Keep clients coming back · Every business
How to Apologize to a Customer, According to the Research
An apology that names what went wrong, takes responsibility and offers a fix does more to keep a customer than a discount, and the research ranks which parts matter most.
To apologize to a customer, say plainly what went wrong, take responsibility for it without excuses and offer a specific way to put it right, then add a short expression of regret and what you are changing so it doesn't happen again. Research on apologies ranks acknowledging responsibility as the most effective part and asking for forgiveness as the least, so spend your words on owning the problem and fixing it.
The apology, in six parts, ranked by the research
| Rank | Part of the apology | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acknowledge responsibility | "That was our mistake." |
| 2 | Offer to repair | "We'll [redo the service, return tomorrow, refund the charge] at no cost to you." |
| 3 (tied) | Express regret | "I'm sorry you had to deal with this." |
| 3 (tied) | Explain what went wrong | "We [booked the wrong time, used the wrong part], and we didn't catch it." |
| 3 (tied) | Declare it won't happen again | "We've [added a check, changed the step] so it doesn't happen again." |
| 6 | Ask for forgiveness | Optional; the study found it added the least. |
Put together, for a service business: "I'm sorry you had to deal with this. That was our mistake; we booked your appointment for the wrong day and didn't confirm it with you. We'll come out tomorrow at [time] at no charge, and we've added a confirmation text the day before every visit so it doesn't happen again."
Three things to leave out
- "Sorry for any inconvenience." It names no problem and accepts no responsibility, the two parts that matter most.
- "Sorry if you felt…" It moves the problem onto the customer's feelings and reads as a conditional apology.
- A long explanation. One or two sentences of explanation help; more starts to sound like an excuse.
An apology can outperform money
A field experiment with 632 online customers who had left a neutral or negative rating tested what persuades a customer to withdraw it. A short apology did better than a payment of either size.
The payments in that study were small, so the result doesn't mean money never matters; it means that an apology carried weight of its own with these customers, and that a small payment on its own did about half as well.
Why it works
Customers who complain are usually asking for more than a refund. In a 2023 national survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 69% of people who complained wanted more than money back, such as being heard and taken seriously, which an apology can give at no cost.
Sources
- Lewicki, R. J., Polin, B. and Lount, R. B. An Exploration of the Structure of Effective Apologies. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 9(2), 2016. 755 participants. Summary from Ohio State University.
- Abeler, J., Calaki, J., Andree, K. and Basek, C. The Power of Apology. Economics Letters 107(2), 2010. 632 customers.
- Customer Care Measurement & Consulting and the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. 2023 National Customer Rage Study. 2023. 1,000 U.S. consumers. Figures as reported by HubSpot.
Related reading: What to Do When Something Goes Wrong: How Small Businesses Win Customers Back · How to Respond to a Bad Review, With Templates · How to Handle Complaints So Customers Stay
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