How To Apologize For The Mistake And The Inconvenience Professionally (101 Email, Letters Examples)

Man is fallible by nature. That explains why we get to hear the word “I’m sorry” almost daily (for those that care to say sorry). Every day of our lives, it is either we are directly affected by someone else’s mistake or we make mistakes that affect others. Mistakes such as submitting the wrong document, saying the most inappropriate words to someone, misplacing a customer’s order, etc.

Whatever the case may be, tendering a sincere apology to the one whose feeling you hurt by your actions, inactions or words should be your next line of action.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t just stop at knowing how to apologize for the mistake and the inconvenience professionally, but you should also know the dos and don’t’s of apologies. Some of them include;

1. Do not wait to be asked for an apology:

Let’s say you were stuck in traffic and therefore you arrived late for a board meeting. You don’t have to fold your hands and wait for your boss or colleagues to point out your mistake or demand an apology from you.

On the contrary, proactive steps should be taken to truly show that you are sorry.

2. Do show great remorse through your words and actions

Always show that you are sorry through your words and actions.

Do not just stop at apologizing for your mistake, but rather back up your apology with actions that will help build trust and enhance your relationship with your boss, colleague, customer, or business partner.

You can start by asking the recipient of your apology what he/she will like you to do to restore the trust he/she once had in you. This is how to apologize for a mistake professionally

3. Don’t just apologize to be in the good books of your recipient.

Do not apologize because you want to be seen as one who is humble or because you want to be in the good books of your recipient. Rather apologize because you truly value your relationship with him/her and to show that you are sincerely sorry.

4. Do apologize but do not force it:

Always apologize for a wrong done, but do not force the recipient of your apology to accept your apology.

You’ve taken the right step by apologizing. However, accepting your apology should be left to the discretion of your recipient.

5. Take actionable steps in order not to repeat the same mistake.

Do not be caught apologizing for the same mistake again and again.

If you’ve made the mistake of sending the wrong file to the wrong person in your Place of work, and you’ve apologized for that. Do not take your boss’ /colleague’s trust in you for granted by repeating the same mistake.

That said, I have put together more ways on how to apologize for a mistake professionally.

How To Apologize For A Mistake Professionally Sample

 

No! Not again! you’ve just sent out the wrong mail and the deadline for submission ends in 30 minutes.

Erica stood frozen for some minutes, as her boss’ voice echoed in her head.

She knew the implications of her mistake, yet it felt awkward apologizing, as her boss looked at her sternly.

After standing speechless for some minutes, she hurriedly left his office.

Sat down before her desktop computer and did everything possible to correct her Mistake.

Most times in organizations, mistakes are made by staff or employees which may cost a whole lot of damage if not well managed.

However, making apologies for the mistake seems to be the hardest thing to do. Simply because the right words are not always easy to come by when one wants to apologize.

This may be due to the rush of emotions, your relationship with the recipient, or your history with the recipient of your apology.

For this reason, it is expedient you arm yourself with the knowledge on how to apologize for the mistake and the inconvenience caused.

Yeah, you don’t have to be an excellent writer to use these samples of professional apologies, as you only need to follow these few steps in tendering your apology.

Firstly, address your recipient by his or her name.

Secondly, state how you’ve wronged him/her and take responsibility for your actions.

Finally, assure the recipient of the apology of your willingness to make amends and show that by stating the actions you’ve taken or will take to show how remorseful you feel.

On that note, here are samples of how to apologize for a mistake professionally.

1. Dear (Recipient name),

I sincerely apologize for not notifying you on time about today’s board meeting. It hurt to think that you missed today’s meeting because of my oversight and I am also aware of how bad you feel about your absence from today’s board meeting.

However, with regards to this, I have specifically put a phone reminder for all the days scheduled for board meetings and also saved the names of board members that I’ll need to notify about the meeting.

More so, I have emailed you the minutes for the meeting. Please go through it as soon as you can. Trust me when I say that I’m very sorry for this mistake of mine and I truly do not wish to repeat it in the nearest future.

I value my job in this organization and much more than this I value the relationship I have with you.

Please do let me know if there is anything more you will love me to do as regards this misstep of mine.

