Owning + Apologizing
Navigating apologies in a crisis
Your brand is a collection of perceptions about you, formed by every communication (including social media), and every action and interaction with anyone associated with your organization. No matter how much you protect your brand, no organization is immune from a crisis. How an organization handles a mistake, though, has massive consequences for its approval rating and its bottom line.
What it means to own an apology
When an issue bubbles up, authenticity and ownership are core crisis management principles to put in to practice. Know who you are and how you’ll communicate your brand. And when you make a mistake, own who you are, what you have done and what you believe.
While taking ownership of a mistake and opening oneself up to consequences is generally difficult and uncomfortable, research surrounding apologies has shown that ownership, contrition and reparations lead to better long-term resolutions. People admire and trust those who own problems and fix them—even if they did not create them.
Be quick and earnest in an apology. Speed, strength and sincerity of an apology are directly correlated with the level of damage sustained. Communicate the pain or insult, acknowledge the victim and outline steps toward resolution. Critics usually do not respond kindly to communication that is not backed with action.
How to apologize in a crisis
Crafting a successful apology involves a few simple principles:
Accept responsibility.
Use the word “apologize.”
Avoid a victim mentality.
Apologize for what you did, not what happened.
Use context, but not as a way to shift blame.
Stay on topic.
Using these principles will help you craft a sincere apology and avoid the need to create a second one. In a crisis, the last thing you need is more negative attention—or social media fodder—on your brand.
What we can learn from Zoom
On Aug. 24, 2020, Zoom crashed as millions of American children attempted to logon for their first day of virtual learning. After quickly rectifying the issue, Zoom’s president of product and engineering emailed users the following apology:
“We always take very seriously our responsibility to keep you connected, and we know that you are relying on us during this particularly challenging time. We deeply regret this incident and sincerely apologize. I'm personally disappointed that we have let you down and I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused….I'm here to get this right and will personally do my best to prevent disruptions like this from happening in the future. Zoom's availability and reliability is a top priority, and we appreciate all of your support.”
No doubt Zoom’s failure led to massive disruption, but they didn’t mince words or shift blame. Instead, they were quick to apologize, take responsibility for the fiasco and communicate their commitment to ensure it didn’t happen again. Using personal language ensured the apology was received as genuine, and helped its effectiveness.
Zoom failed the reliability test, but their communication won the trust of users for months to come. When the inevitable happens, Guardian can help you communicate a sincere apology that will help build trust in your brand.