Business Apology Letter that Works from Skype
As you likely know, Skype had a 36-hour service disruption last week, which was disastrous for business and customer trust. However, instead of dodging the issue, Skype has been very forthright explaining the outage. Additionally, Skype CEO, Tony Bates, sent this letter to all customers, whether or not they were affected. This is a perfect example of a customer apology letter that works:
- It is honest
- It feels sincere
- Timing is perfect, coinciding with New Year’s well wishes and the apology
- The focus is on the apology, not excuses
- There is a link to further information if a customer wants this
Additionally, they offer kind compensation of a 30 minute call, in language that brings our attention back to the value of their service. It only cost Skype $1 for any customer who redeemed the credit voucher, but the customer service impact is immeasurable.
Well done, Skype. Here is their letter:
To our valued customers:
As 2010 draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to thank each of you for your patience, understanding, and support during Skype’s recent outage.
We know how important your Skype conversations are to you and we take any disruption to our service very seriously. We are pleased to confirm that Skype is back to normal allowing you to connect with friends, co-workers, family and loved ones.
As a valued customer of Skype, we would like to offer you a sincere apology and offer you our gratitude with a credit voucher worth a call of more than 30 minutes to a landline in some of our most popular countries, such as USA, UK, Germany, China, Japan. Or spend it however you like on Skype.
To redeem your voucher:
1. Go to skype.com/go/voucher
2. Enter your Skype username and password
3. Enter your unique voucher code and click redeem
Voucher code XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thank you for allowing us at Skype to be a part of your life. May your holidays and the New Year be a time of joy, peace, and health for you and your family.
If you require any additional information please visit http://blogs.skype.com/en/2010/12/.
Kind regards,
Tony Bates
CEO
Skype