Yours sincerely,

(Your name).

2. Dear (recipient name)

My heart is heavy and I lack words to truly show how sorry I am for my rudeness to you yesterday.

I shouldn’t have allowed my problems to affect my relationship with my team members. I should have done better as a team player, but my emotions got the best of me.

You are an inspiring team leader and I apologize for hurting you with my words.

However, I have booked an appointment with my psychologist and I am willing to do the needful to maintain a healthy relationship with you and the other team members.

I am sincerely sorry. I’m also open to further discussions.

Please kindly reach out, if you would love us to talk more about this.

Yours Sincerely,

(Your name).

3. Dear (recipient name)

I’m deeply sorry for submitting the wrong financial report to the financial audit department.

I should have confirmed the report before submitting it, but I was in a hurry to go home to attend to my toddler.

My apologies may not avert the damage done already, but I have taken precautionary measures to prevent future occurrences. I have presently employed a nanny to help take care of my toddler till I return from work, while I focus on my job.

I have come a long way with the company and I’m not willing to jeopardize the goals and visions of this great organization.

Please accept my apologies for the mistake and the inconvenience. More so, If there are more adjustments you would love me to make, do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

(Your name).

4. Dear (Recipient’s name)

Please accept my sincerest apology for smashing your laptop screen yesterday at work.

I deeply regret not handling it carefully. I was carried away with the day’s activities and I forgot that I kept it on my table when it fell off with some of the files on the table.

I know how indispensable your laptop is to you, and I have contacted an engineer to come and take a look at it. I am also becoming more intentional about my workspace.

Please do let me know if there is more that I can do to make it up to you.

Sincerely,

(Your name).

Related Post: Samples of Official Appreciation Messages

How To Apologize To A Customer For Bad Service

 

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”_Bill Gates.

Just as there are sunny days in business when all the products are sold out. Yeah, when customers are happy and you get to enjoy impressive and heartwarming product reviews from your customers.

However, business owners do not always get to have sunny days. There are the rainy days when customers are unhappy with your product or service, when sales are lost due to bad customer experience, and when bad reviews of your product or service come in their numbers.

No, is not strange. It happens to every business owner or service provider.

More so, do not take for granted the complaints of an unsatisfied customer. Whatever bad review you receive from an unsatisfied customer should be seen as an avenue for learning and improvement. Therefore, it should be treated with utmost importance.

As the saying goes the “customer is the boss and should be treated like one”. One way to treat a customer as the boss is by apologizing for a bad service rendered.

Writing a professional apology to a customer does not have to be difficult. Yeah, you can start by showing that you are truly sorry. Try to put yourself in your customer’s shoes, get to know how they feel, and acknowledge their grievances.

Secondly, state things as they are. Explain carefully to the customer the reason for the bad service.

Thirdly, humbly accept and learn from your mistakes. Assure the customer of a more improved service in the future.

With this in mind, you may as well take a look at these samples on how to apologize to a customer for bad service.

1. Dear Judith,

On behalf of XYZ group of companies, I sincerely apologize for the delay in delivery of the set of perfumes you ordered from our online store.

Normally, we give our customers 2 days delivery time, but we exceeded this because of the black Friday sales we had this month. We ran out of stock and that affected our delivery.

We fully understand your pain, waiting that long for your product to be sent to you and having your plans affected by this action of ours.

Going forward, we have gotten more suppliers for our products and have also sent through your email address a free shopping voucher for your next purchase in our store.

Again, we are truly sorry for the mistake and the inconvenience; and would love to know if you have any more concerns regarding this issue.

Thanks,

Customer care Rep.

Xyz companies.

2. Dear Fred,

Please accept our apologies regarding the experience you had with our sales representative.

We are truly sorry for how he handled your inquiries with less concern.

Here at fintech resources, we pride ourselves on giving our customers maximum satisfaction, which we have maintained over the years. Regrettably, we disappointed you in that regard and we take full responsibility for giving Mr. Maxwell, our sales representative lots of workload.

This made him not give you the needed attention. We’ll like you to know that your anger and grievances are justified.

That said, we are currently looking for more capable hands to ensure this does not repeat itself.

Feel free to reach out to us, if you have any more questions.

