Customer Service from the Heart: The Importance of Empathy
Empathy is essential in dealing with customers who are upset or angry.
Empathy Absorbs Emotion!
Acknowledging/Empathy/Sympathize.
chat/call phrase
I absolutely agree…
I completely understand the reason why / your situation
I completely understand how you feel, Sir/Madam…
I do understand the inconvenience you have faced
You’re absolutely correct, Sir/Madam
“I can hear how frustrated you are.”
“I can see how that would annoy you.”
“Gee, I understand how time critical this is.”
“I would be unhappy if that happened to me, too.”
“Gee, that’s awful. Please let me help you with that.”
“You know, I’d be upset, too, if that happened to me.”
“That is really frustrating. I can understand how you feel.”
Sympathize.But don’t blame your company or anyone in it.
I know that must have been difficult for you.”
“The situation must have seemed perplexing.”
“Yes, there are a lot of words in the Bylaws.”
“Websites can be difficult to navigate.”
“I can see how you were confused.”
“The industry language can be confusing.”
“I realize the wait you encountered was an inconvenience.”
“It must have been very frustrating for you to wait all day for the technician, and for that I am sorry.”
Focus on Feelings First(sympathy)
Clearly, we’ve upset you, and I want you to know that getting to the bottom of this is just as important to me as it is to you.
I didn’t mean to get you upset;
I’m sure we can resolve this.”
Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.
Here’s what I meant.” Why don’t you relax a little, and we’ll figure this out.
Get to the root of the problem.
Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.
When exactly did this happen?
Can I see the notice? The specific wording will help me understand the situation.
What did you say afterward?
Do you have any papers or e-mails that record this information?
Calm them down.(apology)
I’m sorry you had to go through this; that would have really upset me, too.”
I’m sorry you had to go through this;
I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant.”
Thank you for letting me know about this terrible experience.”
Thank you for letting me know about this terrible experience.”
That must have been very frustrating for you.”
Apology chat/call phrase
“I’m so sorry that you feel this way, Mrs Brown
I’m so sorry to hear about this, Mrs Brown
I’m sorry for the inconvenience that you have faced, what I can do for you is
I’m sorry you’re so upset, Sir/Madam. Would you like for us to call you back when you feel a little calmer?”
“I apologise, Mrs Brown, but if you continue to use this language, I will be forced to end this call.”
I greatly apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please accept our sincere apologies
I’m sorry you felt you were not treated courteously.”
Your satisfaction is very important to me; please give me the chance to correct this situation to your satisfaction.
I am very sorry we disappointed you . What can I do to regain your trust in SMG.
I’m sorry you were not satisfied with our service.”
Please accept my apology for the time involved.
Solve
Solve- “I agree with many of your points. Let’s discuss ways we can address them.”
“You’re right in saying…What do you think we should do?”
“Much of what you’re saying has validity; so let’s clarify some of the points.”
Solve- “I think you’re right about some of those points. Let me update you about what we’re doing.”
“Actually, I’m meeting with the Board on Friday to discuss this issue.”
“Let’s look at your concerns and see how we can address them.
Assurance
Assure customers you can help
chat/call phrase
Don’t worry. You just enjoy your (Birthday/Easter Break/Bank Holiday), Mrs Brown, and we’ll be in touch shortly…
I absolutely agree…
I can certainly help you
I’m going to do my very best to help you, Mrs Brown…”
I'll action this for you right away…”
I'll be more than glad/ happy to assist you
I'll definitely make sure that it gets sorted… assurance
I'll ensure that
I'll surely ensure that
I’ll look into this for you right away, Sir/Madam…”
Let’s see what I can do to fix this, Mrs Brown…
What I will do for you right away is
What I can do for you right now is
What I’ll do right now is
What I’m doing for you right now is
I am sure we can resolve this situation immediately.
I appreciate the opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings.
I’m sure I can explain what happened and find a good solution.
I need to hear your point of view and then talk to accounting department about why it happened.
I have full authority to resolve your concerns. Please give me the opportunity to fix this situation.”
CALL/CHAT END PHRASE
Assuring you our best services Mr.Ms.___________. Have a great day ahead!
Because you are a valued client/customer
Do let us know if you have any other questions, Mrs Brown
Do you've any other concern apart from this?
“For Special customers like you
it was nice chatting with you.
I'm happy that I could help you today.
Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mrs Brown?”
Thank you for being a great customer. We value your relationship.
Thank you for being pleasure to talk with. I appreciate your time and patience. have a wonderful day.
We’ll be in touch if there are any problems, Sir/Madam…”
Your satisfaction is a great compliment for us Mr./Ms _____
you are welcome
You will surely be able to enjoy…
Closing email phrases (business letter closing phrases)
I look forward to your reply.
I look forward to seeing you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
I look forward to meeting you next Tuesday.
I look forward to seeing you next Thursday.
We look forward to welcoming you as our customer.
I look forward to an opportunity to speak with you personally.
I look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
I hope to get answers from you.
