing/ mature/responsible decision." This is the problem: such motives do not reflect what an apology should achieve.

It is believed that if you do this, it means that you have offended someone, upset someone, let them down, or upset someone’s emotional balance. Therefore, the main goal should be to try to restore it, repair the emotional damage and receive sincere forgiveness. For an apology to be effective, it must be focused on the other person's feelings and needs, not our own. Often we don't try to help others feel better, we strive to make ourselves feel better.

The Key to Effective Apologies

The most important of these components that we often forget is the expression of empathy. In order for another person to forgive us, he must see that we were able to realize and experience for ourselves everything that we made him go through. Doing this convincingly is more difficult than it might seem. Let's look at this with an example.

Example

Situation

You've had a hard day at work and you return home in a terrible mood. It's late and you feel too groggy and irritable to go to a close friend's birthday party. In addition, it seems to you that in such a state it is better to stay away from people and there is no need to spoil the mood of others. You wake up the next morning with a crippling sense of guilt, which gets worse when you start to analyze the situation and realize that you didn’t even call your friend to let him know you weren’t coming.

Solution

What do you need to consider to make an apology effective? Before you continue reading, make your list of points that you would mention in a conversation with a friend.

Made up? Five Keys to an Effective Apology:

1. Excuse me please.
2. I'm really so sorry! I didn't come to your birthday yesterday.
3. I had a terrible day, I was literally exhausted and just went home to sleep. But this in no way justifies the fact that I did not show up without even warning you about it.
4. I can only imagine how upset and disappointed you were, how hurt you were and how angry you could be with me. I know how important this holiday was for you and how much effort you put into preparing it. You were probably waiting for my appearance and were worried. I hope you were able to enjoy the holiday, but I feel guilty that my selfish behavior may have affected your mood. I regret that as a friend I could not be there and share the holiday with you.
5. I understand this may take some time, but I hope you can forgive me.

Although admitting your mistakes may not seem easy, it will not only help improve your relationship, but also ease your feelings of guilt. Remember that expressing empathy takes practice and is worth learning. In addition, if you remember that you don’t have to do this, as you were once forced to do as a child, but want to because you sincerely regret it and the relationship is important to you, it will be easier for you to choose the right words.

Regardless of the content, the style of a business letter should be of a friendly, partnership nature, which would combine the natural ethical norms of human relations and the interests of the business, without emphasizing the importance of one’s own official position.
All correspondence can be divided into:
Formal letters - prepared on behalf of an enterprise, a company to another company and which are of an official nature.
Informal letters - consist after an official acquaintance, after the establishment of partnerships by workers of the same level (for example, a sales manager of one company similar to the manager of another company) with a proposal for a personal meeting to discuss business issues and exchange information.
The letter should begin with an appeal. The problem of choosing a treatment is quite delicate. The most common requests are the following:

Dear /a (name and patronymic)!
Dear Mr. (Madam) ...!
Dear sirs (colleagues)!
Dear sir!
Glibokoshanovny (name and patronymic)!
Dear Sir...
In modern business correspondence, it is customary to indicate the addressee's title or indicate his profession.
High-ranking Mr. Minister!
Dear (Honorable) Professor!
Dear teacher!
Honorable Mr. Rector!

We should not forget that in the Ukrainian language, addresses are used in the form of the vocative case. Lack of address can be interpreted as an insult to the addressee and a violation of business correspondence etiquette.

Appeal.
It is very important to carefully consider the initial phrase of the letter, on which a lot can depend, because it is he who must convince the addressee of the legality of writing the letter. If this is a letter in response to a request, an invitation, a letter of gratitude, then in the very first sentence it would be appropriate to politely express gratitude.

We express our sincere gratitude for...
Thank you for your letter with tips and recommendations for...
First of all, let me thank you for...
This letter is a manifestation of our gratitude for...
Please accept our sincere (sincere) gratitude for...
We are sincerely grateful to you for...
Let me express my gratitude...
We are grateful to you for the invitation...
Thanks for the opportunity...

In your confirmation letter, you should use the following initial phrases:

We gratefully acknowledge receipt of the letter - replies...
We officially confirm our consent to...
To confirm our preliminary agreement (telephone conversation), we inform...
We confirm receipt of your telegram...
We received your letter notifying us of... and are sincerely grateful to you.

Common introductory phrases in business letters refer to a previous letter, telephone conversation, event, meeting:

In response to your letter dated (date)...
In response to your request dated (date)...
In accordance with the clause of the concluded agreement.
According to the contract (agreement)...,
Referring to the advertisement in the newspaper (magazine), we ask you...

You often have to make requests to sponsors, clients, and partners. There are many typical statements used to express them:

Please let us know about...
We will be grateful if you confirm your participation in...
We would like to ask you for a small donation to the fund...
We ask you to pay your bills urgently.
First of all, please let us know...
We would be very grateful if you could communicate your decision as soon as possible.
Sorry for the additional trouble, but would you be so kind as to give detailed written explanations regarding...
We ask you to carefully study our proposals and give a final answer.

In the business world, for various reasons (for example, you were several days late in responding, you were unable to complete an order on time, you received a complaint from customers, you were late for a meeting with a client), sometimes situations arise when you need to apologize, ask for forgiveness for the troubles you were to the addressee. In this case, the letter should begin like this:

We apologize for the unfortunate misunderstanding that happened...
We sincerely apologize for the delay in response.
We apologize for our inability to complete your order in a timely manner...
We would like to apologize for the unnecessary trouble we have caused you.
Sorry, it's very inconvenient for us that...
We sincerely apologize for your lateness to the meeting yesterday.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you through no fault of ours.
We apologize for the unnecessary worries about...

In psychologically complex reminder letters, it is necessary to politely, tactfully, delicately, unobtrusively indicate that the due date for payment of the invoice has expired.
Such letters should begin like this:

We consider it our duty to once again remind you of...
Sorry to bother you again, but we have not received any response to your email dated (date).
Sorry, but we want to remind you to pay your invoice for... We think this is just a misunderstanding.
It is very inconvenient for us that we have to remind you about...
We are forced to remind you that we still have not received a paid invoice from you.
We consider it necessary to remind you...
Let me remind you that...

Sometimes delicacy does not give the desired results, then you should be categorical and decisive.
This can be done like this:

Despite repeated reminders and measures taken, your debt has not been paid off, instead it continues to grow.
We consider it necessary to warn you of our intention to terminate the contract.
Due to the fact that you, despite our urgent request to repay the debt, have still not sent a paid check, we are forced to suspend the execution of all your orders.
All our attempts to force you to pay the debt were in vain, so we are filing a lawsuit.

The category of complex letters includes refusal letters. If you cannot give a positive answer, then you should say “no” in a reasoned, correct, and friendly manner. If you follow these tips, the recipient will understand that you had no other choice.
Formulate your refusal like this:

We have studied the project you proposed in detail, and we regret to inform you that we do not have the slightest opportunity...
Unfortunately, we cannot accept your offer.
We are very sorry, but we cannot satisfy your request for some reasons.
It's a pity, but given the complicated situation, we cannot support your project.
We sincerely regret, but the current situation does not allow us...
Sorry, but we cannot agree to...

Completing the letter
The choice of concluding sentences is also very important and depends primarily on the content of the letter. You can repeat the gratitude expressed at the beginning of the letter, or simply thank you for your help, since the word “thank you” is the most common word of every decent merchant, entrepreneur, banker, every business person.

Let me thank you again...
We would like to once again express our sincere gratitude.
Thanks for the help.
Once again we thank you and hope that...
Thanks for...

An appropriate and useful end to the letter is the assurance of the addressee as psychological reinforcement of everything expressed in the letter:
We assure you that you can fully count on our support.
We will be glad to cooperate with you.
We would be glad to cooperate with you and will wait for your response.
We will call you to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.

A fairly common form of finitude in business letters is an expression of hope and expectation:

We hope that our offer will interest you.
We hope that the agreement will be mutually beneficial.
We believe that we will be useful to you in the future.
We look forward to close and mutually beneficial cooperation.
We hope to establish close contacts between our institutions.
We hope to receive your response as soon as possible.

The final request in the letter may be:

We ask you to carefully read...
We ask you to inform (call) urgently.

Of course, it would be polite if at the end of the letter you repeat your apologies for the inconvenience, delay in payment or lateness:

Once again we apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Once again we apologize for this unfortunate mistake.
We sincerely apologize for...

