Did you receive any complaints regarding the quality or services of your business? After receiving such a complaint, the first step is to email the customer apologizing. Still, for such an email to be genuinely successful, you need to know how to correctly write an apology email to the customer, display a true attitude that may soothe the customer, and then find the best solution.
Apology emails enable you to admit your firm’s mistake and address the situation with your consumers. You may write an apologetic email for several reasons, such as a known fault with a product, sending an email with incorrect information, or a broader company-wide issue.
To write an apology email, it’s crucial to construct an email that displays your genuine apologies in every area of the email, including design, content, and subject line.
In this post, I will explore what a good apology letter is. What is a good apology letter subject line? I’ll show you my tips for drafting an apology letter, a template, and an example.
Read our guide on how to send an apology email to the customer.
What Is An Apology Email?
An apology email is one you send after things went wrong in your last email. This is your chance to strengthen your relationships and keep strong, healthy relationships with customers.
Sometimes, little mistakes, such as failing to attach an attachment in an email to a colleague or partner.
To solve that, you press “reply” again and add the attachment exactly as I typically do.
Sometimes mistakes are even more severe, like:
- An offer at the wrong time
- Unedited version of the email
- An email with a broken link
In these cases, where the confusion could cause damage to:
- Brand,
- Enterprise,
- And your reputation.
It’s important to resolve the situation and admit and correct the mistake.
Like everyone, we are not immune to mistakes and tend to forgive when someone apologizes.
What Is The Best Subject For an Apology Letter?
The best apology email subject lines should explain the reason for the email and encourage the recipient to read it. It should openly disclose or at least hint at making a mistake. Your subject line should also complement your brand in a true and natural approach.
Here are some examples of excellent apology email subject lines:
- About our last letter…
- Let’s try this again…
- Sorry about that!
- We are confused.
- Oh! Below is the letter we intended to send.
- We made a mistake. Let us handle it for you
- We appreciate your understanding of our error.
- Confused by our last letter? Let’s explain.
Consider how you may make your email stand out in your receivers’ inboxes. For example, if it matches your brand and the severity of the problem, try adding an appropriate emoji to the subject line.
Read Also: How to write an email that stands out and gets reads.
Likewise, your subject line must urge the receiver to read it so they know you know what went wrong. Try sending a discount coupon or similar incentive along with your apology email, and provide a clue about that surprise in the subject line.
How To Write An Apology Email
Follow these steps to compose an apology email:
1. Open Greeting
Begin your letter with a personal greeting, such as “Dear” or “Hi.” Identify yourself by the name and firm you are writing from, and briefly state the purpose of your email. It helps add personality to your email and develop a personal connection to win the reader’s trust.
2. Acknowledge your error
Acknowledge what went wrong. Begin your remark with terms like “Unfortunately” or “Sad.” Give a short description of what the receiver may have experienced.
3. Give specifics details regarding what happened
Add further information about what happened, such as what triggered the mistakes. Nonetheless, it is crucial to resist making excuses for what occurred. Try to use positive words while explaining what occurred. Depending on the gravity of the circumstance and if it suits your brand tone, try adding a little comedy to produce a light-hearted but honest email.
4. Apologize for what happened
Please convey your deepest apologies for what transpired. Use this to confirm how the problem likely impacted the receiver. This is vital since your subscribers trust you with their personal information to send emails, and subscribers need to know they can still charge your brand for emails, goods, or services.
5. Explain how you can prevent these mistakes in the future
Reassure the receiver that the error will not happen again. Give information about what your organization has done to avoid the mistake from occurring again. This may assist in rebuilding your followers’ faith in you and establish expectations your organization can satisfy.
6. Encourage them to ask questions
Urge subscribers to contact the firm with any further questions or concerns. Reassure them that you are ready to address the situation and are eager to do whatever is required to fix it. Give customers the finest options to engage with your firm, and consider providing direct contact information in your email signature.
7. Add a concluding statement
Finish the letter with a closing sentence. Add a comment verifying your apology. Thanks to the reader for your time and understanding.
8. Sign the letter
Sign your email with a concluding sentence such as “Warm regards” or “Best regards.” Include your name and position in the business, and give contact information that recipients might utilize if they have any questions. Try putting brand badges on social media or your business website next to your signature.
9. Select a subject line
Evaluate your email and choose the subject line that best portrays the goal of the email. Ensure the subject line you write represents your brand and the tone of the email. Make sure your email body fulfils any promises made or teased in the subject line, such as offering discounts.
Read Also: How to get customers to open your email.
10. Verify your email
When you complete composing your email, review it for grammatical errors and clarity. Try reading your email aloud to make sure it’s intelligible, and have someone you trust read the email and give comments.
If you are using email software to send an apology email to your subscriber list, verify the formatting. Send yourself and a few other individuals in your firm a test email and check it for problems.
I recommend you use Grammarly to check for grammar errors
11. Send an email from a trustworthy address
Make careful to send an apology email from an identifiable email account. The address should seem trustworthy, informing readers that the email is safe to open and read. Be sure that both the address and the name of the receiver appropriately reflect who is sending the email.
Here are some templates I craft for you to make use of.
