1) Don’t wait.
2) Be sincere.
3) Use the right words. Acknowledge their feelings, take ownership, assure them it will never happen again, don’t use “if” or “but”.
4) Take action.
5) Don’t expect instant forgiveness.
When you mess up, as we all do, don’t let it define you in others eyes – apologize.
Great advice!
Other things to consider: An angry or disgruntled person has a story to tell. Don’t stop them mid-sentence to take them to someone else. Even if you have no authority to “fix” their issue- hear their story without interruptions. Then respond to their feelings and genuinely apologize. This does not require accepting blame.
Then tell them exactly what you are going to do about their problem.
Lastly, follow up to see that the problem was resolved to their satisfaction.It’s fun to role-play with co-workers using the above strategy. You can vote for the best players.
To me – what one needs to apologies for has a lot to do with the approach. If you practice being impecable with your words and think about how your actions will effect others will take an apologia out of the equation.
“An ounce of prevention if worth a pound of cure”
Ben Franklin.