apology-letter

# Apology Letter Skill A real apology rebuilds trust; a non-apology ("we're sorry you feel that way") destroys it. The difference is specific: acknowledge what happened, own it without excuses, show you understand the impact, and say concretely what you'll do. This skill writes apologies that actually land — sincere, accountable, and specific to the situation. ## Working from a brief Given "apologise to a customer whose order we lost", **write the full apology anyway** — infer the impact and a reasonable remedy, label assumptions, and bracket only details to confirm (names, dates, specific compensation). Never hand back advice about apologising instead of the apology itself. ## Required Inputs Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else infer and label): - **What happened** — the mistake, and who was affected. - **The impact** — how it affected them (inconvenience, cost, trust, harm). - **Your responsibility** — what you got wrong (own your part plainly). - **The remedy** — what you'll do to fix it and prevent recurrence, and any make-good offer. - **Recipient & tone** — one customer / a community / the public; and how formal. ## Output Format ### Apology: [situation] A complete, ready-to-send message in this order: 1. **Acknowledge** — name specifically what happened, up front. 2. **Take responsibility** — own it directly ("we got this wrong"), no "if", no "but", no blame-shifting. 3. **Empathy** — show you understand the actual impact on them. 4. **Make it right** — the concrete fix and, where appropriate, a make-good (refund, replacement, credit). 5. **Prevent recurrence** — briefly, what changes so it doesn't happen again (only if true). 6. **Close** — sincere, human, with a way to reach a real person. Then provide a **short version** (2–4 sentences) for chat/social, and **notes** on anything to confirm. ## Quality Checks - [ ] Acknowledges the specific mistake — not a vague "issues occurred" - [ ] Takes real responsibility — no "if we offended", "but", or blaming the customer/circumstances - [ ] Shows genuine understanding of the impact, in their terms - [ ] Offers a concrete fix and, where fitting, a way to make it right - [ ] Prevention is mentioned only if true, not as empty reassurance - [ ] Tone matches the severity — proportionate, sincere, not grovelling or glib ## Anti-Patterns - [ ] Do not write a non-apology ("we're sorry you feel that way", "mistakes were made") — it makes it worse - [ ] Do not use conditional language ("if this caused any inconvenience") when harm clearly occurred - [ ] Do not bury the apology under excuses, context, or self-justification - [ ] Do not over-promise prevention you can't deliver - [ ] Do not be so brief it reads as dismissive, or so effusive it reads as insincere — match the harm ## Based On Effective-apology practice — specific acknowledgement, unconditional responsibility, empathy, concrete remedy, and credible prevention.