We should not forget about the farewell phrase. The following forms are most often used in letters:

Sincerely...
With gratitude and respect...
With respect and best wishes...
We wish you success!

If you want to succeed, make sure that your letter is impeccable in both content and form. Letters should be printed on well-executed forms, which are the “calling card” of your organization or company. Design and printing qualities are those details that will help create a good impression of you and your activities. Therefore, only high-quality paper should be used to produce letterheads. The design of the envelope must also correspond to letterhead; it must be sized in such a way that there is no need to compose the letter more than twice.

Business letters should not be too long. You should present your thoughts clearly, to the point, and concisely.
An important condition for the success of writing is logic and consistency of presentation. The logical consistency of the presentation is achieved through a clear division of the text into paragraphs. When expressing an opinion, you should select linguistic means that comply with the norms of the literary language and are understandable to the addressee. You need to make sure that everything in the letter is appropriate. Therefore, you cannot reach the level of serious business communication without mastering the etiquette of this area.
Remember the golden rule of conducting business correspondence: politeness, correctness, tact, reasoning.

Unlike many of my previous “highly specialized” articles, this one is intended for a wide range of readers - men and women (and not necessarily those in a relationship), because we will talk about universal human values, namely, an apology.

It doesn’t matter who you need to apologize to, your business partner or your work colleagues, the essence does not change, just as the methods and approaches to the apology process itself do not change.

Very often people do not know how to ask for forgiveness correctly and therefore cannot achieve the benefits that necessarily follow from a correctly and gracefully made apology. Let's take a quick look:

The most common mistakes when making an apology

Pride. Many people believe that asking for forgiveness means humiliating themselves, so they do not consider it necessary to apologize at all, even if they are sure that they were wrong. Usually such people try to “get away from the situation” and justify themselves by saying: “Why should I, because he (she, they) was also wrong! Let him (she, they) come first, and then I will, if I deem it necessary” or “Or maybe no one will know about what I did? Why should I apologize?" In fact, these words hide elementary cowardice, not pride.

Constriction. Some are embarrassed to apologize and therefore, while saying an apology, they mutter under their breath something similar to: “Well, you are... sorry if something is wrong” or “If I offended you, I’m sorry,” etc.

Prayer. People who consider themselves sincere and open usually apologize like this - they fold their eyebrows into a “house”, give their face an unhappy expression, and then with a breath and anguish say, sobbing and pressing their hands to their heart: “For God’s sake, forgive me for everything, for everything!”

And although in reality there are much more errors, I think that many of you recognized yourself even in these three examples.

As you already understand, none of the listed options is correct and you cannot ask for forgiveness in this way, even if you are convinced that in all cases you apologize sincerely.
The secret to a proper apology is that not only does it have to be sincere in your opinion and your own feelings, but it also has to be MEANINGFUL to those to whom you are apologizing.
If you know how to apologize properly, then you:

• save the relationship
• restore (or rebuild) trust
• save your energy and save yourself from unnecessary worry
• maintain and increase your self-esteem

About guilt

Think! If you currently feel guilty about words you have said or actions you have taken, what will you lose if you ask for forgiveness?

If you know that you were wrong, or let other people down, you better forget about “saving face.” After all, you know the feeling when relationships with those whom you have harmed or offended lose their openness or do not work out, even if you try to do everything in your power to somehow justify or compensate for the consequences of your words or wrong actions.

Ultimately, you may walk away without making a sincere and meaningful apology, you may stop contacting the people you offended and try to forget about your mistake, but there is always a chance that the “skeleton will come out of the closet” sometime in the future , and at the most inopportune moment.

And yet, you probably wouldn’t be interested in this article if deep down you didn’t admit your mistakes and your guilt. That is, I want to say that if you prefer to “come out of the situation gracefully” instead of apologizing, you don’t have to read further, because the article is intended only for those who sincerely regret their words and actions and want to master the art of “asking.” forgiveness."

However, if you're feeling uneasy right now and don't know where to start, don't worry! Asking for forgiveness is a skill that can be learned, it is a noble act and an integral part of being a good communicator.

Why do you need to apologize?

Remember that sincere and meaningful apologies help build and maintain healthy relationships. A correct request for forgiveness has a multifaceted effect:

• restores trust.
• prevents possible deterioration of relationships.
• can “push” relationships from a “dead point” and serve as the beginning of their renewal.
• relieves awkwardness between parties. You know this terrible feeling - not knowing how to look into the eyes and what to say to someone to whom you are guilty. Ultimately, this causes you to avoid meeting this person.
• indirectly encourages your partner, spouse, or “other party” to admit their mistake too.
• allows the “other side” to accept you as you are and treat you well with all your flaws and imperfections.

And there are many other advantages...

What is the potential outcome of an apology?

I have to say that the consequences of you admitting your guilt can be negative. Especially if your mistake becomes known only at the time of admission of guilt. You may end up being punished, relationships will be damaged, and you will have to "pay" some price in emotional, spiritual, mental, physical, or material terms. I have no doubt that you, as reasonable people, understand and are ready for such an outcome.

However, there are positive aspects:

• clarified and ultimately improved relationships - with colleagues, friends, family or your spouse (even if you)
• a clear conscience, which potentially reduces anxiety, improves sleep and restores your self-esteem
• increasing your “power reserve” for experiencing future “dramas” in relationships with other people. Plus, worrying about the truth coming out, worrying that you've done something wrong and caused pain... all of this takes up a tremendous amount of your energy, which could be put to better use.

What do you need to apologize for?

Perhaps what will be written now is taken for granted, but I will still write about what you must definitely ask for forgiveness for. Oddly enough, not everyone knows what their words and actions can cause others to suffer.

You should apologize for any of the following (I'm not ranking by severity):

• there was a misunderstanding because you misunderstood something because you were not aware of all the facts
• you made assumptions but didn't bother to check if they were correct
• you intentionally caused harm to another person so that he would “feel the hard way”
• you were just being selfish
• you broke your promise
• in your conclusions and judgments you were based on rumors and... Gossip hurts other people and greatly undermines your self-esteem
• you simply insulted someone - at home, at work, on the street

A combination of all of the above is also possible.

Another reason you may have hurt other people is because you haven't been yourself lately. Don't even think about using this as an excuse, but it could be an explanation for your insensitivity towards other people. When you feel empty, grieving, stressed, or depressed, your ability to think about others may be significantly reduced. Although this does not relieve you of the need to apologize.

How to say "sorry"?

You may feel awkward and shy before you are ready to apologize. This is fine. That's how it should be. If you do not experience such emotions, it means that you are not ready to apologize and have not realized your guilt, and in this case your insincerity will not go unnoticed. It will bleed into your behavior, your voice, your choice of words, and your body language. Perhaps you will consciously or unconsciously “overact”, which will ultimately reduce the significance of your apology, if not immediately, then after a while, when the conversation is over and the person to whom you apologized “digests” this event.

In all circumstances, you should try to ask for forgiveness as soon as possible, but you should not act impulsively, so you should consider the following and make a plan:

1. Try to really understand, what your mistake is, how the “other side” perceives it. You may have to do some in-depth analysis. Only by putting yourself in the shoes of the person you offended will you be able to understand how he feels about what you did.

2. Decide when you're going to do it.

3. Decide how you will apologize:

• by phone
• by email
• via SMS
• in a letter
• personally

A face-to-face or absentee apology?

In principle, any option can be acceptable under different conditions and circumstances, so let's look at everything in more detail. I want you to be as successful as possible in this endeavor and to improve your relationships, enhance your reputation, and earn respect as much as possible.

“Sorry” via SMS

Forget about it! The only time you can use text message is if you are late for a meeting! ALL!!!

Apologize via email

This option is only acceptable if you do not know the person personally. For example, there was a minor misunderstanding with a supplier or with a colleague working in another city, whom you know only through correspondence via e-mail.

Apologize in a handwritten letter or card

Yes, a written apology is potentially a reasonable option. I often advise my clients to handwrite a letter to their partner or spouse, especially if you think they are unlikely to give you the opportunity to speak in person.

Writing a letter is also a good idea if, for example, you want to make a public apology to a group of people.

Before you start writing, you need to carefully think through every word and this will take you more than one day. After you finish writing the letter, reread it several times and try to imagine the reader in different moods: anger, sadness or happiness, and, accordingly, his reaction. In your opinion, it should be adequate for any mood of the reader. If this doesn’t work, make changes to the text.

