Sorry is the Hardest Word?

Is it pride, ego or just plain cluelessness?

Having managed social and crisis communications for companies that I have worked for previously and now advising clients on their own communications approach, it seems that the word “sorry” is sometimes not found in the companies’ dictionary.

It is in fact often harder to get a company to apologize sincerely to their customers than to win the local lottery.

If statements like “we apologise if this might have caused you any inconvenience” or “we are sorry if you have been inconvenienced” sound familiar, you might have been a victim of gaslighting if you are a customer reading this.

If you are the company responsible for this statement, you have just absolutely gaslighted your customers and possibly caused even more frustration.

The main reason these statements have an issue is the way they are being phrased. By using the words “if”, “might” and “perhaps” suggest that companies are providing an outlet for themselves to excuse their own behavior and misdemeanor.

Take for example a recent case I heard from a friend about an airline misplacing her luggage. She had to buy clothes and other necessities not provided by the hotel the moment she landed as she had everything in her luggage. The airline eventually managed to deliver the luggage to her hotel the next day with the following apology note “we apologise if we might have caused you any inconvenience having misplaced your luggage”.

They might as well say “Though we have misplaced your luggage, whether we think it’s our fault or not depends on whether you have been inconvenienced. We think you might be or you might not, who knows (or cares?)”.

They should have placed themselves in the shoes of their customer and think empathetically before they craft the note and decided on the appropriate actions.

If it’s them, would they not feel frustrated, stressed and absolutely inconvenienced being in another country without their own belongings? Would they be absolutely delighted to have an airline that they entrust to transport them and their belongings from one place to another without fuss - lose their belongings? It’s not rocket science that customers expect the bare minimum of what they paid for when they decide to fly with said airline.

The customer is not even expecting the airline to go the extra mile to send a goodwill token of apology and appreciation for her support when in fact, a self-respecting world class airline should do that.

In contrast, I recall an incident when a driver drove off with my bag accidentally when I was in Japan and was uncontactable because his mobile phone was out of power. He turned up later in the evening and apologized profusely without any “ifs” or ”mays” and the next morning, got me a small token of apology though I was not expecting it at all.

This goes to show that everyone can make that impact and difference in customer centricity; it’s a matter of your core values and if you genuinely care enough to do so or not.

From a communications perspective, it is also better to be more transparent and forthcoming in owning the issue, acknowledging mistakes, and apologizing for them sincerely. No organization is too big or important for an apology when it’s warranted; just as no organization is too big to fall.

So, the next time when a mistake is made, how ready are you to own it sincerely?

About the Author

Mad About Marketing Consulting

Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.

What Authenticity Means in the Corporate World

There is much talk on authenticity and its importance recently, including being our authentic selves. A big part of authenticity is communications and being able to communicate authentically.

Some folks have asked me what it really means, and if it means they can literally just communicate whatever they want and anyhow they want even in a corporate setting.

Being authentic means being our true selves in terms of our identities, core values and to a certain extent, our personalities. However, we are not all angels or have charming and kind personalities. Truth be told, if everyone is so nice, kind and loveable, there wouldn’t be so much courses and writings on ways to navigate corporate politics, petty squabbles and power tussles. Truth also be told, if we bring our true selves to the corporate world, some of us might even get fired for being rude, abrasive or worst verbally abusive.

We are usually our true, authentic selves when we are with our loved ones, our families or simply people we are most comfortable with. These are usually not our colleagues or bosses.

Perhaps an unpopular opinion for some, but to me, being authentic in corporate shouldn’t be overly simplified or generalized that way.

While, we can bring our true identities in terms of say our gender orientation and sexual orientation to workplaces that are open and welcoming of it, it doesn’t mean bringing our true personalities, temperament, personal problems, warts and all to the work place.

I think it’s more important to be empathetic in the delivery of our communications and being authentic in the content we are delivering. The emphasis is on content as that’s what really matters to employees and stakeholders. No one wants a fake message that’s layered with lots of fluff or corporate spiel but when unwrapped, the essence of it either doesn’t mean much, cause more confusion or worse, reeks of lies. Don’t communicate for the sake of saying something.

Empathy in our delivery is critical so we are considerate of people’s feelings, their communications style and situations to tailor the way we deliver the message without changing the gist of the content. Being empathetic doesn’t mean fluffing up the message or lying about the content. It’s balancing the logical with the emotional side of the delivery approach. It’s also how you offer up support thereafter for feedback or questions.

Another way to reference it would be being professionally authentic and empathetic in our communications by putting ourselves in the shoes of the audience, and how you would relate to the intended message.

About the Author

Mad About Marketing Consulting

Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes