Forgiveness

When I worked for Domino’s Pizza, I had a steadfast policy: if a customer had a concern, I would fix it and give them 10x the value.  For example, if a customer called and said they had a cold pizza, I would tell them that I would fix the problem and send them a coupon for 10 free pizzas.  My goal in these situations was to “wow” the customer 

This scenario came to mind when I was listening to a podcast episode of No Stupid Questions with Angela Duckworth and Stephen Dubner in which they talked about forgiveness.  To optimize forgiveness in both business and personal relationships, research has shown, your apology needs to hit four factors: 

1. The apology must be sincere.   

2. You must acknowledge that you were wrong.  “I am sorry that I made you mad” is not an admission of fault.  “I am sorry that I was late” might be more appropriate. 

3. You need to commit to be better in the future. 

4. The apology should cost you something.  In the above example, the cost was 10 pizzas.  In a personal relationship, you might say you will do some activity with your friend that they prefer much more than you do. 

5. 
   

I found at Domino’s that using this approach built strong customer loyalty.  The research reinforced my beliefs, showing that if you used these four steps, you would not only repair your relationships but also strengthen them. 

We all make mistakes.  The challenge is to use them as an opportunity to strengthen your relationships.  You can turn a mistake into a remarkable recovery.