Before sending a letter, read it again to eliminate any gaps or inaccuracies and to prevent misunderstanding of what you wrote as much as you can.

Below is an example of an apology letter. You can use this sample as a guide only and adapt it to your needs and style. You can change gender (he/she) and number (singular/plural) depending on the circumstances.

The example is quite general and is a very rough template, the purpose of which is to give you direction, but nothing more.

It is very important that the letter shows that it was not copied from somewhere, but that it was written by you!

Try to find a reasonable balance between demonstrating that what you wrote is the result of your work and the significance of the letter for the person to whom it is addressed. Under no circumstances use words and expressions that are not typical for you.

Sample apology letter

Dear/Dear/Beloved…

I am writing to express my deep regret and sincere apology for my [rash/rude/mean/mean/foolish] actions

for my [actions/behavior/words/ignoring/mistake/failure]

I [understood/deeply realized] that it was very wrong of me to [lash out/attack/argue/ignore/nitpick/blame/insult]

I understand that my [behavior/words/statement/silence/inaction] was completely inappropriate, inexcusable and disrespectful.

I can only imagine the [pain/frustration/embarrassment/awkwardness] that caused

and the damage I caused [to our relationship/your reputation/your chances/your trust in me (the main thing here is not to get carried away and start talking about yourself!)]

I hope that you will give me the opportunity to apologize only [in person/in front of everyone].

I would appreciate the opportunity to correct my mistake and convince you of how well I understand what I have actually done.

Of course, I realize that I may have caused irreparable damage and may not be able to do any more

I understand that I will never be able to

With [respect/love], ...

Apologize over the phone

This option is only available if you are so far away that you cannot apologize in person or in writing within a reasonable time frame.

Now I'll give you 10 tips to help you apologize gracefully and meaningfully.

Remember that the best option is to apologize face-to-face.

1. Gain courage by reminding yourself of how you “survived” other “difficult conversations” or similar situations in the past.

2. When offering an apology in person, you can follow it up with a small gift that will give your words more meaning. A bottle of wine, flowers, a ticket to an event, a box of chocolates, etc. will add energy to your apology.

3. Make sure you choose the right time to apologize. A person should be able to listen to you without rushing or being distracted. If he is busy, you have no right to demand his attention. Your apology is your problem!

4. Take the time to convey to the person your deep understanding of the mistake made. So that he has no doubt that you are fully aware of what exactly you did, what consequences it led to and what emotional experiences it cost him.

5. Take full responsibility for your role in the situation.

6. Ask for forgiveness unconditionally by saying something like: “I now [understand/see] that my actions caused (what you understand) and I am truly sorry for that. I know that by [saying/doing/etc.], (talk about your words and actions), I have [destroyed/damaged/ruined] [your reputation/our relationship/your trust, etc. ]".

7. Ask what you can do to help your partner/spouse/colleague/“the other party” correct, compensate, or mitigate the consequences of your action.

8. As already mentioned, you can back up your apology with a small gift - concert tickets, candy, a bottle of wine, etc. Here it is necessary to make some clarifications. A gift is just a symbol, so it should not be expensive, so as not to put a person in an awkward position, and the presentation of the gift itself should be appropriate. Think about what it will look like. Perhaps you shouldn't hand it over. If you decide to give a gift, do so only after you have finished saying everything you were going to say.

9. Really try to make amends sincerely and take all necessary measures to solve the underlying problem that your mistake caused. This is the most important point, because simply saying “sorry” without taking real action will, over time (very quickly), return you to being the “culprit” again. Thus, your apology will not have positive consequences either for you or for the person from whom you are asking for forgiveness.

10. After making a sincere apology, you need to be prepared to calmly accept the reaction to it. This may be expressed in the following:

• the other person may need time to process what happened
• your apology will not be accepted
• you may not be heard to the end
• the other person may take this opportunity to express their anger and pain

How to say “I’m sorry” without causing an argument or a fight

This is what you should avoid at all costs when apologizing face-to-face!

• Don't expect that the person offended by you will make a “response speech.” Agree that he is not obligated to do or say anything in exchange for your apology. Based on this …
• Don't burden other person with your feeling of guilt and do not ask him either by word or look to rid you of this feeling. Only you are responsible for overcoming your feelings of guilt.
• Don't start blame the other side. Apologizing unconditionally means that you take full responsibility for your part of the problem. It may well be that the “other side” is also to blame, but it is completely inappropriate to say or even hint at this.

Is it really your fault?

I just now decided to pay attention to this issue, because the main focus of this article is how and why to ask for forgiveness. However, some people feel guilty about literally everything and it seems that they are ready to apologize even for living in this world. This is always associated with low self-esteem.

If you are below par and you have a tendency to apologize for anything, please work on your self-esteem.

Also, consider another option. Your partner, spouse or co-worker may be emotionally abusive. This is not necessary, but I want you to consider the possibility of manipulation when a situation is presented in a way that makes you feel guilty and forced to apologize for something you didn't actually do.

FROM THE AUTHOR: My responses in the comments are the opinion of an individual and not the advice of a specialist. I’m trying to answer everyone without exception, but unfortunately I don’t physically have time to study long stories, analyze them, ask questions about them and then answer in detail, and I also don’t have the opportunity to accompany your situations, because this requires a huge amount of free time, and I have very little of it.

In this regard, I kindly ask you to ask specific questions about the topic of the article, do not try to use the comments for correspondence or chat, and do not expect me to provide advice in the comments.

Of course, you can ignore my request (which many people do), but then be prepared for me to ignore yours. This is not a matter of principle, but solely of time and my physical capabilities. Don't be offended.

If you want to receive qualified help, please seek advice, and I will devote my time and knowledge to you with full dedication.

With respect and hope for understanding, Frederica

It is difficult for any person to ask for forgiveness. After all, in essence, this means admitting your mistakes. Who might like this? But it’s especially difficult for managers. They have a “special pleasure” - to clear up the mistakes of their subordinates. Regardless of who is at fault, it is the manager who answers the call from an angry customer who needs to let off steam.

So, how to properly respond to customer dissatisfaction?

1. Admit your mistake

Say openly that something went wrong. This is important not only for the client, but also for you. Because unacknowledged mistakes are soon repeated again.

At the same time, do not engage in exact calculations - who is to blame and how much. If a child falls into a well, he needs to be rescued urgently, and not find out how he got there. Postpone the debriefing until later. Remember that generosity, generosity and generosity leave a lasting positive impression on both clients and business partners.

Possible wording:

- We are very sorry that you are unhappy with our service.

- I understand your irritation - you really had to wait a very long time.

2. Be specific

No need for general phrases. With them you will anger the client even more. Offer specific ways to resolve the problem: repair, replacement, return.

Possible wording:

- Now we can offer you….. In addition, we will consult with colleagues from the customer service department and optimize the service process.

- Now that, thanks to you, the problem has been identified, we will instruct the technical director of the department (such and such) to develop a set of measures that will help to avoid the accumulation of queues in the future.

3. Emphasize that what happened is an exception

Try to convince the angry customer that this incident is an exceptional case at your enterprise. And you will do everything possible to prevent this from happening again.

Possible wording:

- We rarely encounter service deficiencies. To be convinced of this, just read the reviews of our clients. What happened to you is an exceptional case. And we will fix it.

- The fact that you had to wait so long for a consultant is an unfortunate misunderstanding that will not happen again.

Do not dramatize the problem with emotional statements like: “What happened to you is really terrible!” Such language reinforces the negative feelings that the victim is already experiencing.

But at the same time, do not allow yourself such excuses: “We sometimes have goods with defects. There's nothing wrong with that." Firstly, this characterizes your company poorly, and secondly, it is perceived by the interlocutor as a reproach: “Well, why did you shout so much? There’s no reason to make such a fuss.”

Possible wording:

- We are very sorry that the product was delivered to you in poor condition.

- On behalf of the company, we apologize that you spent so much time waiting.

5. Show interest

The biggest mistake in dealing with complaints is indifference. If you believe the claims are unfair, you can calmly explain your position and reasonably reject them. But not responding at all, or responding by deliberately pausing, looks dismissive and arrogant. And spoils the company's reputation.

Which is better? Whatever the case may be, be friendly and demonstrate a willingness to hear and understand the problem! Even if you are not able to immediately offer a solution, the client should feel that you have understood all the circumstances, took the complaint seriously and will respond as soon as possible. If the issue cannot be resolved on the spot, be sure to provide a written apology.

