A sincere apology can save you from losing your customers. You will be able to salvage your relationship with them by expressing regret and apologizing.
Effective communication with your clients is very important in building trust and having a good relationship with them.
Apologizing to a customer when they are right gives them a feeling that they are important and you value their business.
When you’re apologizing, it’s important to apologize sincerely without making excuses because it will leave a good impression on your customers.
When you respond to a customer, it is almost guaranteed that they will not have read your mind as to what would have been the ideal response.
Regardless of how much time you’ve spent thinking about an ideal response, you still can’t beat what happens when someone tells you that your response was perfect.
In this article, we will discuss 7 sorry for the inconvenience alternatives.
What is meant by sorry for the inconvenience?
“Sorry for the inconvenience” is a common phrase used by the customer support team.
Although it is most often used to express regret over a delayed or missed delivery, it can also be used to apologize for any errors or mistakes that were made during a customer support call.
However, some customers will feel that it is the expression of the airline’s sincerity and apology.
Similarly, from a passenger’s point of view, he may believe that what he received was only an apology, but no compensation and relevant explanations, resulting in an unsatisfactory answer.
From a psychological perspective, when we apologize to customers, first of all, it should be sincere and reflect our true feelings.
Second, if there really were problems on our side and we have wronged customers, we need to do more than make excuses.
Why don’t customers like the phrase ‘sorry for the inconvenience’?
“Sorry for the inconvenience” is a phrase we hear time and time again when things go wrong. But according to a new study, the phrase may actually be driving customers away.
The study found that only two out of five people were satisfied with businesses that apologized for inconveniences. It also found that half of all customers were likely to spread bad word-of-mouth about a company after an apology, and over a third of customers would rather see businesses do nothing at all than say sorry for the inconvenience.
A spokesperson for Boomerang Commerce, the company behind the study, said: “to many customers, ‘sorry for the inconvenience’ feels like a cop-out or an excuse.”
- Low authenticity – The truth is that these phrases don’t mean anything to the customers. If you do something really bad, apologize. But don’t just say sorry for the inconvenience, because it means nothing to your customer.
- Unempathetic meaning – You know how you feel when you get these words at a company. The main reason for these words is for the company’s benefit. The company uses this word so people will accept a mistake and then keep doing business with the company.
- No urgency – Customers want you to own up to your mistakes and fix them – not pretend the issue never happened.”
7 Great “Sorry for the Inconvenience Alternatives”
Customer service can be hard, but we think it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we’re happy to introduce the best 7 sorry for the inconvenience alternatives to deliver better customer service.
- I Realize This Is Disappointing
- I Understand Your Frustration
- Please Accept My Sincere Apology
- Please Let Me Know If There Is Anything I Can Do
- I Apologize Unreservedly
- Thanks for Your Patience
- Let Me Help
1. I Realize This Is Disappointing
You should recognize the customer’s disappointments faster and take ownership of the mistake. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and make them realize that you are thinking of their perspective. Be a good listener and focus on customer sentiment. If a customer goes through disappointments just say I realize this is disappointing, but I am here to help you best way possible.
According to a recent report by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, 75% of customers are unsatisfied with the customer service they receive.
“I realize this is disappointing” is a much better alternative for “sorry for the inconvenience”.
Pro tip
- Make sure your customer acknowledges that you are aware of your faults and aim to fix things. It will grow confidence and build trust in the relationship.
- Making customers feel heard is important. There is no doubt that we all feel that we are special. No matter your customer complaints are common or not, take some time to make your customers feel heard.
2. I Understand Your Frustration
It is needless to say that sometimes your products or services are not suitable for every customer. However, it is very common and there is nothing wrong with it.
If a customer is frustrated with the product or any service and asks for a refund it doesn’t mean that you should treat the customer differently. Communicate with the customer with respect. Who knows you are going to regain the customer down the line.
If you are a customer service representative, don’t dismiss the customer complaint just by saying ‘’sorry for the inconvenience’’.