Sincerely,

Donald Dena

General Manager,

Fintech resources.

3. Dear Mia,

On behalf of happy logistics and travels, we apologize for leaving you stranded at the airport.

We are truly sorry for taking so much time before sending one of our drivers to come and pick you up at the airport.

It is disheartening to know that you missed your appointment because of our lapses. We had to run urgent maintenance on all our cabs for efficient service this festive season and this caused the delay you encountered.

However, we have made plans to prevent this from happening again. We’ve currently set up a social media account where we can reach out to our esteemed customers about any new development regarding our services.

Once again, we are deeply sorry.

Thanks

Head of operations,

Happy logistics and travels.

Apologize For The Mistake And The Inconveniences

It is a truism that mistakes are inevitable. However, no matter how minute the mistake might be, it has an impact on the customer, staff, or colleague. Therefore, you will have to apologize for the mistake and the inconvenience.

Moreover, the statement ‘sorry for the inconvenience” has become a cliche that sounds irksome to most customers/staff. This is because they have heard it countless times and would love to be sincerely apologized to.

So, how do I apologize for the mistake and inconveniences, you ask? Well, it is the desire of every human, be it a customer or staff to be understood. Therefore, while apologizing for a mistake and the inconveniences caused, you should sound more empathic and also proffer solutions to their plight that are feasible.

Need inspiration concerning how to go about this? Here are some Sincere apologies examples to inspire you.

1. Dear Beatrice,

Please accept our heartfelt apology regarding the total blackout in your city.

We are sorry for not giving you prior notice before the blackout.

Honestly, it was a grave mistake. Words alone cannot capture how we feel as a company. There was a little explosion at the hydro plant. This caused an uproar, which made many of our staff vacate the premises and this led to the blackout.

We understand that electricity is an indispensable part of your daily life. You rely on it to accomplish so much every day and we truly apologize for the inconveniences caused.

Furthermore, we have presently put together safety measures in the hydro plant to prevent this from happening again.

On a lighter note, we are glad to announce to you that light will be restored tomorrow morning and for the rest of the year, you will enjoy an uninterrupted and free electric power supply.

Please feel free to call our helplines, if you have any questions you would love to ask us.

Thanks,

Customer support,

Powerline companies.

2. Dear Elise,

On behalf of the Great group of schools, I apologize for the delay in the payment of August’s salary.

I assure you, that we are not ignorant of the present economic situation and your anxiety. Therefore your displeasure and anger towards the management are justified.

The school bursar is currently not disposed to do the disbursement of payments. He traveled for an emergency.

However, we have delegated the head of administration to see to it that every staff get paid before 12th August 2021.

Again, we apologize for this glitch and the inconveniences caused by this delay.

We are also available to attend to your questions regarding this issue.

Sincerely,

Greg Adams,

Head of Admin.

Short Sincere Apology Examples

 

Sincere apologies should come from a truly repentant heart. More so, if you lack words to sincerely say sorry for your mistakes, I have compiled these sincere apology examples just for you.

1. Times and seasons may come and go, but the impact of our actions will always linger.

My actions yesterday were uncalled for and I know my apology will not bring back the hands of time to correct my mistakes.

Nevertheless, I am deeply sorry and I hope you forgive me.

2. To err is human, but my attitude towards you was inhumane. I understand that it may be hard for you to forgive me, yet for the sake of the good times, I plead you let go.

3. My heart hurts badly. My eyes are sore with tears, I feel helpless thinking about the cruel words I said to you. Please accept my apologies, this heart can truly heal when you forgive me.

4. We’ve come a long way, we’ve made beautiful memories together. Nevertheless, I won’t allow this mistake of mine to cause a rift between us. I’m so sorry for not paying the debt I owe you on time, I apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused you.

5. For the heartache, the headache, and the pains I’ve caused you, I truly apologize.

Please find a place in your heart to forgive me for breaking the trust, you once heard in me.

6. I lack words to convey how I feel inside. Truly, I feel awful knowing that you lost your job because of me. It was never a deliberate act and I wish my apologies can salvage the situation, then I would write thousands of apologies. I am sincerely sorry.