Possible wording:

- We are very sorry that our service did not fully meet your expectations. We will definitely look into the reasons and... In the meantime, I can offer you...

- As compensation for the long wait, you can use.../we offer you...

Using these tips you will quickly correct errors. Ours and others.

Material

All secretaries very often have to write various letters, including apologies. Formatting the text of an apology letter can become a real problem if you do not know the rules of business etiquette and formatting requirements. In this article, we will look in detail at how to write an apology letter (sample letters are available for download) both for the organization and for the company’s clients.

From this article you will learn:

• In what cases should you write a letter of apology?
• contents of the apology letter;
• Illustrative examples of writing apology letters.

In what cases should you write a letter of apology?

It is clear that a letter of apology is required in cases where they really need to be brought. Every self-respecting organization must be able to admit its mistakes and correct them: this is an integral part of business ethics. Moreover, a timely apology will help preserve the reputation, important clients or partners of the company and avoid losses. Sometimes a well-timed business letter with an apology can help avoid legal disputes and wide publicity. Therefore, every secretary should be able to write such letters. Moreover, this must be done efficiently and sincerely.

When is it necessary to write a letter of apology?

• Violation of obligations under agreement. This reason is one of the most common. It does not matter whether the letter of apology is addressed to the organization or to the client: the frequency of violations of obligations in both cases is approximately the same. However, you should understand the seriousness of the violations; it is quite possible that an apology alone will not be enough and you will need to additionally send a gift, provide a discount, etc.
• Incorrect behavior of company employees also requires an apology. In this case, it is important to understand that each employee of the company is its face and his behavior will generally affect the reputation of the entire organization.
• Force Majeure. No one is immune from force majeure situations that may negatively affect the company's activities. At the same time, it is important to explain to your clients that the cause of any problems is circumstances that are beyond your control.

An official letter of apology should consist of several paragraphs, the content of which is strictly regulated. The first paragraph of the letter should contain the apology itself (one apology for the entire letter will be enough). The second paragraph fully describes the reasons and problems why the current situation arose, which required a written apology. At the same time, one should not deliberately underestimate the scale of the event, calling it a small oversight or misunderstanding.

Even if your organization does not consider itself to be at fault, this should not be noticeable in the letter. Otherwise, the whole point of the apology disappears, and the guilt remains unresolved.

The last paragraph should be devoted to grief and regret about the situation that has arisen. You can also indicate the measures that have been taken to ensure that similar situations do not arise again. An apology letter to a client (example below) may also contain information about bonuses provided additionally as an apology.

In conclusion, we can express the hope that similar situations will not arise again. Moreover, you can mention that your company hopes that this will not affect future relationships and cooperation.

Illustrative examples of apology letters

In this paragraph, we will clearly show how a letter of apology to a client (sample) and a letter of apology from an organization (sample) should look like.

Sample apology letter to client

Good day, XXX!

My name is YYY, I am the head of the LLC company. Yesterday a problem arose: the delivery service with which we had been cooperating for three years could not cope with the volume of work assigned to it. Without waiting for the trial to end, we had to find new ways to deliver your order. The problem has been resolved, and therefore the order is ready to be shipped. An operator will contact you shortly and clarify when you are ready to receive him.

To make amends, a unique gift will be delivered to you along with your order. No later than April 15, the order and gift will arrive to you.

Sincerely, Head of YYY LLC.

An Apology Letter is sent in response to a Complaint Letter. You should start by expressing regret and personal concern about the current situation. It is necessary to explain what steps will/have been taken to correct the problem and avoid its recurrence in the future. Below you will find some phrases used when writing an Apology Letter.

1. Expressing gratitude for reporting the current situation

Thank you for bringing the matter / issue / problem to our attention.
Thank you for bringing this matter/issue/issue to our attention.

I appreciated your advising me of this incident…
Your message about this incident is very important to me.

2. Expression of regret

We are very sorry to hear that…
We are very sorry that...

I am very sorry for this situation.
I am very sorry about this situation.

3. Apologizing

We apologise for…
We apologize for...

Please accept our apologises for …
Accept our apologies …

4. Explanation of the company's actions

Please be assured that we will…
Rest assured that we...

You have my assurance that...
I guarantee you that...

To compensate for the inconvenience caused…
To compensate for the inconvenience caused...

We are doing everything we can do to resolve the issue.
We will do our best to resolve the issue/problem.

I can assure you that this will not happen again.
I can assure you that this will not happen again in the future.

I am trying to sort it out / sort the problem out as a matter of urgency.
I'm trying to figure this out/solve this problem immediately.

Please return the faulty goods, and we will refund you / repair them / replace them.
Please return the defective product and we will refund your costs/repair/exchange it.

5. A reminder of the great importance for you to continue cooperation

We value your custom highly.
Cooperation with you is very important for us.

Your satisfaction is our priority.
Satisfying your needs is our priority.

Additional standard phrases for writing an apology letter

1. We acknowledge the receipt of your letter of … and are extremely sorry that we have not been able to deliver your order in time.	1. We acknowledge receipt of your letter from ... and are extremely sorry that we were not able to deliver your order on time.
2. Please accept our apologies for the delay and the inconvenience it has caused you; it was due to reasons entirely beyond our control.	2. We ask you to accept our apologies for the delay and the inconvenience it caused you; what happened happened for reasons that we could in no way prevent.
3. We were really distressed when we received your letter of … and learned that …	3. We were really upset when we received your letter from ... and found out that ...
4. We haveten to offer our sincere apologies for this mistake.	4. We hasten to offer you our sincere apologies for this mistake.
5. We apologize once more for this most regrettable mistake and have measures taken to prevent recurrence of similar errors in the future.	5. We once again apologize for this extremely unfortunate error and have already taken steps to prevent similar errors from happening in the future.
6. We are most grateful to you for settling this matter in such a friendly way.	6. We are very grateful to you for resolving this issue in such an amicable manner.
7. We regret to see from your letter of … that …	7. We regret to learn from your letter from ... that ...
8. We are sorry to hear that you had trouble with…	8. We regret to learn that you had difficulties with...
9. We hope that you will feel that this concession on our part is a satisfactory solution of the difficulty.	9. We hope that you will consider this concession on our part to be a satisfactory solution to this problem.
10. We are very sorry that the shipment of goods (Purchase Order No.) that you received on (Specific Date) was defective.	10. We are very sorry that the shipment of goods (Purchase Order No. ...) received by you (specific date) was damaged.
11. We understand your disappointment and appreciate the inconvenience this must have caused your organization and the logistics problems that ensued.	11. We understand your frustration and the inconvenience this may cause to your organization and the resulting supply issues.
12. There is no question that the product we shipped did not meet the very high standards our customers have come to expect and should continue to demand.	12. There is no doubt that the product we shipped did not meet the very high standards that our customers have come to expect and should continue to demand.
13. In our effort to improve the overall quality of our products, we used a new composite material for your order. We have since returned to the original recipe and can assure you that we are in the process of completing more thorough testing and development.	13. In an effort to improve the overall quality of our products, we have used a new composite material for your order. We have since returned to the original formulation and can assure you that we are currently conducting more rigorous testing and development.
14. I can promise you that the highest quality standards will be met in the future because protecting our reputation for delivering the best product on the market is a key priority for us.	14. I can promise you that the highest quality standards will be maintained in the future because protecting our reputation for providing the best products on the market is a key priority for us.
15. Again, I apologize for our mistake and regret any inconvenience caused as a result.	15. I once again apologize for our error, and any inconvenience caused as a result.
16. We have already brought in additional staff to expedite the production of a replacement order and guarantee its delivery by the end of this week. We have also asked our shippers to pick up the defective product prior to delivery of the new shipment, in order to free up your warehouse space.	16. We have already recruited additional staff to speed up the production of the replacement order, and we guarantee its delivery by the end of this week. We have also asked our shipping carrier to pick up the defective product prior to delivery of a new shipment to free up space in your warehouse.
17. We look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial relationship that our two companies have shared over the last two years.	17. We look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial relationship

An apology letter is a type of business letter. It is drawn up if the author wishes to apologize for any inconvenience caused to the addressee through his fault.

In order for a letter to be favorably received by the addressee, it must be sincere and not contain false information. It is not recommended to introduce all kinds of reservations or subterfuges, as well as to shift the blame to a third party. Only a frank admission of guilt can preserve further goodwill towards its originator and, possibly, business contacts with him.