Good luck and I look forward to your response!
If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
Your prompt reply is very much appreciated.
Please contact us again if we can help in any way.
Please contact us again if there are any problems.
Please contact us again if you have any questions.
reference-http://www.colorpilot.com/type_phrases.html
Opening email phrases (opening part of a business letter)
I am writing to confirm ...
I am writing to apologize for ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
I am writing to you in response to your advertisement for...
I received your address from + and would like ...
I recently wrote to you about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...
With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...
With reference to your advertisement in ...
With reference to your phone call today, ...
After having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like ...
After having received your address from ... , I ...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...
To Whom It May Concern:
reference-http://www.colorpilot.com/typep_opening-email.html
Refund call/chat phrase
Why is my payment being held for so long?
Mr. / Ms. _______, that’s a good question and I know it can be frustrating to have your available credit held.
I expect the hold may be released on ______, and that is based strictly on how long we estimate that it will
take to receive the funds from your bank.
It is your right to know Sir
I understand your frustration but please be reminded that you’re already disclosed on it
and the thing you wish is not possible.
Gauranteed
Suggesting/optional chat/call phrase
All you need to do is to just
As a solution, may I suggest that…?”
For the quickest resolution, I would request you to…”
A simple way / method to change it will be to
I recommend that you (insert action here), Sir/Madam, so that I can take further action without delay.”
I would suggest / I recommend
“It’s a wonderful service where instead of _______, you can ____________ …..’
May I arrange for an update call, at a time most convenient for you?
“This is the best plan/scheme for your requirements…..’
That is a fantastic alternative
To avoid a similar inconvenience in future I request you to
Thank them for their input
- Thank you for letting me know about this situation.” -
- “I appreciate your telling me your concerns.” -
- “We appreciate customers telling us when things aren’t right.”
- “Thank you for giving me the chance to help you address this matter.”
- "I am very sorry you feel that way. I hope you will give us another opportunity to serve you again in the future."
Thank you phrases (useful for writing a business thank you letter)
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you in advance
Thank you for your help!
Thank you for your letter!
Thanks for your assistance!
Thank you for your patience.
Thanks for the prompt response.
Thank you for your kind comments!
Thank you very much for your answers!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you very much for your warm words!
Thank you for allowing us the privilege of serving you!
Thank you for the e-mail. We appreciate your feedback, and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Suggestions are welcome, thank you.
My apologies to you for bothering you, and thank you for your kind help.
"Thank you for your business, we really appreciate it."
"We know you have options, so we really appreciate you chose us to do business with."
"We truly value your business. Thanks for letting us serve you"
"We truly value your precious time. Thanks for letting us serve you"
"We really enjoy working with you, thanks for being such a great customer"
"Thank you for recommending our company to xyz, your word has a lot of weight and made all the difference in giving us an opportunity to serve xyz as well. We'll make sure we'll live up to your recommendation of us.
"Thank you for sharing your customer experience about our company with others. Your testimonial as a satisfied customer is very important to us, we really appreciate it.
Thanks again for letting me resolve this issue.”
I apologize again, and thanks for being so considerate.
Thanks again for letting me resolve this issue.
I apologize again – and thanks for being so considerate.
I appreciate your patience, and can assure you the situation is completely corrected.
reference-http://www.colorpilot.com/typep_thank-you.html
chat phrase with Ly
Kindly allow me a minute or two to review your account and get back to you.
Hopefully, we should be able to help you, Mrs Brown
Interestingly this is what other customers have…
Naturally my goal is to make sure…
Amazingly we were able to….
10 Alternatives to saying No:
1. The quickest way……
2. The easiest way…..
3. I know the perfect solution for you, you’re going to love it!
4 I’d love to do this, but …
5 I'm not the best person to help on this. Why don’t you try X?
6 I will find out immediately how we can best solve this.
I really wish I could
I wish I could do that for you.
I'd like to'.
let's see what we can do.'
7 The best man for the job is…..
8 This is my favourite problem, I know exactly what we can do here.
9 What a pain. I will fix this for you now.
10 Of course, I’ll sort this out now for you.
11 Don’t worry, I can find you something even better.
12. Consider it done
“No, I can’t.”
A
“yes” attitude is essential for delivering the positive communication
that will win the vote of your present and future customers. Come up
with a list of your business’s most common, challenging situations and
work through how you or your staff can easily solve them. Then develop
the most positive way that you can verbalise your response to your
customer.
Improve Customer Experience With The Words You Choose To Use
Listen to the difference in these few words:
“What do you want?” or “How may I help you?”
“I didn’t mean it.” or “Please accept my apology.”
“It’s in the instruction manual.” or “Let me answer that for you.”
“We don’t have any more.” or “I can order that for you now.”
