According to an ARTICLE from HelpScout.net, 7 out of 10 Americans said they would be willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service and as much as 91% of unhappy customers will not willingly do business with a company that provides bad customer service. That being said, here are 10 cliches your customers hate to hear:
1. "I would be more than happy to help you"... Your customers have probably heard that a hundred times every time they call customer service. Just being happy would be fine. You don't have to be "more than happy". I mean seriously, what does being "more than happy" really mean? Be realistic. Stop patronizing your customers. Do you think your customers care if you're really happy while you're on the phone with them? Your customers would prefer you make THEM happy by genuinely helping them. It may be better to just say you can DEFINITELY help them.
2. "I can see where you're coming from but"... this is just sugar coating for "No, I can't help you." If your site's policy prevents you from providing what the customer is asking for, then offer them other suitable options that you can provide at your level. If your customer refuses, then it is the customer who actually said no to the solution you tried providing them. You've done your job. Escalate if needed.
3. "I'm sorry... I apologise"...
Not unless it WAS actually your fault, stop being sorry for something you did not do. I know Training101 said you should EMPATHIZE but if you're using the same empathy statement on each and every call, you start sounding mechanical and insincere. There is nothing worse than an insincere apology. Do yourself a favor: get a pen and paper and try writing down two or three empathy statements that you can try on your calls. Get your QA's approval if needed. Or better yet, since those QA guys seem like they know EVERYTHING, ask them to come up with new ways to express sincere empathy.
4. "Would you mind repeating that please."... YES! Of course they would mind. Nobody likes repeating themselves, especially Americans. Asking your customers to repeat what they just said makes your customers feel that either you were not giving them your full attention or that you are incompetent or both. Practice active listening on ALL your calls.
5. "Can I put you on hold?"... Believe me, nobody wants to be put on hold. Consider this: your customer probably had been on the phone talking to the automated system for several minutes before you picked up. The last thing they would want is to be on hold and listen to that damn automated system again. Let's be honest, most of the time we put our customers on hold even for no reason just to catch our breath or even go on quick bio breaks. Been there. Done that. And then your customer drops the call and another call comes in while you're away and you get slapped with Call Avoidance. This has happened many times you know that and it never ends well. AVOID UNNECESSARY HOLDS. If you really need to, advise your customer the reason why you need to place them on hold and set their expectation how long they will be on hold. The longer your customer is on hold, the more frustrated they get, the lower your CSAT. That's how the math goes.
6. "Your call is important... Please stay on the line."...
If my call is really that important, then how come I've been on the phone for the past fifteen freaking minutes talking to a machine? DUH... Personally, I hang up after 3 minutes. I may have lost 3 minutes BUT the company just lost one sale.
7. "Uh-huh... Uh-huh..."
Avoid using fillers that don't make sense just to kill dead air. Saying a bunch of "uh-huhs" makes your customer feel that you are either bored listening to them or you have nothing intelligent to say. Be articulate. Be creative. Listen for anything in the background or look into account details that you can use for small talk. But be mindful of your handle time.
8. "... unfortunately..."
After all had been said and done, it still boils down to "Sorry Mac, can't help you!" And this happens all the time. Customer calls in with a request that you know you cannot resolve. There's really nothing you can do even if you genuinely wanted to help. And your customer probably knows that too but she's being very nice and humble and begging for you to help her. Calls like this, I strongly suggest do not prolong your customer's agony. It's difficult enough for them to "beg" for you to help them. Turning them down only makes it more painful. Politely set their expectation as early as possible that their request is something you cannot help them with. Don't let them go through the pain of pleading and being told no. Offer alternate solutions if suitable but please do not wait until your customer is practically begging before you say no.
9. "As I mentioned earlier..."
What? You think I'm stupid? You think I didn't understand you first time you mentioned that?... This is exactly what your customer will feel if you ever make the mistake of saying this cliche so please DON'T.
10. "How are you today?"...
I was perfectly fine until my WiFi stopped and I had to wait on the phone for 10 minutes just to call you guys! How do you think I am?
Please, please, please... Think of other questions. Better yet, don't ask unnecessary questions. And don't ask them about the weather either unless it's part of your troubleshooting. A lot of customers don't appreciate being asked personal questions by a stranger from halfway across the globe. Yeah, I know you mean well trying to strike a friendly conversation but you need to first "feel" your customer if they feel like talking. Much better to keep the chatter on a professional level.