You should go through what customers are feeling and accept the blame. It will help to retain more customers and create a loyal customer base.
Pro tip
When you will say I understand your frustration then the customer will acknowledge that you are also feeling empathy for the situation.
3. Please Accept My Sincere Apology
“Please accept my sincere apology” is a phrase that a customer service agent can use in order to ask for an apology when a customer experiences delays getting any service or products from your company or brand. However, in order to do it, they have to understand how to embrace the right tone.
- Ignorance – customers don’t like delays. Because they feel they are being ignored or their problem isn’t important. This can happen when a customer makes a complaint or inquiry.
- Negative experience – the delay is the feeling of time spent in an unpleasurable manner. It is a subjective experience. It is not an objective one. So, make sure your customers are not experiencing any delay.
Pro tip
- It’s important for the customer service team to always be responsive and to acknowledge mistakes quickly. If a company is not taking an active role in acknowledging problems, people will not trust the company any longer.
- Frustrated customers can be extreme or aggressive. Probably, because they have no idea that someone is listening to them. Prior to responding, make sure you are giving some time yourself to understand how are you feeling, too.
4. Please Let Me Know If There Is Anything I Can Do
It is another great alternative you can use instead of sorry for the inconvenience.
When you are communicating with a customer to provide assistance. You can say simply ‘’Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help resolve the problem’’. This phrase shows your willingness to support the customer.
Pro tip
There is a lot of competition out there, and people are happy to pick a product with better customer service. Worse yet, unhappy customers can easily rant and rave online, resulting in bad reviews and social media, dragging you down further. Make sure you are assisting your customer always.
5. I Apologize Unreservedly
The most important thing is to make sure your customers feel like they have been heard.
Additionally, it is good to know that saying this phrase will resolve the situation faster than a regular apology because it comes from a place of sincerity.
You just can’t make the customer happy just by saying sorry for the inconvenience to address all uncaring and flippant.
However, if you have made an error of judgment which resulted in someone serious offense or inconvenience then you can say ‘’I apologize unreservedly’’.
6. Thank You for Your Patience
On the surface, customer service is often a light-hearted affair, but underneath that, it’s a serious business. A little can make or break the relationship with the customers. Treating the customer with respect and value is crucial for any business.
In fact, in many ways, it’s one of the most difficult tasks you could undertake. That’s because customer service is like an iceberg; nine-tenths of it is underwater, and you can’t see it unless you’re in the business or sitting in the chair.
Pro tip
There is no doubt that some people don’t like the apology they need to solve the issues that caused inconvenience. In these cases, you can say something which is not trite, however, also free from an unnecessary apology.
7. Let Me Help
People ask for help when they are disappointed. Instead of showing an apology, offer them help. This is what they are looking for from you.
Let me help – is a phrase that literally means – let me assist you. It sounds very polite.
It’s worth mentioning, it does not matter what kind of work you do, or what kind of company you work for, saying the phrase ”let me help” can always be useful.
But before we look at examples of how to use − let’s think about the reasons for using this phrase?
The first and most important reason using this phrase will make an impression on your audience or customer. You can make them feel that you are a sincere and attentive person.
By saying ”let me help”, you show that you are willing to assist your customer.
- Provide a simple solution – Have you ever spent hours on the way to solve a problem and you found the solution? You will never forget what you went through when you look for that answer. Make sure your customers can find answers quickly and easily.
- Assist customers when they need – customers sometimes have difficulties when shopping online. Some do not know how to find answers to their problems, some do not know how to ask for help. These customers who need assistance are your priority.
How REVE Chat Can Assist You to Handle Customer Complaints?
In the current era of massive automation and artificial intelligence (AI), customers are increasingly turning to chatbots for assistance with their complaints.
As a matter of fact, consumers want to find quick solutions. They don’t want to spend hours on the phone or finding the best contact information for a particular brand only to be told that the company does not offer any refunds or compensation for poor services.
REVE Chat can assist with an efficient solution on their terms in real-time. Sign Up now and enjoy 14 days free trial.
