You’re concerned that a mistake you’ve made might negatively impact your boss, a client, or a coworker.
But is it appropriate to say I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience in a professional email?
We’ll discuss the correctness of this phrase below. Moreover, we’ll show you 9 alternative ways to express regret when you’ve made an error at work.
9 Alternative Ways to Say “I Hope This Doesn’t Cause Any Inconvenience”
Below, we’ve compiled 9 alternative examples of how to say I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience in an email:
- I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause
- Please accept my apologies for this error
- I hope this won’t cause too great a problem
- We understand how frustrating it can be
- I hope this didn’t cause you any trouble
- Apologies for the mistake and inconvenience
- Thank you for giving us the opportunity to resolve this
- Thank you for your patience as we address this
- Please excuse my oversight
1. I Apologize for Any Inconvenience This May Cause
If you believe that a mistake or decision you’ve made might inconvenience the receiver, it’s better to simply apologize for this rather than express that you hope it won’t be an inconvenience.
Therefore, you can say I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause instead of I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience.
This phrase is a very polite way to express regret when you have inconvenienced a client or customer.
Have a look at the email example below:
Dear Miss Bana,
I have issued your refund, but it may take up to seven business days to reflect in your account.
I apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause.
Kind regards,
Julianne Glover
2. Please Accept My Apologies for This Error
If you’ve made a mistake that might inconvenience your boss, you can show your sincere regret with the phrase please accept my apologies for this error.
This phrase is polite and uses formal phrasing. Therefore, it’s a good option when you’re speaking to a superior.
In addition, unlike I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience this phrase directly accepts responsibility for the problem caused and asks for forgiveness rather than expressing your “hopes.”
This shows maturity and professionalism even when you’ve done the wrong thing.
Therefore, let’s see an email sample that includes this phrase:
Dear Justine,
Please accept my apologies for this error.
I will provide a corrected memorandum promptly.
Sincerely,
Darren
3. I Hope This Won’t Cause Too Great a Problem
You can say I hope this won’t cause too great a problem when you have altered your plans with a colleague or a fellow professional from another organization.
In particular, it would make sense to use this phrase if you have only given the recipient short notice about this change.
This phrase shows that you are considerate of how your inconsistency will impact the receiver of your email, which may mitigate their frustration somewhat.
Moreover, this phrase invites the other party to express their grievances if the inconvenience is too great.
Consider the example below:
Dear Glenn,
I’m afraid we will need to reschedule our meeting to next week.
I hope this won’t cause too great a problem for your team.
Regards,
Darrell
4. We Understand How Frustrating It Can Be
If an error on the part of your company has caused a client some inconvenience, you can show empathy and respect with the phrase we understand how frustrating it can be.
The use of “we” in this phrase makes it clear that you are speaking on behalf of your organization.
This is important if you weren’t personally responsible for the error.
Nevertheless, this phrase also shows that you are aware of the consequences of the error, meaning you can take active steps to rectify it.
To see this phrase in action, check out the sample email below:
Dear Mr. Pirruccello,
Thank you for your email.
We understand how frustrating it can be when your expectations are not met, and we are working to resolve this issue immediately.
Kind regards,
Elsie Fischer
5. I Hope This Didn’t Cause You Any Trouble
Another way to say I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience is I hope this didn’t cause you any trouble.
This phrase is less formal than the original and uses more plain phrasing. Therefore, it’s best suited for an inter-office email to a coworker.
This alternative shows that you are considerate of how your colleague was affected by your decisions.
Moreover, it works well even if you don’t know this particular coworker very well since it is quite tonally neutral.
Check out this email example to see what we mean:
Dear Jarred,
Thank you for your understanding.
I hope this didn’t cause you any trouble!
Kind regards,
Monica
6. Apologies for the Mistake and Inconvenience
Apologies for the mistake and inconvenience is a good formal phrase that you can use in an email to your employer or anyone else who is higher up in your work hierarchy.
This phrase takes immediate accountability for any mistake you have made and politely expresses regret.
Moreover, it comes across as sincere while still maintaining a professional register.
Therefore, let’s see it in an email sample:
Dear Ms. Hiroyuki,
Apologies for the mistake and inconvenience.
I have prepared an updated draft below.
Sincerely,
Andrew Marquette
7. Thank You for Giving Us the Opportunity to Resolve This
A different way to respond when you or your company has inconvenienced a client or customer is to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to resolve this.
You can use this phrase to indirectly tell the customer that you are working on the problem.
Moreover, you can use it to pre-emptively thank them for giving you a moment to do that.
Alternatively, you can use this phrase to thank the customer for waiting once you have already resolved the issue.
This phrase is polite and professional. Moreover, it shows that you are proactive in addressing any complaints a customer may have.
Have a look at the example below:
Dear Miss Baptiste,
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to resolve this issue.
You should be able to access your profile now.
Kind regards,
Linn Giacomo
8. Thank You for Your Patience as We Address This
Thank you for your patience as we address this is another good alternative to I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience. And it’s essentially a rephrasing of the alternative above.
Therefore, this is another good option when you are dealing with a complaint from a client or customer and you want to buy yourself some time to work on the problem.
Like the above, this phrase lets the client know that you are working on their issue, and it politely thanks them for being patient as you do so.
For instance:
Dear Turhan,
I have forwarded your query to our IT department, and it is being investigated as we speak.
Thank you for your patience as the address this matter.
Kind regards,
Luka Hankin
9. Please Excuse My Oversight
If you have made a silly mistake that your boss has taken note of, you can respond with the polite and professional phrase, please excuse my oversight.
This phrase maintains a formal tone suitable for an email to a superior.
Moreover, it allows you to take responsibility for your mistake and then promptly correct it, if possible.
See how we’ve used it in our final example:
Dear Miss Mayrbek,
Please excuse my oversight.
I will reschedule that meeting immediately.
Sincerely,
Dale Lucado
Is It Correct to Say “I Hope This Doesn’t Cause Any Inconvenience”?
It is perfectly correct to say I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience when you have made an error at work, and you are worried that the recipient of your email will be affected by it.
This phrase comes across as sincere and suitably formal to use in the workplace, whatever the size or nature of your organization.
Below, we’ve provided two emails illustrating how you can use this phrase in your work correspondence:
Dear Mrs. O’Toole,
I’m afraid I cannot finalize your account until I have corrected your profile information.
I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience.
Kind regards,
Garrett Mane
You can also slightly rephrase this expression as I hope it doesn’t cause any inconvenience if you would rather not use it as a standalone sentence. For example:
Dear Manuel,
I hope it doesn’t cause any inconvenience if I restart the application.
Kind regards,
Seun
So, we know that the phrase I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience is grammatically correct and suitable to include in a professional email.
However, this phrase is rather standardized and doesn’t come across as very proactive, which isn’t ideal for your business correspondence.
Therefore, you can use one of the alternative phrases from our list to mix up your phrasing and keep your work emails diverse.
