I'm Sorry
by Dera DeRoche-Jolet

Love may mean never having to say you’re sorry, but that doesn’t hold true in business relationships. Most people find it easier to say almost anything else than those two little words. Why is it so hard to say "I’m sorry" to our customers?

I would bet that when most customers tell a company about a problem with a product or service, they don’t receive an apology. That is a problem and can cause problems. The solution should be to handle every major and minor problem with a sincere apology.

Yet we are terrified by those words. We may think that by saying "I’m sorry" we are really saying that I’ve failed," "I’m not professional," or "I’m not a good person." That’ just not true. By Apologizing you are simply admitting that things aren’t going right in your customer’s eyes.

You might also worry that by apologizing you are opening yourself and your company up for a lawsuit. With lawsuits being so common today that’s understandable. But don’t assume that you’re not allowed to say, "I’m sorry you were inconvenienced," when a problem occurs. Actually, a sincere apology, delivered timely and professionally can go a long way toward heading off potential legal problems. When you show your customer your willingness to go the extra mile and fix the problem, you relieve them of the need to even think about going to court.

Just as an apology is not necessarily an admission of your responsibility ("I’m sorry we did this to you"), neither is it an opportunity to place blame ("I’m sorry you were too stupid to remember how to turn off your alarm and forgot your password before the police came").

We know that customers don’t always use common sense or follow what we consider easy directions on using their alarm system. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they do it wrong. Then they look to us to fix it. Since no one likes to admit they are wrong, they ’ll often blame us in the process.

That’ when we have an almost instinctive urge to point the customer’s attention elsewhere. We’ll blame the manufacturer who made the product, the central station or anyone else other than us that we can think of. Blaming another part of your organization, the manufacturer or the central station simply tells your customers that you’re not a well-run company and you’re not using the finest equipment or the best central station.

Once you’ve apologized, fix the problem. Take the steps that will lead an unhappy customer back to being satisfied with your company. Use what you know about your company’s products and services and what you can discover about your customer’s problems to personally take care of the situation. Apologize, then . . .

Listen and empathize. Treat your customers in a way that shows that you care about them as well as about their problem.

Fix the problem. Customers want what they expected in the first place and the sooner the better. Be fair.

Give a peace offering. An unhappy customer is going to feel injured or put out. Often they will look to you to provide a peace offering to make it up.

Keep your promises. Because you are trying to fix a problem you’ll be making new promises. It’s easy to go overboard by promising the world. Make sure that before you promise anything, you are realistic about what you can and can’t do.

Follow up. You’ll really make your customer feel good about your company by following up to make sure things were really resolved to your customers satisfaction. Don’t assume you’ve fixed the problem. Check to make sure.

When a friend ordered a pair of clip on sunglasses from a major optical store, they gave her glass lenses rather than the plastic ones she wanted. The sales clerk apologized and they redid the job. An hour later the salesclerk apologized again and handed her the sunglasses with plastic lenses and a forty-dollar discount coupon good toward her next purchase. She left the store satisfied and, will in all likelihood shop there again.

Mistakes do happen. When they do, don’t try to ignore them in hopes they’ll go away. Fix it. Remember, you probably won’t get a third chance.