Writing rules

The best version of an apology letter looks like this:

• expressing regret and deep concern about the current situation;
• sincere apology for the inconvenience caused;
• an explanation of the compiler’s further actions aimed at eliminating the problem and avoiding its recurrence in the future;
• a reminder of the great importance for the originator of the fact of further joint cooperation with the addressee.

When composing a letter, phrases such as “We apologize for...”, “Please accept our sincere apologies...”, “Allow me to offer you my apologies...” or “We sincerely regret that...” are used as standard.

It is recommended that the letter be drawn up on the letterhead of the originating company. The apology is signed by the head of the company or another responsible person, for example, a deputy, acting or department head.

• Who should apologize to the client and for what.
• How to properly apologize to a client in a letter.
• How to write an apology letter in English.
• How to properly apologize to a client over the phone.
• When there is no need to apologize to the client.

If you apologize and do it competently, then there is a good chance to come to mutual respect and continue cooperation. To resolve the situation, you need to follow simple rules and use the code phrases that you will find in our article.

An example of a letter that you can use as an apology to a client was prepared by the editors of the Commercial Director magazine.

How to properly apologize to a client and who should do it

Let's say you need to write an apology letter. The basic rule: you should only do this if you are really at fault. Moreover, every self-respecting company should have the ability to admit its own mistakes and the desire to correct them. This behavior is dictated by modern business ethics. If you apologize to your client correctly and do it on time, you can not only preserve your reputation, but also avoid losses: people will not leave you for competitors. Such actions can make the client change his mind and not bring the case to court, and can help avoid unnecessary publicity. Moreover, all phrases in them must be imbued with sincerity.

19 phrases that will calm irritated customers

The editors of the Commercial Director magazine have prepared a list of phrases that will be useful to managers during a call or meeting in order to win over the client and eliminate his wariness.

A letter of apology should be written in the following cases.

• If you have violated your obligations under the contract. This is usually the most common reason, and the affected party can be both organizations and individuals, the ratio here is approximately 50/50. But keep in mind: it is quite possible that in this case a letter alone will not be enough. To properly apologize to a client, send him a gift, provide a discount, etc.
• If one of your company’s staff behaved inappropriately towards a client. An apology in such a situation is simply necessary, because each employee speaks on behalf of the organization, and his behavior in one way or another affects the image of the company.
• In case of force majeure. No one is ever immune from unforeseen situations. A proper apology to the client in this case should include an explanation of the reasons for the problems that arose and an explanation that the circumstances were beyond your control.

You can download a sample letter that will help correct a negative situation with a client at the end of the article.

Below is a table indicating who should apologize to the client and how.

Error type/error criteria	Consequences of an error	Who should apologize to the client?	How should I apologize?
Minor flaw	The client may well close his eyes to her	Manager	Apologizing over the phone to the client's manager or boss
Average miscalculation	The client clearly shows his dissatisfaction	Manager, director	Apologies from the director verbally and, if necessary, in writing
Major miss	The client may end the relationship Will threaten to sue	Without fail, the head of the company together with his team	In addition to the apology, you need to take care of the original gift

To properly apologize to a client, you need to understand the consequences of a mistake. This also determines who should apologize and how.

Minor flaws are not that rare. The head of the company may not even be aware of what happened, and the client will not make unnecessary fuss about them. In this case, a correct apology from the company manager to the client or his representative is quite sufficient.

Average miscalculations are a more serious matter, requiring an apology personally from the manager. And managers know very well that their boss has to answer for their mistakes. In this case, responsible employees are burned with shame and are ready to do anything to ensure that such failures in their work no longer occur. Managers punish themselves, and therefore there is little point in understanding what happened.

Major mistakes are those that could result in the company losing a customer. And here one correct apology will not do. This must be done twice. For the first time, the manager must apologize officially - on behalf of the entire company. You should call the head of the client company and repent with all possible sincerity. If it is not possible to contact the victim (he is so offended that he does not want to talk), then the manager and his deputies can go to a personal meeting. In its course, not only the director, but also the top manager of the company must apologize. This will make it clear to the client that he is truly appreciated, and it will be a good lesson for the deputy for the future. For an apology to be “correct,” it must be repeated informally. For example, you can invite the victim to a restaurant, where during lunch or dinner you can once again admit your mistake (together with the top manager). It is also recommended to give tickets to a concert of a popular performer, or organize a hunting or fishing trip.

Remember: if you apologize to the client correctly, then in the vast majority of cases he will forgive you.

How to apologize to a client using the right wording

There are three types of apology wording most commonly used:

• Sorry;
• accept an apology;
• I'm sorry.

The first option is a soft apology to the person. From a psychological point of view, such an appeal shows weakness and error on your part; you are really asking for forgiveness for a certain action.

It is recommended to use this form if you trust the person and are sure that the apology will be received adequately. Really feeling that you have made a mistake, it is correct to admit your mistake to the client using the words “sorry”, “sorry, please”, “sorry for our mistake”, etc.

If the situation is different and your guilt is not so obvious, then it is better to use a formal business style in communication. In this case, there is a good chance that the person at the subconscious level will accept your apology immediately, without unnecessary conversations.

The phrase “please accept our apologies” seems to encourage a person to unconditional action: he is simply obliged to fulfill the request without going into unnecessary details of what happened.

Sometimes the right words can stop a conversation or correspondence from taking an unpleasant turn. For example, if you feel possible guilt, but what is important to you is not just forgiveness of the client, but his unconditional forgiveness, then the phrase “accept our apologies” fits here perfectly. It forces a person to subconsciously agree with you and end the matter peacefully.

And the third case. If you want to properly apologize to a client, then the word “sorry” in this case will not be the best option.

Firstly, it is lexically illiterate. The original meaning of this word was an apology to oneself. True, during the evolution of the language, the meaning has changed, the word began to be used as a form of apology to another person, but it is still better not to use it. Secondly, this word not only sounds somewhat familiar, but has a certain justificatory connotation. A person, having heard “I’m sorry” from you, will be psychologically ready to attack further. It would be correct to completely exclude this word form from communication with clients.

How to properly apologize to a client: step-by-step instructions

Step 1.Listen carefully to the person and make a promise to resolve the issue

The client is not right in every case. But even if he is wrong, he doesn’t need to point it out yet. Act as a psychotherapist. If you listen to your interlocutor and promise to help, it is quite possible that he will be satisfied with this.

There are situations when a conflict becomes increasingly violent because the right side makes mistakes. You need to try to understand what exactly irritates a problem client.

Step 3.Admit the wrong actions of the company's employees

It would be right to apologize to the client even for insignificant little things. If a person considers them important, meet them halfway and agree with him on this issue.

Step 4.Express your regret

For some people with complex personalities, admitting they have made a mistake is not enough. They must make sure that you, having caused offense, are upset and regret what happened. This kind of emotional connection helps break down barriers.

Step 5.Ask how you can make amends

There are two possible scenarios for the development of events. If the person is adequate, he will apologize. A very angry client may not want to make contact. But it is imperative to ask what is needed for reconciliation.

Step 6.Wait until the person calms down and offer to return to the conversation.

Some people take a long time to cool down, you need to let them come to their senses. Check the client's condition from time to time, and as soon as he calms down, offer to resume cooperation. Promise that there will be no more such mistakes on your part.

Tip 1.Don't be afraid to admit a mistake

This step will please the client and will be useful for you. If mistakes are not acknowledged, they may be repeated in the future.

There is no need to figure out who is to blame for the current situation and to what extent. If an accident occurs, first of all it must be eliminated, and only then debriefing should be carried out. If you want to leave the most positive impression on a client or business partner, then show generosity, nobility and generosity.

To properly apologize to a client in such a situation, use the following phrases:

• We are sorry that you were not satisfied with the service we offered.
• We understand your frustration - you've really waited a long time.

Tip 2.Be specific

If you use general phrases, it will anger the client even more. Make a specific proposal on how to solve the problem: repair the product, replace it, return the money.

The following phrases come into play here:

• If you don't mind, then in return we offer... We will contact the service department, and the process will definitely be optimized.
• We are grateful to you for helping us identify the problem. The technical department will immediately begin developing a set of measures that will no longer allow queues to accumulate.

Expert opinion

Victor Nagaytsev,

General Director of the company "PerfectSEO", Moscow

Don't limit yourself to words when making amends to your client.

