These phrases are the worst things you can say to your clients. They are adapted from an Inc. Magazine article called “5 Worst Things You Can Say To A Customer.”
1. “That’s our policy.” This statement is destructive. It’s the customer service equivalent to “That’s tough” or “You’re out of luck.” Its primary purpose is to shut down a conversation. It only accelerates the transformation of current clients into former clients. For some clients, it’s a declaration of war. Customers should not accept contract verbiage as an excuse for less-than-promised service.
2. “There’s nothing I can do.” Nothing is more irritating and frustrating to clients than spending time speaking with a customer service representative just to be told there’s nothing that can be done. This statement is not true, because you always have the option to give them their money back. Focus on problem solving rather than problem diverting. Give your team the freedom to find creative alternatives and reward them for innovative solutions.
3. “Would You Mind Holding For A Moment?” It’s better to speak this phrase directly and specifically, i.e. “I’m going to put you on hold while I speak with my supervisor, and I’ll check back with you in a minute or so if I haven’t got an answer by then.” This will give clients more peace of mind and may ease some of their frustrations.
4. “You’ll have to go to our website.” This is just another way of saying, “I can’t help you.” If they’ve already been on the phone with you, ask for their email and send them the link to the page or necessary file instead of asking them to hunt it down.
Click here to read the original article by Inc. Magazine, 5 Worst Things You Can Say to a Customer.
— Michael Campos, LCT associate editor
Print | posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 1:35 PM