Say the right thing the wrong way, and customer loyalty may suffer. Say the wrong thing, and loyalty will die. Here’s what to avoid.
Agents who use any of these seven phrases – or something like them – can jeopardize customer relationships.
- “I guess I can take care of that.” It screams indifference to the issue and the customer, and indifference is the No. 1 reason customers leave companies. Instead, “I’ll be happy to handle this for you.”
- “You must have made a mistake when you ordered.” This sounds like a cover-up for a mistake made on the company’s end. Instead, “It looks like we’ve made an error, and we want to fix this right away.”
- “I haven’t heard from you in a long time.” If customers only contact with your company is when they reach out to you, they won’t stay. Every relationship must be two-sided. Instead, “I’m calling to follow up on your order. Did everything arrive OK? Do you have any questions on installation?”
- “That’s not the way it happened.” These are argumentative words, and you’ll never win an argument with a customer. You’ll just lose a customer if you try to argue. Instead, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Based on our records, this is what I can tell happened …”
- “It should be there tomorrow.” Customers consider this a lie – a major deal breaker – if it’s not there tomorrow. So always under promise, over deliver. Instead, “It will be there by Friday” — said only when you know it will arrive Thursday.