Choose neutral words to say no
Trigger Words (to avoid):
|
Collaborative words (more effective):
|
“You should”
|
“We can do this together”
|
“You can’t”
|
“One alternative for you could be…”
|
“I can’t”
|
“What I can do is”
|
“No”
|
“I’m sorry, that is not possible, because…”
|
“If only”
|
“Let me show you what to do in the future…”
|
“But”
|
“And”
|
“Bug” or “glitch”
|
“issue” or “situation”
|
“That’s our policy”
|
“In order to provide you with great service…” (see below)
|
Thank you so much for letting us know about this, Sir/Madam
1. I Don't Know
Customers
don't expect retailers to know everything, but when it comes to
answering a product question or other inquiry, they do expect the
salesperson to be confident enough in their knowledge of the business to
provide an answer.
Better: "That's a good question. Let me find out for you."
2. All Sales Are Final
Your
shop's policy may not allow returns on clearance merchandise or other
items. It's fine to let the customer know this, but retailers need to be
flexible and allow a return or exchange against company policy if it
comes down keeping a customer.
Better: "Let us know if you're not satisfied and we'll make it right."
3. Calm Down
There
may not be a more infuriating phrase in customer service than this one.
If a customer has reached a boiling point and is ranting away, the best
thing to say is nothing. Let the customer finish. Once he or she has
gotten everything out, they will begin to feel better and may be more
receptive to a solution.
Better: "I apologize."
4. Did You See Any?
If
a customer asks for a particular item you carry, chances are he/she
already looked for it and didn't see it. This could mean it's out of
stock or possibly still in the stock room. Even if they haven't looked
for it yet, the best customer service would be to either take them to
the product or go get it for them.
Better: "Yes, we stock that. I'll go see if we have any."
5. We're Closed
At
the end of the day, the last thing a closing-shift employee wants to do
is allow a shopper in after hours. Before turning away a potential
sale, keep in mind that either the customer doesn't know the store hours
or possibly the customer's doesn't know what time it is. Neither is a
reason to be abrupt.
Better: "We close at __ o'clock and reopen at _ o'clock. Is there something I can quickly help you with now?"
6. Will That Be All?
Not
many customers would find anything negative about this phrase. However,
not only is it overused but the retailer is passing up a sales
opportunity.
Better: "Did you see our __ that goes with this?" or "Have you tried __?"
7. It's Over There
We've
all heard this bad customer service phrase used by the busy or
indifferent sales clerk. Sometimes they may point in the general
direction. Other times they don't even lift their head to acknowledge
the shopper. Make sure all store staff knows using this phrase is a big
no-no.
Better: "Follow me, I'll show you right where it is."
8. I Can't Do That
This
is another negative customer service phrase that should be banned from
all store staff. Either empower the employees or train them to take
issues to a supervisor or store management.
Better: "What I can do is ___."
9. That's Not My Department
It
may be true, but it is also definitely something a customer doesn't
want to hear. Retailers should train their staff to be familiar with all
areas of the store operations or at least understand who to contact for
help in various departments.
Better: "I'll be happy to get you to the person who knows more about that department."
10. We're Out of That
It's
inevitable that a store will run out of a product and customers know
this. Unless you let the customer know if and when it will be restocked,
they will probably go buy it elsewhere. Be proactive and offer to
contact the customer when it's back on the shelf. Don't ask them to call
you.
Better: "That item is currently out of stock but will be back in on ___. Can I get your name/number and call you when it comes in?"
11. It's Against Our Policy
In
today's competitive market, retailers can't afford to be inflexible. It
is important to have store policies but it's more important to keep a
customer satisfied. Use this phrase only when you feel a policy is being
abused.
Better: "Our policy is __ but we want to make this right. This is what I can do..."
12. I'm New Here
For
some reason, many new staff members think this customer service phrase
let's them off the hook. The customer doesn't care if you're new. He/she
only wants to deal with someone who knows what they're doing and can
get the result they want.
Better: "Please bear with me and I'll get you the help you need."
13. Hold On
This
customer service phrase, and all of its variations, should be
non-existent. There is a much softer way to say essentially the same
thing without infuriating the customer.
Better: "Are you able to hold for a moment?"
14. I'm Busy Right Now
Have
you ever said, or heard, the following? "If it weren't for customers, I
could get some work done." If you are in retail, chances are you've at
least thought it. The truth is, without customers retailers wouldn't
have a job.
Better: "I'd be happy to help you."
15. You're Wrong
No,
customers are not always right but retailers should never tell them
they are wrong. Never. The best course of action is to simply assume the
blame.
Better: "I think there has been a misunderstanding."
reference http://retail.about.com/od/customerservice/tp/bad-customer-service-phrases.01.htm
Thank you so much for your patience/understanding, Mrs Brown
I truly understand your concern, Sir/Madam, but unfortunately we cannot tolerate the kind of language you are using right now…”
I really do appreciate this feedback, Mrs Brown
Rest assured Mr
sentence starting with ly
I’d just like to ask for a little further information, Sir/Madam…
I can see where the problem is, Sir/Madam…
That’s now been done, Mrs Brown…
This will be fixed by the end of the weekend, Mrs Brown…
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