In the study, more than 600 customers of the German eBay site who posted neutral or negative reviews of a transaction were sent an apology or compensation of under $7 to withdraw their online evaluation. Nearly 45% of customers who received the apology withdrew the evaluation, compared with about 21% of those who got compensation.
The study concluded that firms apologize so much because apologies do indeed influence customers’ behavior.
Although the article doesn’t reveal the content of the apologies, we can assume (being that customers accepted them) that they were effectively written. So what distinguishes an effectively written apology from the alternative?
- Avoid corporate-speak in favor of empathy
- Avoid boilerplate responses in favor of conversational language and tone
- Avoid excuses in favor of sincere apologies
- Avoid being coy in favor of being direct
- Avoid managing the situation in favor of resolving it
Except for a very small percentage of customers who are trawling for perks or discounts, customers who complain genuinely feel wronged. And since most customers who feel wronged do not complain, when the (relatively) few choose to air a grievance, embrace it.
Use the critique to get better and, assuming the feedback produced a concrete action such as a policy revision or process change, convey this outcome to the source of the complaint. This will validate her feedback and, unlike a dismissive check, is likely to cement the relationship.
