I appreciate . . . [the customer’s feelings]

Ex: I appreciate how frustrated you must be after having been overcharged for the car repairs.

I understand . . . [the situation]

Ex: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I understand that you’re unhappy with the slow service you received.

Can you tell me more about . . . ?

Ex: Can you tell me more about what happened when you called our service department?

Could you please clarify . . . ?

Ex: I want to make sure I understand the situation. Could you please clarify what the sales associate told you after you purchased the item?

Could you tell me exactly what happened . . . ?

Ex: Could you tell me exactly what happened when you were dining at our restaurant?

I’m very/really/truly/sincerely sorry about . . .

Ex: I’m sincerely sorry about the major inconvenience this has caused you.

I’m sorry to hear that . . .

Ex: I’m sorry to hear that you no longer recommend our company to your friends and family.

I apologize for . . .

Ex: I apologize for the five-week delay in receiving your new dishwasher.

Please accept my apologies for . . .

Ex: Please accept my apologies for the unsatisfactory service you received.

I’ll speak to my manager to . . .

Ex: I’ll speak to my manager to see how we can compensate you for the trouble.

I’d like to offer you . . .

Ex: I’d like to offer you six months of free admission to our fitness centre.

I will . . .

Ex: I will speak to the employee who was working that day to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

I wanted to reach out to see . . .

Ex: I wanted to reach out to see if you’d received your replacement product yet.

I’m just following up on . . .

Ex: I’m just following up on the connectivity issues you were experiencing—is everything working okay now?

Did everything work out with . . . ?

Ex: Did everything work out with the party supplies you were waiting for?

Please let me know if there’s anything else . . .

Ex: Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do to rectify this situation.