How a Well-Written Apology Can Save a Key Business Relationship

“We really screwed up—and I had to make things right.”

Lev is the CEO of a mid-sized tech firm. Most of their clients are medical providers. For several years, Lev’s firm has been providing software updates and security patches to a local chain of urgent care clinics. However, one of the software engineers made a major error on what should have been a routine update. As a result, for several hours the workers at the urgent care clinics could not schedule appointments, access patient records, or process insurance forms.

Understandably, the initial reaction from the CEO of the health care chain was one of frustration, concern, and disappointment, all of which he expressed in a strongly worded email. He highlighted the impact of the error on the clinics’ patients and mentioned that he might start looking for another tech firm.

“I knew I needed to act fast if I wanted to keep this account,” said Lev.

Everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps it’s a missed deadline, a misunderstood communication, or a faulty product. But how a company handles their missteps can make all the difference. A well-written apology is one powerful tool that belongs in every professional’s arsenal. This isn’t just about saying “sorry”. It is about taking responsibility, showing empathy, and outlining steps for rectification. Let’s look at how a carefully crafted apology can mend fences and hopefully even strengthen your business relationships.

Six key elements of a well-written apology

Every mistake is different, so an effective apology should be tailored to your specific situation. You want to show the other party that you truly understand what went wrong and that you have some ideas on how to rectify it. You don’t want to copy and paste something generic that you found online.

If you need to write an apology for a business-related mistake, here are some key elements that you should include:

1. Acknowledgment of the mistake: Clearly state the problem/error.
2. Taking responsibility: Own up to your mistake (or your company’s mistake) without shifting the blame to someone else.
3. Expression of regret: Show genuine remorse for any inconvenience that your mistake has caused.
4. Explanation: Provide context to let your recipient know what happened, but don’t make excuses.
5. Rectification: Outline the steps you are taking to address the issue and prevent future problems.
6. Offer to make amends: If possible, offer compensation or a goodwill gesture.

How it works

Below is the email that Lev sent to the CEO of the urgent care clinics. Note that everything is written in a formal style with a formal salutation at the beginning and a formal closing at the end of the email.

Let’s take a look:

Subject Line: Apology for the recent service disruption at ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics

Dear Mr. Lopez,

I am writing to address the recent technical errors in our software update that affected the operations of ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics. This was a serious failure on our part, and I want to personally apologize for the inconvenience this has caused for you, your staff, and your patients.

We understand that our mistake led to considerable downtime for ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics, impacting your ability to effectively treat your patients and complete your routine operations. As the CEO of XXX Med Tech Solutions, I take full responsibility and am truly sorry.

The downtime your system experienced was due to a programming error made by one of our newly hired software engineers. While this is not an excuse, I wanted to provide you with context regarding the situation.

I regret that this crisis has strained our eight-year partnership. Your satisfaction is of the utmost importance to XXX Med Tech Solutions. We have taken immediate steps to ensure that mistakes like this will not happen in the future. My senior engineer is conducting a thorough review of your software package and our team is working around the clock to improve our software testing systems. We are also investing in additional training for our new hires.

As a token of our commitment to our partnership, we would like to offer ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics a 15% discount on your next three months of service. We hope this can help compensate for the downtime you experienced at your clinics.

Once again, I apologize for this error and I thank you for your understanding. We value our relationship with ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics and are committed to regaining your trust.

Sincerely,
Lev Dmitriev
CEO, XXX Med Tech Solutions

What happened next?

The response from ZZZ Urgent Care Clinics was positive. Lev received a reply from the CEO, Eric Lopez, that same day. The two of them followed up with a phone call on the next business day. Eric appreciated Lev’s direct involvement and his sincere apology. Lev’s acknowledgment of the mistake and his detailed steps for rectification reassured Eric of XXX Med Tech Solutions’ commitment to their partnership. The goodwill gesture of a discount further also helped regain Eric’s trust.

Not only did these two companies continue their partnership, but this incident also strengthened their relationship. “I appreciated Lev’s transparency,” said Eric. “I was very upset when our systems went down. After all, our patients are depending on us. But Lev held himself—and the company—accountable for their mistake.”

Lev’s timing also made a positive impression on Eric. “I’ve done business with other companies where nobody wants to admit it when they’ve done something wrong, or else it takes forever to get in touch a real person,” said Eric. “But Lev isn’t like that at all. He made it clear that if someone at his company messes up, he’s going to deal with it right away. His senior software engineer did get our systems back up and running fairly quickly. So Lev backed up his words with actions.”

In a business climate where every word matters, taking the time to craft a sincere and thoughtful apology can set you apart and pave the way for long-lasting professional relationships. If you are in a situation like Lev’s and you would like a professional editor to read through your apology and provide you with corrections and feedback, click the blue box below. If your email is longer, or if you want more detailed feedback, click here to submit your apology email to our Document Editing service.