We had to move to a new office, and do it without prior preparation. Over the course of several days, we installed equipment and laid out papers. Customers were notified personally of our move. We sent letters – regular and electronic – to those who were unable to be contacted. To keep work going, our employees had to work remotely for several days.

Some time later, one of our clients called by phone to notify us that he intended to terminate the contract. The reason was that the letters arrived very late, and he did not find a notice of the move on the company’s website. The contract was terminated, and the person worked with our competitors for three months after that.

We analyzed the client's website and found out that the work being done on it was completely insufficient to reach the top 10. I contacted the client and made an appointment. At the meeting, I conveyed to him the conclusions of our analysts, but the man was not yet ready to change the company. He said that he himself often holds conferences for colleagues and new clients and gives them lectures. On my part, there was an offer to rent space for these events free of charge, especially since our office was quite free, with spacious halls. The argument worked, and the client returned to our company.

Tip 3.Make it clear that the incident is an exception

If you politely convince the client that what happened is an unpleasant exception to the rule and you will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again, the person may change his anger to mercy.

The correct apology to the client in this situation might sound like this:

• People almost never complain about the shortcomings of our service. There are many positive reviews about our company, you can see for yourself. The situation you find yourself in is an unfortunate misunderstanding. And this won't happen again.
• The fact that our consultant made you wait so long is nothing more than an unpleasant accident. We will make sure this never happens again.

Tip 4.Be objective

There is no need for unnecessary drama and phrases like: “What happened to you is a complete nightmare!” Such words will only strengthen the negative feelings of the client, who is already not in the best mood.

But also excuses in the style of “There would be something to worry about!” no need either. If you say: “Is the product defective? This happens, it’s okay,” then you will damage the company’s image in the eyes of the client. In addition, such phrases are often perceived by people as a reproach: “Is it worth making a fuss over such a trifle?”

The correct way to apologize to a client is as follows:

• We regret that the order delivered to you has lost its presentation.
• The company apologizes that you had to wait so long.

Tip 5: Show interest

Indifference to complaints is the biggest mistake employees make. If, in your opinion, the claims have no basis, then it is appropriate to explain in detail why they are rejected. To remain silent in response to accusations or to respond by deliberately pausing is to demonstrate disdain for the client. Such arrogance of staff has a bad effect on the company's image.

It is necessary to behave calmly and kindly, showing a willingness to delve into the essence of the complaint. Even if you cannot solve the problem on the spot, you need to make it clear to the client that you took his issue seriously and will do everything possible to resolve it in the near future. If necessary, provide the person with a written apology.

Correct apologies to clients can be made using the following phrases:

• We are sorry that we were unable to meet your expectations. We will definitely identify the reasons for what happened and... In the meantime, we can offer you...
• To compensate you for the long wait, we offer... As compensation, would you like to use...

Expert opinion

Elena Kirillova,
director of training programs at Training Media, Moscow

Only apologize for valid complaints.

An apology should only be made when the complaint has merit. The client expects you to apologize and is even willing to forgive. It’s good if you also thank the person for helping to identify the shortcomings, because this will give you a chance to avoid mistakes in the future. Such an apology to the client will be correct.

But is it necessary to apologize if you are not to blame? Here you can choose a slightly different verbal formula: “We are very, very sorry that...”. The regret you express will make it clear to the person that you are not indifferent to the current situation and are interested in further cooperation.

How to properly apologize to a client in writing

An apology letter can be called the most difficult type of letter; when composing it, you must follow certain rules. Often you have to ask for forgiveness for mistakes that you had nothing to do with. And if there is guilt, then you need to somehow cope with moral torment. A properly written letter requires a certain balance: an apology should in no case negatively affect the company’s image and, at the same time, should serve to restore relations with a client or partner.

If you are truly at fault, then you cannot do without an apology. A serious company must be able to admit its mistakes and be ready to correct them at any time. The purpose of such a letter is not only to properly apologize to the client, but also to restore the reputation - personally or of the company.

With the help of a letter of apology, conflicts that are gaining momentum are smoothed out and the mistakes of colleagues are minimized. In general, a good manager must anticipate the possibility of disagreements and try in every possible way to prevent an incident from developing.

A letter of apology is required in the following cases:

• You have violated contractual obligations.
• You did not behave very correctly towards people working for a counterparty company. Moreover, the motives for such behavior do not play any role.
• The employees of your company did not behave in the best way in some situation, and this became known to the public. The following case can be cited as an example. A flight attendant of one domestic airline did not comment very correctly on the recent crash of an airliner on her personal blog. She was fired, but in addition she had to write a letter of apology and post it in the most famous media.

If you really want to properly apologize to your client, then you need to write such a letter, even if force majeure is to blame. This will only benefit the company's image.

A letter of apology and a regular business message are very similar in form. It is imperative to mention the addressee, the subject of the letter and proceed to the message itself. There is no point in emphasizing that this is an apology in the subject line of the letter. It is better either not to indicate it at all, or to make it as neutral as possible, for example: “On the terms of the agreement under contract No. 1058.” There is also no need to disclose who wrote the letter. Let it be signed by the company's top manager. The main thing here is not to overdo it with formalities.

An apology to a client will make the right impression if the recipient is confident that the head of the company is aware of the situation and is ready to personally apologize for the incident.

After composing the letter, it must be printed on corporate letterhead, taken to the manager for signature, registered and sent to the required address.

An apology letter should consist of 3 parts: introduction, body and conclusion. Of course, in terms of meaning there will be much more parts:

• the first sentence must contain the actual apology;
• then the reasons for the problem are explained;
• then follow assurances that all necessary measures have been taken;
• after all, the hope is expressed that the incident will not interfere with further joint work.

1st paragraph. An apology is made, but only once, in the first sentence of the introduction. Then the main text begins.

2nd paragraph. The main part of the letter contains an explanation of the reasons for what happened. Moreover, it is imperative to talk about them. It is better not to use some formulations like “small problem”, “random delay”. And it doesn’t matter how you personally feel about it. There is no place for such phrases in an apology letter, as they can ruin the company’s image.

3rd paragraph. Try to make it clear to the recipient that you are upset and regret what happened. But don’t use the word “sorry” or its synonyms anymore. The main thing is to instill in the person confidence that the manager is concerned about the incident and has taken control of the matter.

The next sentence should describe the actions taken. Under no circumstances should you write: “The perpetrators will be brought to justice” or “We will analyze the situation.” No future tense! A proper apology to a client assumes that you have already figured it out and the people who made the mistake are punished.

In conclusion, it must be said that such situations will not arise again and express hope for further fruitful cooperation.

Along with a letter of apology, you can send a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of good wine to the injured party - but only if this is appropriate.

Such letters, if written correctly, will allow you to retain a client or even get a permanent partner.

• Thank you letter to the client: writing rules and samples

Expert opinion

Ivan Trufanov,

General Director of Werbary, Moscow

Write an apology letter by hand

One day we accidentally offended a client, and I wrote him an apology letter by hand. He asked for forgiveness for what happened. I informed you of the measures taken to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again. The letter looked something like this:

“Hello, Sergey Sergeevich! I understand that you refused to cooperate because of our mistake. It became clear to us that you were not satisfied with Ivan Ivanovich’s behavior. This employee was dealt with (or was fired). To avoid such problems in the future, we have made amendments to our internal regulations. I apologize to you and hope that you will resume cooperation with us.”

The letter was sealed in a regular white envelope and sent by courier. On the top of the envelope they wrote by hand: “We are guilty, but we have corrected ourselves.”

The idea is simple: after seeing the inscription, a person will become interested in who exactly did something wrong to him. Of the three clients, one returned immediately, and the rest promised to think about resuming cooperation.

Phrases used in apology letters

If there was a delay in the delivery of goods, then you can correctly apologize to the client using the following phrases:

• Sorry that there has been a delay in the delivery of goods. This is entirely our fault. We apologize for the inconvenience.
• Your order from... (date) arrived late in our transport department. This happened due to an error by the office manager. Please accept our apologies for the current situation, we promise to pay special attention to your orders in the future.
• Your order did not arrive on time due to an error by the employee working with it. We apologize for the delay.
• Our production department planned the shipment schedule incorrectly, which is why the failure occurred. We apologize for the current situation.
• We encountered certain production difficulties, so we did not meet the pre-agreed deadlines. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused to you.
• We must ask your forgiveness for the late execution of the order dated... (date).
• After carefully reviewing all your orders, we are convinced that an unfortunate mistake has been made. We sincerely hope that you will forgive us for this.
• Once again we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We hope that this misunderstanding will not affect our future cooperation.
• We guarantee that we will make every effort to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again in the future.

