Mistakes and An Apology — Well Done!

Especially in the excitement of introducing a new program, a new service or a new partnership.

Take Modern Postcard. I’ve used their services before. A class act. So it wasn’t anything unusual to get an email newsletter from them a few weeks ago announcing their partnership with i-stockphoto.

What was unusual was the swift (just a few hours later) emailed apology I got from them. I saved it because it really showed someone who “gets it.” They weren’t afraid to quickly apologize in a well written, quickly crafted email. I think many companies can take a lesson from their actions. Here’s an excerpt of the email:

Dear Customer,
In our most recent release of the MP News email newsletter (regarding a new service) we stated to “skip the expensive photo shoot” by using iStockphoto instead. We sincerely apologize as this miscommunicates our intentions and our feelings about professional photography.

The two co-founders of Modern Postcard started their careers as photographers and are intensely loyal to the photography profession. Our partnership with iStockphoto was in no way intended to replace photographers and the talent they bring to a direct mail or advertising campaign. The target audience of this service is small / home office businesses on a limited budget that have never been able to afford quality photography and therefore have never used it.

We enjoy a strong relationship with the artistic community and will continue to do everything possible to help them promote their talent and grow their businesses.

Modern Postcard Management

Well done! Well written, to the point and brief.