Oops! How to Fix Email Gaffes
by Lauren Amundsen

Everyone makes mistakes, but Inbox Marketer wants you to handle them correctly. Here are three Dos and three Don'ts of making that delicate but crucial email apology.

DO fix the problem. Apologizing without solving the problem calls attention to the problem. If you can, quietly fix things such as broken links or inoperative landing pages. But if necessary, a succinct apology with updated information is best. For example: “ABC Inc. apologizes for the incorrect email sent this morning. All problematic links have been updated in the new version below.” And on that note…

DO include the updated information. Always! No one wants to read the apology and then sift through their email to find the original error-riddled message, compare it to the new information, and then click through. Make it easy for the reader to get to the new information.

DO make up for it. If the erroneous email offered something that will cost you too much revenue – a promotion lasting 100 days instead of 10, a pair of shoes for $20 and not $200 – try to include another offer of some sort. Even if you can’t responsibly honour the accidental claim, a smaller gesture – extending the promotion by 3 days, giving a $5 coupon for those shoes – could soothe irritated customers and generate additional sales.

DON’T apologize for tiny errors. For very minor infractions such as misspellings, repeated words, and the like, an apology isn’t necessary. A tiny error will be missed by many, whereas an apology will almost certainly be read by more subscribers.

DON’T over explain. Did you ever compliment someone on something new only to hear them launch into a 20-minute story about when, where, and why it was purchased? As much as your subscribers may like your company, they don’t want or need to hear the gory details behind the screw-up. Something as simple as, “Due to a [tech-related glitch], you may have received…” will suffice.

DON’T send more than two emails. First you sent the incorrect email with the .05 coupon instead of the .50 coupon. Then you sent the apology email, and now you’re preparing to fire off the email with the correct .50 coupon? Rethink your strategy; receiving three emails from you may anger or fatigue the customer or even trigger their ISP’s spam blocker. Bombarding people is never the way to go: send the correct coupon with the apology.

One final tip. Use humour sparingly and resist the urge to make the apology too cute. If the error was something completely inoffensive, certain types of brands may be able to get away with a joke at their own expense. But if the error was something that caused embarrassment or offense to the reader, your tone should be sincere and completely apologetic.