The correct way to apologize to a client for late payment of bills is as follows:

• The fact that your bills were not paid on time is due to the negligence of our accounting department. The situation will be corrected immediately. We apologize for the delay.
• When registering your account dated... (date), our accounting staff made an error, so payment was not received from our side. Sorry for this misunderstanding, which will be corrected immediately.
• We instructed the bank to transfer the money to you, but, unfortunately, it did not do it on time. We apologize for the current situation.
• We sincerely regret that your invoice remained unpaid for a long time. We apologize for our carelessness.
• Due to a personnel change in our accounting department (accounting department moved to a new office), payment of bills was greatly delayed. We apologize.
• We ask you to forgive us for the errors in our accounting department. We will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again.
• Due to the negligence of our employee, an unfortunate mistake occurred. We sincerely apologize for her.
• We appreciate your reminder regarding the outstanding invoice dated... (date) that was incorrectly recorded. Sorry for the inconvenience (excessive excitement) caused to you due to the error of our employees.
• After our telephone conversation with you, we most carefully checked all the accounts and indeed found an error, for which we sincerely apologize. We do not justify our inattention, but we hope that this will not interfere with our further cooperation.
• Once again we apologize for the delay in payment. We guarantee that we will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again in the future.

The following phrases will help you correctly apologize to a client for a delay in response or for being late for a meeting:

• We apologize for being late for the meeting.
• This meeting is very important for us. We sincerely regret that it did not take place.
• Please forgive me that your time was wasted.
• I was sure that our meeting was scheduled for... (date). I am sorry to have caused you any inconvenience and would like to ask, if you do not mind, to schedule another meeting at any time convenient for you.
• Sorry for keeping you waiting in vain. Would you agree to a repeat meeting? I will be sincerely grateful for this.
• Sorry for being late, I'm very inconvenienced.
• I sincerely apologize that you had to wait for my response to your invitation to participate in...
• I am sincerely sorry that I was unable to respond to your invitation in time. I am very grateful to you for it, but...
• We apologize for the delay in response, it's all our fault...

4 tips on how to properly apologize to a client in a letter

By following the tips below, you can easily compose any apology letter correctly.

1. Show respect

For a client to start respecting you, you need to take the first step. Greet the person and check that their name is spelled correctly. Make a mistake even in the smallest detail, and the impression of the letter will be irrevocably spoiled. Moreover, the client may no longer want to do business with you.

2. Show sincerity

Without sincerity, a proper apology to a client is impossible. If, after making a mistake, you think that everything will work out without an apology, then you do not regret what happened at all. But, having overcome yourself and taken up the letter, try to explain to the client the reasons for the current situation. Do this gently and without unnecessary details. If you overdo it with excuses, the person may doubt that you are truly sorry.

What has been done cannot be undone. Instead of wasting time on unnecessary worries, think: how can you build relationships again? Promise that a similar situation will not happen again, ask the client to forget about the unpleasant incident. You must understand that if the offense is serious enough, the person will need time to calm down and accept your apology. But if the letter is drafted correctly, then the chances of resuming cooperation will be good.

4. Double-check what you wrote.

Re-read the letter immediately after writing it to check for grammatical and spelling errors and poorly constructed phrases. If you really want to properly apologize to a client, then try to put yourself in the shoes of the offended person. Is the meaning of what is written well understood? What emotions will the client experience when reading your letter? You need to try to choose phrases so that they not only sound correctly, but also touch the right strings in a person’s soul.

How to properly apologize to a client in a letter in English

An apology letter is written not only to ask for forgiveness for an oversight, but also in response to a letter of complaint. In what form should it be written? First of all, you need to say that you regret what happened, express personal concern about the situation. Then inform the recipient of the actions taken to resolve the problem and eliminate the possibility of a recurrence. To properly apologize to a client, use phrases composed in a certain way.

1. Thanking the client for drawing your attention to the current state of affairs, write:

• Thank you for bringing the matter / issue / problem to our attention. (Thank you for bringing this matter/issue/problem to our attention).
• I appreciated your advising me of this incident... (I appreciate that you informed me about this incident...).

1. To express regret, the following constructions are suitable:

• We are very sorry to hear that... (We are very sorry that...)
• I am very sorry for this situation. (I am very sorry about this situation).

1. The correct way to apologize to a client is as follows:

• We apologise for... (We apologize for...)
• Please accept our apologises for... (Please accept our apologies...)

1. Don't forget to report the actions you took:

• Please be assured that we will… (We assure you that we will…)
• You have my assurance that... (I guarantee you that...)
• To compensate for the inconvenience caused... (To compensate for the inconvenience caused...)
• We are doing everything we can do to resolve the issue. (We are doing our best to resolve the issue).
• I can assure you that this will not happen again. (I can assure you that this will not happen again).
• I am trying to sort it out / sort the problem out as a matter of urgency. (I'm trying to figure this out/solve this problem urgently).
• Please return the faulty goods, and we will refund you / repair them / replace them. (Please return the faulty item and we will refund/repair/exchange it).

1. After you have apologized to the client, let him know that continued cooperation is very important to you:

• Your satisfaction is our priority. (Your satisfaction is our priority).
• We value your custom highly. (Cooperation with you is very important for us).

The table below provides a few more standard phrases that can be used in an apology letter.

How to properly apologize to a client over the phone

Employees of some organizations (for example, call centers, technical support, etc.) are often forced to talk with negative clients. Listening to complaints and politely responding to them is not at all easy; such work requires a certain amount of experience.

How to talk to a person who is actively expressing his dissatisfaction? There are several universal rules. They are suitable for any activity in which communication with the client is not one-time, but requires constant interaction with him.

Of course, there are cases when a person has every right to be dissatisfied: the quality of a product or service does not correspond to what was declared, the order was not completed within the promised time frame, etc. But it is one thing to calmly make a claim, and quite another to shower the interlocutor with insults or even threaten to him. To properly apologize to such a client, it is not enough to have iron restraint. You can't do this without certain skills.

Let's say you are a technical support employee for an Internet service provider. If problems arise in several houses, or even areas, at once, then a flurry of calls from irritated users immediately follows. In order not to drown in negativity, you need to correctly structure your conversation with clients. To do this, follow a few simple rules.

Rule 1.Don't take insults personally.

Remember: the client is not dissatisfied with you personally, but with your company. There is no need to react emotionally to all the words spoken; a figurative barrier is needed between you and the interlocutor.

If the client crosses all boundaries and begins to use obscene expressions in his speech, then warn him that you will be forced to stop talking and hang up. Many companies allow such actions by regulations.

Rule 2.When the complaint is justified, apologize to the customer, and do it right.

Moreover, you need to do this at the very beginning of the conversation, even if the answer is rude, like: “What good is your apology?”

Many operators do not like to apologize, since in a psychological sense this amounts to humiliation for them. They believe that asking for forgiveness means losing, defeat.

But this psychological barrier is easy to remove. Just think and realize: you are not to blame for anything, the company apologizes through you. Your area of ​​responsibility is completely different: you must reassure the client by competently informing him about the state of affairs.

Rule 3.Don't place blame on other employees.

It would seem that sometimes the easiest way is to shift responsibility to others: “This is a question for the repair team, they did something wrong!” Or: “I couldn’t say that! Surely it was another operator, one of the new ones.” You can't do that.

Instead of behaving correctly and apologizing to the client, you are admitting your incompetence and at the same time destroying the company's image.

It would be better to say:

• I apologize that our staff misled you. Let's try to figure it out together.
• Sorry that company technicians are delayed. There may be good reasons for this. I will now contact the required department and call you back right away.

Rule 4.Do what you promise and don't test your customers' patience.

Once you assure the person that you will call back within a certain time, keep your word. Even if you have not received the necessary information by the right time, still contact the client and tell him that his problem is being solved. A person, having convinced himself of the commitment of employees and feeling that they care about him, will be more loyal to the company.

One more thing. You need to accept a client's call immediately, regardless of your well-being or mood. A person who waits for a long time for an answer will have time to screw himself up, which will negatively affect further communication.

Rule 5.Never use the phrase: “I don’t know.”