There's probably a dozen more cliches you'd best avoid but I really don't want to take more of your time. These will do for now. For any comments or violent objections, shoot Daddy Jim an email.
Later!
1. "I would be more than happy to help you"... Your customers have probably heard that a hundred times every time they call customer service. Just being happy would be fine. You don't have to be "more than happy". I mean seriously, what does being "more than happy" really mean? Be realistic. Stop patronizing your customers. Do you think your customers care if you're really happy while you're on the phone with them? Your customers would prefer you make THEM happy by genuinely helping them. It may be better to just say you can DEFINITELY help them.
2. "I can see where you're coming from but"... this is just sugar coating for "No, I can't help you." If your site's policy prevents you from providing what the customer is asking for, then offer them other suitable options that you can provide at your level. If your customer refuses, then it is the customer who actually said no to the solution you tried providing them. You've done your job. Escalate if needed.
3. "I'm sorry... I apologise"...
Not unless it WAS actually your fault, stop being sorry for something you did not do. I know Training101 said you should EMPATHIZE but if you're using the same empathy statement on each and every call, you start sounding mechanical and insincere. There is nothing worse than an insincere apology. Do yourself a favor: get a pen and paper and try writing down two or three empathy statements that you can try on your calls. Get your QA's approval if needed. Or better yet, since those QA guys seem like they know EVERYTHING, ask them to come up with new ways to express sincere empathy.
4. "Would you mind repeating that please."... YES! Of course they would mind. Nobody likes repeating themselves, especially Americans. Asking your customers to repeat what they just said makes your customers feel that either you were not giving them your full attention or that you are incompetent or both. Practice active listening on ALL your calls.
5. "Can I put you on hold?"... Believe me, nobody wants to be put on hold. Consider this: your customer probably had been on the phone talking to the automated system for several minutes before you picked up. The last thing they would want is to be on hold and listen to that damn automated system again. Let's be honest, most of the time we put our customers on hold even for no reason just to catch our breath or even go on quick bio breaks. Been there. Done that. And then your customer drops the call and another call comes in while you're away and you get slapped with Call Avoidance. This has happened many times you know that and it never ends well. AVOID UNNECESSARY HOLDS. If you really need to, advise your customer the reason why you need to place them on hold and set their expectation how long they will be on hold. The longer your customer is on hold, the more frustrated they get, the lower your CSAT. That's how the math goes.
6. "Your call is important... Please stay on the line."...
If my call is really that important, then how come I've been on the phone for the past fifteen freaking minutes talking to a machine? DUH... Personally, I hang up after 3 minutes. I may have lost 3 minutes BUT the company just lost one sale.
7. "Uh-huh... Uh-huh..."
Avoid using fillers that don't make sense just to kill dead air. Saying a bunch of "uh-huhs" makes your customer feel that you are either bored listening to them or you have nothing intelligent to say. Be articulate. Be creative. Listen for anything in the background or look into account details that you can use for small talk. But be mindful of your handle time.
8. "... unfortunately..."
After all had been said and done, it still boils down to "Sorry Mac, can't help you!" And this happens all the time. Customer calls in with a request that you know you cannot resolve. There's really nothing you can do even if you genuinely wanted to help. And your customer probably knows that too but she's being very nice and humble and begging for you to help her. Calls like this, I strongly suggest do not prolong your customer's agony. It's difficult enough for them to "beg" for you to help them. Turning them down only makes it more painful. Politely set their expectation as early as possible that their request is something you cannot help them with. Don't let them go through the pain of pleading and being told no. Offer alternate solutions if suitable but please do not wait until your customer is practically begging before you say no.
9. "As I mentioned earlier..."
What? You think I'm stupid? You think I didn't understand you first time you mentioned that?... This is exactly what your customer will feel if you ever make the mistake of saying this cliche so please DON'T.
10. "How are you today?"...
I was perfectly fine until my WiFi stopped and I had to wait on the phone for 10 minutes just to call you guys! How do you think I am?
Please, please, please... Think of other questions. Better yet, don't ask unnecessary questions. And don't ask them about the weather either unless it's part of your troubleshooting. A lot of customers don't appreciate being asked personal questions by a stranger from halfway across the globe. Yeah, I know you mean well trying to strike a friendly conversation but you need to first "feel" your customer if they feel like talking. Much better to keep the chatter on a professional level.
There's probably a dozen more cliches you'd best avoid but I really don't want to take more of your time. These will do for now. For any comments or violent objections, shoot Daddy Jim an email.
Later!
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