328: Customer Service Phrases that Are a Problem

Adam and Jeannie offer customer-centric alternatives to common customer service phrases that seem innocent but tend to trigger negative emotions. Are these customer service phrases causing unnecessary friction? Communication can be difficult, especially in customer service situations. But we know this, so we try hard to maintain a positive tone for customers. However, there are many words and phrases we hear in customer service situations that may not always be interpreted the way we expect. “Some of these phrases really are hot buttons for people!” -Adam Toporek When you stop to think about them, some of these words and phrases are annoying, nonsensical, vague, patronizing, judgmental, or simply just poor choices of words. However, many of them have become so ingrained in our culture, we often take for granted that they’ve lost their literal meanings. As a result, what you're trying to communicate can be completely different than how it makes your customer feel, creating unnecessarily negative emotional responses. So it’s important to identify these poor phrases and eliminate them from your service vocabulary. “...these things are really ingrained and we don’t even realize we’re doing them.” -Jeannie Walters In this episode, Jeannie and Adam identify a few of common “rogue” customer service phrases that seem deceptively positive. More importantly, they have tips to help you change your behavior and leave customers feeling as good about the interaction as you intend.  Related Content 360Connext® post, Do Your Communication Tactics Undermine Your Intentions? Customers That Stick® post, 3 Psychological Triggers to Prevent in Telephone Customer Service Episode 217: Jill Schiefelbein, Dynamic Communication Episode 278: Stacey Hanke, Communicate with Influence We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message Give your team the customer service training they deserve Want to bring game-changing customer service training to your team? CTS Service Solutions offers a half-day in-person workshop designed to motivate and educate your customer-facing team members. Using energy, excitement, and interaction, our workshop helps frontline teams embrace a customer-centric outlook, then — using the principles from our book Be Your Customer’s Hero — gives them the skills and confidence they need to handle any service interaction. Don’t leave your frontline team hanging… Give them the training they deserve. Learn more at customerheroworkshop.com, that is customerheroworkshop.com.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices