"It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it!" Customer service is an ethic that begins and ends with everyone in the company. However, delivering excellent service is sometimes not enough. Customers have many choices and will exercise their freedom to choose over the smallest of things. So pay particular attention to how you say the things you say. While it is impossible to list all the good things to say, there are definitely certain things we should NOT say.
"I’m sorry, what was your name again?"
This implies one of two things, and both are equally bad. Either we forgot the customer’s name, or we never bothered to get it in the first place. If we do not get and remember the customer’s name, we are missing one of the key elements in creating rapport.
"I’ll get to it as soon as possible."
While this may be an accurate statement, it’s not a good thing to tell a customer for one simple fact: it doesn’t answer their question of when. As soon as possible is too vague. Does that mean within minutes, hours, or days? It is much better to say something quantifiable like, “I’ll get to it within the hour.” Be sure then to keep your word. It is better to under-promise and over-deliver, than to over-promise and under-deliver!
"It wasn’t our fault."
This is a classic cover your (you know what) line. The truth is the customer doesn’t care whose at fault. Assigning blame doesn’t do a thing for fixing the problem. It is much more persuasive to say, “I’m sorry that happened, let’s find a solution!”
"You’ll have to call back later."
Never put the responsibility of action on the customer. You be the proactive one. Remember the old cliche, “If you’re not willing to go the extra mile for your customer, someone else will.”
"Sorry, that is our company policy."
Policy can be a good thing. It makes sure everyone is playing by the same rules, but too often it is misused and abused. Too often it becomes the easy out. Instead of hiding behind company policy, take the extra minute to explain the logic behind the policy. That’s assuming, however, there is logic behind the policy. Sometimes policies are made that only serve the company, not the customer. When this is the case too often, the customer goes somewhere else.
"We will match any advertised price."
While on the surface, this sounds like a good thing, it is really a negative. It raises, unnecessarily, questions about your integrity. It also is not good business. You want customers to appreciate your quality and service, not to patronize you because of low prices. More often than not, the lower your prices, the less loyal are your customers!
"Do you have a coupon?"
Again, good intention, bad question. If the customer has a coupon, that’s one thing. But if they do not, you have just struck a nerve. What you’re really saying to that customer is they will be paying more than they should. The customer leaves feeling slighted and may decide it’s time to shop around.
"I could get a lot more work done if customers would stop bugging me."
I actually heard this once while walking the hallway of a Fortune 500 company. I almost stopped to tell that person how ridiculous their comment was. Your worst nightmare is for customers to stop bugging you. Customers are the reason you exist. Never, ever forget that!
"Please hold."
What makes this bad is it is incomplete. Whenever you must place a customer on hold, always give them a hold time, and choice. It’s OK to say, “I need to put you on hold for two minutes, can you hold or shall I call you back?” If the customer agrees to hold, you have their permission to be gone for two minutes, but no more. If after two minutes you still don’t have an answer, pick the phone back up and let them know. Customers will be very forgiving if they know you care about them.
"I’m sorry, that’s not my job."
This is one of the most common, yet the absolute worst thing to say. If it’s a customer, it’s YOUR job. Period. Customer service is not a title or job description. It is everyone’s responsibility. Simply avoiding these phrases will not guarantee solid customer relationships, but their use will guarantee bad ones. The process of earning customers loyalty is never ending. We must watch the words we say, how we say them, and even what NOT to say.
---By David Rich, a nationally recognized speaker and author of the book, How to Stay Motivated on a Daily Basis! He can be reached at 1-800-717-RICH or through his web site at www.BeContagious.com.
