Right & Wrong Words for Customer Service

Right & Wrong Words for Customer Service How many times did you drive the customer’s blood pressure through the roof without realizing where you were going wrong? You spoke politely, tried to come up with the best possible solution but despite all your efforts, instead of calming down the customer, you angered him even more. Why did that happen? The answer is very simple: you probably used the kind of language the customer did not want to hear. In the world of customer service, words have the power to make or break a situation.

Trigger Words The world’s biggest companies have spent years and huge chunks of their budgets studying customers in an attempt to better understand customer psychology. Did you know that ‘hang on’ has been identified as a trigger phrase, and its use has been prohibited by leading companies? How many times a day do you ask the customers ‘did you plug it in’? When was the last time you told an angry customer to ‘calm down’? I am sure by now you must have realized what a sensitive tool language can be for customer service. When dealing with customers, the right or wrong choice of words can impact the result of the entire service that you provide.

Using Simple, Clear Language A large number of problems arise from the wrong interpretation of the message. Using simple and unambiguous words will ensure that the customer does not misinterpret your message. Furthermore, explaining everything, even the simplest of the things, in detail without assuming that the customer will understand this simple procedure will leave zero room for misinterpretation.

Say No to No Who wants to hear a ‘no’? No one! Hence, say no to no. Although there is a long list of words and phrases which are to be avoided while talking to a customer (as seen in the table below), nothing can be worse than saying no to a customer, and this is exactly why I have dedicated a whole paragraph to this word. No is negative, discouraging and unproductive. Saying no to a customer means accepting failure.

You think a customer would want to do business with you after you give him a big, fat no? NO! When a customer hears you say no, he hears, ‘We do not want to make an effort to help you out. Grab your stuff

and get out of here’.

Build The Human Connection Although scripts have been used for years in the world of customer service, they should not be overused because it would destroy the human element from your conversations and make you sound robotic.

Using a friendly tone, the right words and talking like a real person with the customer will help build the human connection.

Words That Will Save You Words and phrases such as “Please”, “Thank you”, “How may I help?”, “Please let me help you with that”, “I’m sorry” are lifesavers for any customer service representative and should be at the tip of your tongue. Having the right word arsenal will help ensure a great customer experience.

Hence, make extra effort and pay extra attention to everything that comes out of your mouth while talking to a customer.