When providing customer service in person it’s important to choose your words wisely, even though most customers are more forgiving in a face-to-face encounter.
However, when that encounter is happening over the phone, phrasing can mean the difference between a sale, a negative review, or worse.
Cat got your tongue? Here are five winning customer service lines to use on the phone.
1. “Thank you so much for your feedback.”
When a customer calls your business, it’s (usually) for one of three reasons: for technical support, to make an enquiry, or to complain.
On very-rare occasions, some customers may even call you simply to offer some feedback.
Whether this feedback is positive or negative — often it’s negative — it’s important to remember to thank your customer for taking the time to share their thoughts with you.
In a world where social media makes it so easy to complain and for those complaints to get lost in the mix, customers who make the effort to actually pick up the phone really only want one thing: someone to listen.
Receiving feedback — good or bad — is always a plus, and you’ll be amazed at just how far saying thank you will go.
2. “Thank you for understanding. I’ll get back to you in [insert timeframe].”
What does it mean when a customer takes the time to make a phone call?
It means they want their issue resolved quickly.
Some issues are easy to resolve, but what about when finding a solution isn’t so simple?
No matter how great you are at your job or how fantastic your team is, there will come a day where you simply don’t have all the answers straight away — this is fine.
It doesn’t matter if you’re putting a caller on hold or asking to call them back, you must outline a timeframe in which you’ll respond.
3. “I’m more than happy to help.”
Unless you’re Facetiming your customers, they won’t be able to see you when they’re on the phone.
You need to let your callers know that not only are you able to help them, but you’re more than happy to do so.
Positivity is like a cold that people want to catch.
If you’re upbeat and optimistic on the phone, it will rub off on your callers and lead to happier, healthier interactions for everyone involved.
4. “I’m not sure, but I’ll find the answer for you.”
Nobody’s perfect, and most customers aren’t expecting you to be a miracle worker.
Your callers aren’t going to care if you don’t know the answer, but they will want the answer from someone.
If you have to seek a second opinion or ask a colleague, don’t tell your caller to hold, don’t cut them off — let them know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
5. “I’d be upset as well.”
Empathy is the key to great customer service, but simply having empathy for your customers’ situations isn’t enough.
Customers want to feel like you care as much about their issues as they do, which is why clearly conveying your empathy is a crucial step in ensuring they’ll walk away from the phone happy and willing to call again.
What now?
Follow these five tips and you’ll be well on your way to happier customers and more positive interactions over the phone.