7. From the depth of my heart, I truly apologize for taking your kindness for granted. Our relationship means the world to me, and I hope you give me another chance to make things right.

8. I seek your forgiveness, and I long for your trust. I wish you can see my heart, to know how deeply sorry I am for causing you so much pain.

9. I made a great mistake by forgetting your special day. I am not proud of this, I hope you forgive me and I hope to be given a chance to make it up to you.

10. I am truly sorry for prioritizing my ego over you. I humbly apologize for this foolish act, please forgive me.

How To Say Sorry Professionally In A Mail or Letter

Saying” I am sorry” may look and sound simple. But, it becomes a powerful tool for rebuilding trust, breaking communication barriers, and building healthy relationships when said rightly.

For this reason, I have put together more samples on how to say sorry Professionally.

1. Dear Sir,

I would like to express my deep regrets for lashing out at Mr. Peter, my colleague during work hours yesterday.

I should have kept my emotion in check, but I allowed them to get the best of me.

Over the years, you’ve taught us to shun unethical behaviors like this, and I truly understand your disappointment in me.

Sir, I know it is impossible to take back my words. However, I have apologized to Mr. Peter and have also signed an agreement with him not to repeat the same unacceptable behavior.

Please accept this as my formal apology. I’m deeply sorry for my unruly actions and will humbly submit to any disciplinary measure you will deem fit.

Yours sincerely,

Oregon Pete.

2. Dear Rose,

On behalf of blossom surprise company, I apologize for failing to send your cake order.

We understand how important your birthday is to you. You relied on our services to make your day more eventful and we regret not living up to your expectations of us.

Mr. Alonso, our delivery agent was involved in an accident on his way to make deliveries. We are truly sorry that this had to stall our deliveries for the day. He is currently being hospitalized and we have as a matter of urgency hired a new delivery agent till he is fit to return to work.

More so, we will send you a refund by tomorrow morning. You will also receive free cupcakes and a birthday gift from us by morning.

We appreciate your patience with us and assure you that your next experience with us will be nothing short of your expectations.

If you have other concerns, please do not hesitate to dial our customer support phone lines below……..

Sincerely,

Evan

Head of operations.

How To Apologize For A Mistake At Work in Mail

Making a mistake at work is not unusual. I mean, there are some days when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and you just can’t seem to get anything right at work. Other times, you might be exhausted from workloads and pressures.

Nevertheless, apologizing for your Mistakes might be hard, but should be done regardless.

Unlike in_person apology, the good thing about apologizing through email is that you will have your thought written clearly and concisely.

More so, you don’t have to be bothered about looking into your recipient’s eyes or be conscious of his /her perception of your body language. Willing to make that apology? Here are samples on How to apologize For a Mistake at work in Mail.

1. Subject: My Apology

Dear Patrick,

Please accept my sincerest apology for delivering the wrong costume for the Fashion show that was held over the weekend.

I’m sorry I didn’t realize the impact of my actions till I got a call from the Wardrobe stylist. I was overwhelmed with Clients’ orders, and I forgot to go through the costumes carefully before sending them to you.

I understand the level of work and dedication you put in to have a successful fashion show each month, and I regret falling short of your standards and expectations of me.

Please be assured that I won’t let this unprofessional lapse of mine repeat itself. I promise to be more careful and in that regard, I have hired an assistant to help sort out clients’ orders.

Once again I am truly sorry and would like to know if there is anything I can do to make it up to you.

Sincerely,

Patricia Oliver.

2. Dear Ned,

I’m sending this email because I want to apologize to you for wrongly filling in your data.

I know how frustrating it is to be denied your salary because your data was filled in wrongly. As the Secretary of this great Company, I take full responsibility for this error. I should have been more thorough.

Nonetheless, I have informed the head of finance about the error and he has given an instruction that I create new data for you. I have done that already and have submitted it to him for approval.

I value your trust in me as the company’s Secretary, and I’m willing to protect this trust at all times.

I assure you that I will be more careful onward. Please do let me know if you have any more concerns concerning this issue.

Sincerely,

Kate Kappoe.

 

It is said that no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. On the other hand, mistakes can be minimized through conscious efforts. Perfection may not be attained, but you can attempt regardless.