Apology Letter Template
Use this template as a guide when sending an apology email:
Template 1
[Add a brief apology email subject line]
[Greeting] Recipient’s name],
My name is [your name], and I’m [your job title] at [your business name]. I am writing to you now to discuss [the problem you occurred]. Regrettably, you may have seen that [details of what the reader may have encountered].
I want to apologize for the error sincerely. We found that this occurred because [reason the problem occurred]. Again, on behalf of [your business name], I would want to apologize for this. We know you expect more from us, and we realize [example of how the problem may have impacted your users]. To avoid the issue from occurring again, we [details of your company’s strategy or efforts to prevent the mistake from happening again].
Contacting us is always welcome. At [your company name] if you have any more issues or inquiries. You may contact us at [your firm phone number] or click the link at the bottom of the email to complete the online form. We are pleased to assist you.
Once again, I apologize for the [temporary error explanation] difficulty. I appreciate your understanding.
[Farewell],
[Your name]
[Job title]
[Your firm name]
[Your contact details]
Template 2
“Dear [customer name]
[Restaurant name], thank you for your interest and for selecting [name of restaurant] to eat in. I/I am [name of addressee/sorry], [ work title]
Following receiving your phone/email feedback concerning the attitude problem of the service employees at the branch [branch name], our supervisory and management department has checked. Camera and verify that your feedback is right. On behalf of the restaurant, I would like to send my most sincere apologies to you for delivering a service that is not up to customer care standards
. Kindly address the error with that employee, and I hope that you will pardon the inconvenience incurred. The restaurant would like to send you a 50% discount certificate for the next meal.
Once again, we regret making you disappointed with the restaurant’s service and look forward to seeing you soon.
In case you do not agree with this approach, do not hesitate to provide comments, so that [name of restaurant] understands and gives a more appropriate option.
” [Name + Title of Email Sender].”
Template 3
Dear: Mr/Ms [customer name]
I am [complete name], a Sales expert of the firm [company name]. After getting your input concerning the order [order code], I have examined, compared and discovered that the fault resides with the delivery provider. I want to send my heartfelt apologies to you for creating this trouble.
To tackle this situation, I would like to recommend two approaches as follows:
1. Our side will send someone to retrieve the damaged goods (due to the shipping procedure) and send a replacement product to you.
2. If the product is still workable with minor problems, you may consider continuing to use it, and we will reimburse 50% for your future purchase.
Once again, I apologize for being careless and disappointing you with our goods and services. I look forward to hearing from you shortly so that it may be handled as soon as possible.
Sign.
Example Of An Apology Letter
Here is an example of an apology email to refer to when writing your own:
*Subject: What just happened (and how we can repair it for you)*
Hey Casey,
My name is Taylor Castle, and I am the President of Customer Service for the Financebode Shoe Company. I am writing to you concerning a difficulty you may have experienced when attempting to buy our newest collection of sandals. Regrettably, the demand for shoes turned out to be more than we anticipated.
On behalf of all Financebode Shoe Company staff, I deeply apologize for the trouble with our new summer sandals. Our site went down rapidly owing to traffic, and we recognize that many customers couldn’t get the shoes they wanted. We pride ourselves on providing gorgeous shoes and good customer service, and we’re sorry this experience didn’t represent that.
To guarantee this doesn’t happen again, we are modernizing our website and servers to ensure they can match the demand of future releases. In addition, we’ve made all of our release sandals available for pre-order before the end of the month. Use code BODE11 to save 15% on your purchase as a bonus. If you have successfully ordered the shoes without any issues, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us using the link at the bottom of the email to obtain a refund in the comparable amount.
Contacting us is always welcome. Suppose you have any questions or concerns about a website crash or a sandal pre-order. Call us at 1-888-555-5555 or use the buttons at the bottom of your email to talk with us online. We are always delighted to assist.
Once again, on behalf of the Financebode Shoe Company, I apologize for the difficulty and disappointment. We value your patience and look forward to doing business with you in the future.
Mistakes To Avoid When Writing An Apology Email
In addition to following the procedure of writing a customer apology email, for the email to be genuinely successful, you also need to pay attention to a few elements, such as:
- Ensure there are no misspellings: This is a forbidden mistake when sending sorry emails to consumers and in all other official papers and material.
- Language in the email: You must display a courteous, honest attitude but avoid pleading, bowing or rounding up, or blaming since it will make the receiver – dissatisfied or disgruntled consumers feel more uncomfortable.
- Time to send an apology email: Experts advise you to send an apology email, replying within 24 hours of being reported or complained.
- Send to the correct individuals, customize email content: It’s a worst-case situation if you mistype the name of the customer you need to apologize for or send a generic, non-personalized message.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sending an apology email to a customer might be a tough process, but keeping a good connection with them is vital.
The key to crafting a great apology email is, to be honest, accept responsibility for the error, exhibit empathy towards the customer, and present a clear plan of action to put things right.
Try to make your apology concise and focused on the customer’s demands. Following these rules may convert a poor encounter into a good one and show your dedication to delivering exceptional customer service.
Thus, the next time you have to apologize to a customer, follow these guidelines to develop an effective apology email that will help rebuild their faith in your firm.
But before you go ahead and send the email, take a minute to read our guide on how to send an apology email,
