And this can be even harder when you’re communicating to the masses with typed words. 

We live in a day and age where we digest information through our eyes, ears, social media, and often through skimming on the go. So far 2020 is a shiny, new decade and things are steadily changing within the context of the business consumer relationship. As email marketers, effective communication must be part of the change.

Mistakes through human error happen, that’s an inevitable! Not even the largest, most savvy corporations have figured out how to bypass occasional bloopers and blunders. Thoughtfully written and well-timed apology emails have been proven to mend broken fences, salvage broken trust, and redirect negative attention after a mishap has occurred.

Let’s look at a couple of examples of when an email apology should have been sent expeditiously and wasn’t. 

Gone wrong and swept under a rug

Once upon a time, a national daily deals site decided to highlight a humorously illustrated gun show advertisement, that focused on the deeply discounted rate. On a normal day, this may not be viewed as offensive. But less than 24 hours before that deal went live, an elementary school shooting took place claiming the lives of several children, teachers and staff members in the exact same city that would host the gun show.

Backlash was immediate as consumers took to social media to point out the insensitivity of a trivial sale being pushed to the front page of the popular site. The deal was taken down, but the damage was done. 

There’s no public record of the company issuing a public apology—and that’s a great example of a missed opportunity to course-correct and reassure loyal customers their voices are heard. Maybe the lack of damage control has a backstory, but one could argue an email could have served as a bridge to emotionally-affected patrons.

An educated guess is this missed opportunity probably converted to a loss of revenue.

As a company, you have a responsibility to take care of your audience when internal disasters spill onto their landscape. Though all mess ups aren’t as harsh as the gun ad mistake, all companies should have a knowledgeable approach to the rules of engagement after a distasteful display. 

If you placed yourself in the shoes of that company’s CEO, would you have done something more than simply remove the deal? I sure hope so!

Heads are turning

Right now, if you Google “Deva Curl Scandal,” your mind would be blown that there’s a class action lawsuit against - of all things - a hair care line. 

Deva Curl is one of the world’s most highly purchased hair product lines for women with curly hair. The company is endorsed by thousands of salons, independent stylists, paid social media influencers and celebrities. Since 2019, the rumblings of thousands of women complaining about hair loss, scalp sores, bald patches and worse were able to make enough noise to warrant a publicized legal battle against the brand and the entire line of products under its commercial imprint.

Former supporters of the brand have taken to all available platforms to rally against the defective ingredient combinations plaguing the formula over the last three years. Combined, several YouTube channels have garnered upwards of 10 million views for videos outlining the physical damage they’ve experienced after prolonged usage. There’s even a Facebook support group with over 30K members sharing before and after photos of their tresses.

Initially, the brand released a statement that the hair damage was due to user error and improper washing/hygiene practices. That sparked greater outrage, resulting in more videos, sharp drops in sales, and retail stores pulling the products from their shelves.

Last week, Deva Curl changed its tune and sent this apology email to its subscribers. It’s a solid attempt to turn things around, but it just might be a day late and a dollar short. Only time will tell.

Now that we’ve put these nightmares in front of you, let’s put some things in the vault in case you ever need to send an apology.

Say sorry with your head up

There are several factors that determine how your message will be received. To be fully sincere, you must show compassion, be transparent, solve the problem you created and end on a high note.

Do's: 

• Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Think about how they were impacted by what took place.
• Have a clear, intended introduction, starting with the subject line. Don’t be quippy or attempt to be funny. Keep it professional.
• Know that the overall message you’re sending shouldn’t be all about saving face and jobs. Instead, the communication should be centered around setting things straight, clearing the air, and sometimes reestablishing your reputation.
• Be mindful of your tone from the subject line to the final point of punctuation. Walk a straight line without giving a bunch of excuses.
• Get straight to the point. You know what they want and need to hear, so deliver that without a blanket of fluff.
• Control the narrative! Address the concern and fess up, but don’t stay in the gutter too long. After all, you do want them to remain as a customer. 
• Conclude on a high note, pointing out how/what the company has learned from this unfortunate experience and how you will do better in the future. 
• Provide a way for your email recipients to reach back out after reading what you sent. They may want to say thank you. 
• Offer compensation and complimentary services on a case-by-case basis. 
• Send the communication through several internal channels before releasing to proof for errors and flow. Once it’s out, it’s out. 
• Send a test email to yourself to check all links are working and all attachments are loaded. 
• Put a plan in place for responses to your apology. You’ve done the hardest part by admitting something went awry. Be sure your communication after the initial contact is consistent and has the same vibe as the initial outreach. 
• Have a company-wide dialogue on how to answer emails pertaining to the mistake. 
• Encourage a culture of improvement moving forward. Make sure your customers know even though something negative happened, you never stopped caring about them.

Don'ts

• Ignore customer calls and email correspondence.
• Hide behind policies, titles and money. It’s insulting to the people that trusted what they thought you represented.
• Blame your clients—especially if they all share a common experience with your service or product.
• Overuse industry terms and things that fly over people’s heads.
• Tap dance to divert attention or do magic disappearing acts to avoid interactions. People may not like what happened, but they will respect you didn’t leave them high and dry.
• Put all emails in the “to” field of a regular email.  For small cases, send the emails individually, using the recipient’s name. For large database emails, use a trusted mass email software to ensure proper delivery. This also puts you in a position to monitor open rates, click throughs and other data to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
• Use unnecessary imagery or emojis. This is an unnecessary distraction.

MISTAKES THAT DON’T REQUIRE A CRISIS PLAN

• Misspelled words (unless it’s a name) or missing simple punctuation. You’re human, not a dictionary, right?! 
• Missing links or attachments. In these instances, you can use a little humor to address that you forgot something—we’ve all done this before. 
• Duplicate emails.

Not every single mistake needs to be addressed with an academic length dissertation. But make sure your customers feel a virtual hug or handshake to ensure you’re back on the same page.

As the saying goes, happy client, happy business!

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Clorissa Wright is the CEO of Synergy PR Services. She's an established media and public relations specialist with of experience in the fields of entertainment and sports public relations, marketing, corporate imaging and business to business communication. She's also a writer on the staff of Hella Good Marketing.