Rule 6.To reduce the tension, return the conversation to the right direction, find out the essence of the problem.

To properly apologize to a client, you need to know what exactly you need to ask for forgiveness for. By asking him to tell you what exactly he is dissatisfied with, you will make him think about it and become constructive. But try not to ask the person questions that are difficult for him to answer. This can provoke a new outbreak of negative emotions.

Rule 7.Communicate with the client in his language.

The language you speak is full of specific terms. And a stranger may not understand them. The client is an ordinary Internet user; he does not delve into technical problems. How many people know exactly how a TV works? It's the same here. If a person does not understand the meaning of what was said, he begins to get nervous and believe that he is being looked down upon. And this situation may be fraught with a new conflict.

No matter what firm you work for, there are many typical claims that a client may make. But, no matter what the conversation is about, you need to learn how to conduct a conversation correctly, apologize to clients correctly and under no circumstances provoke people to continue the conflict. Pre-defined conversation modules, which the operator sees in front of him and which he can use if necessary, can help here.

But, no matter how skillfully you conduct the conversation, keep one thing in mind: the client’s problem must be solved, and as soon as possible. If this is not done, then even the most correct and sincere apologies will not be able to save the situation.

When an apology is not needed

If a person’s complaints against a company are justified, then you must control the situation, behave politely, calmly, and ultimately make a proper apology to the client. But sometimes there is no need to ask for forgiveness, as this will only add fuel to the fire and the irritated client will become even more aggressive.

Here it is necessary to structure the conversation in the right way, using the “action – reasons – timing” scheme. For example, if a person is dissatisfied with the delay in the delivery of goods, say: “I must call the transport company so that they can speed up the arrival of the goods. This unpleasant situation arose due to the fact that it was necessary to re-issue some documents. Literally in a day the order will arrive at the address you specified.” Or you can use another option: “I’ll now contact the technical department so that your computer can be connected. The server crashed, which was the cause of the misunderstanding. The error will be corrected as soon as possible."

If you want to properly apologize to a client, then try not to use expressions like: “We had to...”, “Be patient a little...”, etc. It would be better to say: “Your problem is being resolved, and we will keep you updated on the matter.” If necessary, when ending a conversation, tell the client that you are sorry.

Sometimes you come across not entirely adequate people, whose goal is to provoke you into a quarrel. Some find fault with little things, others are simply rude. This can be caused by a variety of circumstances: someone did not receive the expected kickback, someone overestimates their importance as a client, someone simply has psychological problems.

When communicating with such people, use the “question technique.” Do not allow the provocateur to “connect emotionally” with you, do not get into a verbal altercation. Follow a simple pattern: a person’s question, your reaction to it, then a counter question implying a positive answer, followed by a favorable conclusion.

For example, there is the following conversation:

• Client: Can you guarantee timely delivery of the order?
• Manager: Of course, everything will be as stated in the contract. The cargo will be delivered to your warehouse before 17.00 on Thursday. Do you remember what deadlines were discussed?
• Client: Of course, I remember.
• Manager: It’s very nice that we agreed on this issue, especially since we have the same goal. Surely everything will go well.

A similar conversation pattern can be used several times if the need arises. The main thing is to direct the conversation in the right direction and not allow the provocateur to seize the initiative.

Sometimes there are situations when it is not possible to properly apologize to the client, and in order to resolve the issue, you have to contact the manager of the provocateur. There is no need to describe the situation again, since the boss has already listened to his subordinate’s version.

The main thing here is to convince the manager of your competence and make sure that his employee is put in his place. The conversation pattern should look like this: action – demand – pause – “the problem requires a solution” – agreement on deadlines.

The conversation with the client should take place in a neutral business tone. It is impossible to put pressure on a person, but it is also not recommended to go around “corners”. If you give in even a little, the client, sensing your weakness, will go on the attack. And such a development of events will not at all contribute to a constructive conversation.

• All types of manipulative tricks in business and ways to protect against them

Information about the experts

Elena Kirillova, director of training programs at Training Media, Moscow. TRAINING MEDIA company. Year of creation: 2001. Services: creation of educational video materials (courses, films, trainings, multimedia programs) that convey a positive business culture; conducting corporate trainings (www.tmedia.ru). Clients: more than 400 companies, including MTS, Indesit Company, Ingosstrakh, OJSC ROSNO, the Marriott hotel chain, IKEA. Staff: business unit - 13 people, project group - up to 30 people.

Victor Nagaytsev, General Director of the company "PerfectSEO", Moscow. Victor graduated from the Moscow Open Technological Institute (Faculty of Economics and Management). Since 2004, he has been involved in search engine marketing and website promotion. He created the Maketrust.ru service for website promotion, as well as the semi-automatic PR and online advertising service SeoProvider.ru. Author of the book “The Key to Promotion. How to bring a website to the first positions" (M.: Berator-Publishing, 2009). PerfectSEO LLC. Field of activity: Internet promotion services (search engine promotion, contextual and media advertising, viral and reputation marketing, etc.). Territory: head office - in Moscow, branches - in Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don. Number of employees: 53. Annual turnover: about 3 million US dollars.

Codes Codes Form No. 1 of OKUD Form #1 of OKUD Date (year, month, day) Date (YYYY MM DD) Organization / [Enterprise / Legal entity] Organization / according to OKPO according to OKPO / Taxpayer identification number Taxpayer identification number INN TIN Type of activity Activity type / according to OKVED according to OKVAD / Organizational and legal form / [form of ownership] Legal organizational form / Partnership LLP – Limited liability partnership LLC LLC – Limited liability company JSC CJSC – Closed joint stock company / JSC OJSC – Open joint stock company / according to OKOPF/OKFS as per OKOPF/OKFS Unit of measurement Unit of measurement / thousand rubles.

400 bad request

Especially for Datki.net Sorry for the misunderstanding Now that everything is over, I would like to apologize to you for the inconvenience caused. Believe me, this was not planned. If we can somehow make amends, we ask for forgiveness. We are always happy to help you. Let's forget this misunderstanding together.

Especially for Datki.net Words of apology for the current situation in prose It is very unfortunate that today’s situation did not turn out in the most favorable way for you. I wouldn’t want you to draw the wrong conclusions because of these nuances. We are very sorry, but circumstances got out of control through no fault of ours.

Please accept my sincere apologies. Especially for Datki.net Sometimes it happens that you want to do the best, but the result turns out like what happened with us. I am very worried about this situation that developed the day before.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused

One of the mandatory professional qualities of a manager working with people is the ability to anticipate an official complaint, the text of which is already quickly drawn up in the head of a client bursting with rage (it’s good if it’s addressed to an organization, but there are also OFAS, Rospotrebnadzor and other, no less pleasant, controlling organs) and prevent its occurrence. An apology letter is one of the most difficult letters related to business correspondence. Firstly, it is extremely difficult to maintain a balance between the desire to maintain a good relationship with the customer and so that your company does not “lose face.”

Secondly, very often the author of the apology asks for forgiveness not for his own mistakes, but for the oversight of subordinate employees or even employees of another department. But in any case, it is necessary to apologize.

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Apologies for any inconvenience caused

Reporting steps taken to resolve the problem The subtlety of this part of the apology letter is that the future tense must be avoided. Phrases “we will try to sort it out”, “employees responsible for this situation will be punished”, “measures will be taken”, etc. Write as if all this has already been done. And ideally this is how it should be.
For example: A conversation was held with employees of the sales area about the inadmissibility of inappropriate behavior with visitors. In relation to Simagin P.A. a disciplinary sanction in the form of a reprimand was applied. Conclusion Here it is worth thanking the client for his understanding and patience, and expressing the hope that such situations will not be repeated in the future.
For example: We thank you for your understanding and hope that this incident will not affect our long-standing and fruitful cooperation.

Letter of apology

This was not my best action, I will try to resolve all the unpleasant consequences as soon as possible. * * * I am very sorry about what happened. I admit, it was stupid and thoughtless on my part. I hope you accept my apology and believe in its sincerity. * * *

Info

I am sorry that my action led to such unpleasant consequences, but know that I had no malicious intent. Sorry for everything. We apologize for the inconvenience On behalf of all of us, we apologize for the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident. We hope for your correct understanding of the current circumstances.

* * * I hasten to apologize to you for the inconvenience that you had to experience through my fault. I hope that this will not affect our future relationship with you. * * * We were wrong, we understand this and admit it with full responsibility.