How to Professionally Apologize for a Late Response to an Email

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4 easy steps to writing the perfect apology email
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Realizing that you missed someone’s email can frustrating, but letting them know you’re sorry for the late reply doesn’t have to be. We spoke to career coach Elaine Lou Cartas to get tips on how to professionally make amends for tardiness and move on in your work week. Keep reading to learn how to professionally apologize, streamline your workflow, and never miss an email again.

How to Apologize for a Late Response

  1. Directly apologize for being late.
  2. Briefly explain why you were late.
  3. Express gratitude for their patience.
  4. Address their original concern and offer next steps or solutions.
  5. Delegate tasks to other people when you can’t be timely.
Section 1 of 4:

How to Apologize After Forgetting to Respond

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  1. 1
    Start your email with a formal greeting. Whenever you’re writing a professional email , start with a professional salutation. [1] If you know the person’s name, use a formal title while addressing the recipient. For example:
    • Dear Mx. Nancy,
    • Hello Mr. Price,
    • Good morning,
    • If you know the person well, or have a relationship outside of the workplace, you can use greetings like “Hey,” and “Hi.”
  2. 2
    Directly apologize and briefly explain why you were late. After your apology, let the person know why you were late, but don’t go on longer than necessary. It’s more important to quickly address the person’s needs than to go into depth about what happened. [2]
    • I’m sorry for the late response, I had to check in with another team to get the information you wanted.
    • Apologies for the late reply, I was out of the office last week.
    • I’m sorry about getting back to you so late, we’re having maintenance done on our servers and that’s been causing a serious email back-up.
    • Sorry for any inconvenience this lateness may have caused, our team just picked up your case from the Customer Service Department.
    • Sorry man, I wasn’t checking my email while I was on vacation.
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  3. 3
    Acknowledge the other person’s email and offer solutions. Briefly go over the person’s query or concern to show that you’re aware of what needs to be done, and then tell them how you’re going to complete their request. [3]
    • I’ve alerted our sales team about your account; you can expect a reply from one of my colleagues in the next two business days.
    • I’m sorry to hear that you were dissatisfied with the product. You will receive a full refund once you send us confirmation of your return.
    • I will get that report to you by end-of-day.
    • Sorry that I was late, but, yes, I can still take you to the doctor next week.
  4. 4
    Close with a formal sign-off. In a business setting, end your email with words like “Best,” “Sincerely,” or “Thank you.” If the email may require a follow-up, write something like “If you have any questions, please let me know.” [4] For an informal email, you can just say “Goodbye,” or bring up another unrelated matter.
    • Thank you again for your patience,
    • Let me know if you have any concerns,
    • It was nice seeing your sister the other day, by the way. Tell her and the family that I say hi.
    • I’m seeing you next week, right? Talk to you soon.
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Section 2 of 4:

Other Ways to Say “Sorry”

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  1. 1
    Express gratitude for the person’s patience. Nowadays, people can feel flooded by apologies, and sometimes they can feel less meaningful than they’re intended to be. If you’re trying to avoid apologizing, acknowledge the other person’s patience with you, instead. [5]
    • Thank you so much for your patience on this matter.
    • Thank you for all your patience.
    • Thanks for waiting, your patience means a lot to me.
  2. 2
    Assure them that their concern or case is your top priority. The best way to improve this situation is through your actions. By reassuring someone that you’re on their case and following through, you’re more likely to put the other person at ease and allow them to overlook your lateness. [6]
    • I want to assure you that your case is our top priority, and we’ll take care of your concerns within the next business day.
    • I’m going to personally make sure that this matter is handled immediately.
    • Thank you for waiting, we are still able to complete your request in the timeframe you outlined.
  3. 3
    Take responsibility for being late. Apologies are most important when you’ve hurt or seriously inconvenienced someone. If the matter is small enough, simply acknowledging your responsibility and moving on with your work is usually a good way to respond. [7]
    • Thank you for waiting, I was taking care of a critical issue and couldn’t respond as quickly as I would’ve liked.
    • Our office has been incredibly busy these last two weeks, thank you for all your understanding.
    • I had to check in with my team lead before getting back to you, thank you for your patience.
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Respond to an Apology Email

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  1. 1
    Acknowledge the apology and move on quickly. It can be awkward to respond to an apology, so if it’s not a big deal, don’t spend too much time focusing on it. Say something like “I understand, it happens to the best of us,” or “Thank you for the apology, I know we’re all busy this time of year.”
    • Avoid sounding frustrated or upset. Although people can make big mistakes, keeping things cordial will ultimately make your workplace experience better.
  2. 2
    Set boundaries and expectations for the future. When someone inconveniences you, be direct with them about how you want your interactions to be handled going forward. After acknowledging their apology, write something like:
    • I understand why your response was late, while at the same time, I want to make sure both of our schedules are being respected. In the future, I’d like to see a 24-hour turnaround from you on reports. I understand that things out of our control sometimes pop up, so if this happens again, please let me know in advance. Thank you for sending these along for me.
    • If your emails aren’t being responded to in a timely manner, consider putting when you’d like a response in the subject line of your email. That way, people can immediately know what’s urgent.
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Section 4 of 4:

Preventing Future Late Replies

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  1. 1
    Set a time each day to go through your email. Elaine Lou Cartas, Los Angeles business and career coach, advises that one of the most important organizational skills is time management. If you’re struggling with lateness, set aside time in the first 30 minutes of your workday to check your email and make sure you’re aware of what projects you need to be working on.
  2. 2
    Sort your inbox by urgency. Cartas recommends putting a star on emails that are urgent, so you can quickly scan your inbox for important matters. You can also set up email folders for specific clients, subjects, and projects.
  3. 3
    Delegate tasks when you’re overwhelmed by work. When you’re at work, people may ask more of you than what’s really feasible. If you share duties with other people, are picking up extra work from other teams, or are just struggling to get something done, reach out to your colleagues to help pick up the slack.
    • Cartas reminds us that you can stick up for yourself, even in a business setting: “As an [employee], you shouldn’t just do everything that someone is telling you to do. [It’s important to be] able to express to your supervisor or colleagues, ‘Hey, I understand you want to do a project, but at the same time, I have B, C, and D, and these are taking up all my priorities. If you want me to finish that project, one of them has to be delayed. So, which one will it be?’”
  4. 4
    Set up email forwarding when you’re out of office. If you have to leave, it’s your responsibility to be sure everything is set up for your absence. A few things to note, according to Cartas, are to make sure your emails are being forwarded to someone else, your boss is aware of your situation, and a system has been set up for your work to be done by someone else.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/ways-to-start-an-email
      2. ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-apologize-for-a-mistake-professionally
      3. ↑ https://hbr.org/2013/03/how-to-give-a-meaningful-apolo
      4. ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-end-an-email
      5. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/06/01/stop-apologizing-10-alternative-approaches-to-im-sorry/
      6. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/06/01/stop-apologizing-10-alternative-approaches-to-im-sorry/
      7. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/06/01/stop-apologizing-10-alternative-approaches-to-im-sorry/

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