“We take pride in our high standards of service and we know that we did not meet your – or our own – expectations.”
Start Here
- Start with How to talk to an angry customer or client
- If speaking with the customer on the phone, let them express their feelings/frustration first. Listen and acknowledge their concerns, then share how you plan on fixing it.
Talking Points
- Dear <Name>, I’m sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with us recently.
- We take pride in our high standards of service and we know that we did not meet your– or our own– expectations.
- We understand how frustrating this can be and we want to make it right. Because we want to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again, we’ve <provide high-level detail to show that you’ve taken steps to safeguard their future experiences>.
- Examples:
- We’ve launched an investigation into the incident.
- We spoke with the team involved to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
- We’re updating our processes/platform/app.
- As a small gesture of our gratitude for your patience and understanding, please accept <a bottle of wine, a gift basket>.
| Name | Tags |
|---|---|
So I can
understand the full extent of the issue/problem, could you please tell me a
little more?
| Listen to Understand |
I want
to make sure that I really have an understanding of what you’re telling me.
I’m hearing that…
| Listen to Understand |
Thank you
for alerting us to [ISSUE]. I recognize that this can’t have been an easy
thing to deal with and I’m so sorry that this caused you to feel [insert
expressed emotion].
| Acknowledge Concern |
I’m
sorry, I can see how [ISSUE] must have been frustrating for you.
| Acknowledge Concern |
I’m very sorry, I appreciate how
difficult it must have been for you to deal with.
| Acknowledge Concern |
If I
were in your situation, I would feel the same.
| Acknowledge Concern |
I’m
sorry to hear that
| Express Regret |
We take pride in our high standards of service and we know that we did not meet your – or our own – expectations. | Acknowledge Concern |
Please
allow me to apologize for your experience
| Express Regret |
Thank
you for giving us the opportunity to make this right.
| Thank Them for Feedback/Patience |
I
appreciate you bringing this to our attention, so that we can deal with this
immediately.
| Thank Them for Feedback/Patience |
I would
feel the same in your situation, but we will sort this out…
| Acknowledge ConcernOffer Reassurance |
We deeply value your relationship, and we are committed to providing you with the highest level of service. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience. | Thank Them for Feedback/Patience |
Please know that we are doing everything in our power to make it right. | Offer Reassurance |
We understand how frustrating this can be and please know we’re doing everything we can to make it right. | Acknowledge ConcernOffer Reassurance |
You were
absolutely right to bring this to my attention, so I can [insert action]
| Offer Reassurance |
I will
try everything I can to resolve this by [date]
| Offer Reassurance |
As I
look into this, I will [insert action]…
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
What I’m
doing now to help you is [insert action]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
What I’m
currently doing to help you is…
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
This
situation is difficult, but one solution that we could try is [insert
solution]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
Now that
I’m aware of the situation, we can look to fix it by [insert solution]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
If I
were in your situation, I would feel the same. What I would try, and I
suggest that we do too, is to [insert solution]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
I will
contact you as soon as I have an update
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
I will
work on resolving the problem and will be in touch by [date]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix it |
I’m
sorry that you’ve had this issue, but we have managed to [insert solution].
Now we have done that, our next steps are [insert next steps]
| Tell Them How You Will Fix itExpress Regret |
We recognize that this is not ideal, and we ask for your continued patience throughout this process. | Thank Them for Feedback/PatienceAcknowledge Concern |
