How to Write a Business Apology Email
No matter how organized you are or how well you usually perform, there are going to be days where you make mistakes and need to own up to them. Whether you are apologizing to a disappointed client or admitting an error to a supervisor or manager, you should know how to write a business apology email.
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Instructions
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Address the offended party correctly. Begin with "Dear [name here]," and make sure that the opening is respectful of the person's rank. Plunging in without the proper greeting is unprofessional.
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Apologize immediately. The first line of your email should address the issue and express your regret right away. When you are writing an email with the express intention of apologizing, do not put off the apology, or the offended party might simply delete the email out of anger.
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Take responsibility. Let them know that you know that the fault lies with you and that it was your error or that of the company's. Not only are you absolving the offended party of blame, you are also putting them at their ease because they may be expecting you to be accusing or to try to shift blame to someone else.
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Offer reparations. Tell the offended party what you are going to do to make it up to them. If they are a customer, it might be something along the line of a credit or a full refund. If you are dealing with a supervisor, it might be anything from letting them know that whatever happened will not happen again, to telling them that a new program is underway to keep the past issues from recurring.
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Close the letter by repeating your regrets and expressing hope for the future.
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Tips & Warnings
An insincere business email is something that can haunt you. If you are offering a business apology email, make sure that you mean it and that you stand by every offer that you make to them to repair the relationship.
If you are dealing with a customer and the event is ongoing, call them on the phone to see if matters can be rectified quickly. An apology email should only be sent after the issue is no longer in the crisis stage.
Do not be defensive. Being defensive is a sign of refusing to take responsibility, and this will strain the relationship you are trying to preserve.
