As a customer service professional, cultivating and exemplifying a customer service mindset is not just an asset but a necessity.

It fosters loyalty, promotes positive word-of-mouth, and sets a standard for your team’s approach to service. Here are twelve ways in which you can demonstrate an authentic customer service mindset and lead by example:

1. Active Listening

Active listening is identified by 64% of HR professionals as the most critical leadership skill. Active listening isn’t just about hearing what your customers say—it’s about understanding their needs and responding accordingly. Be present in the conversation, and avoid distractions. Echo their concerns to confirm understanding and show empathy.

2. Empathy

Understanding your customers’ emotional needs can transform a service experience. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Business Research found that emphatic behavior of employees during service interactions increases service brand satisfaction and loyalty. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and respond with genuine care and concern. Your empathy will build trust and is the cornerstone of a positive customer service interaction.

3. Patience

Customers may come to you frustrated or confused. Demonstrating patience is critical, as it helps to calm the situation and allows you to provide thoughtful and complete solutions to their issues.

4. Clear Communication

Clarity in communication can prevent misunderstandings and serve to reassure customers. Be direct yet polite, concise, and ensure you provide all necessary information.

5. Product Knowledge

A deep understanding of your products or services is fundamental. You should be able to answer questions confidently and assist customers effectively, enhancing their trust in your brand.

6. Positive Language

It’s well known that consumers consider customer service when making purchasing decisions, with 78% using customer service to decide whether to buy from a company. It’s therefore important to use positive language that focuses on solutions rather than problems. For instance, saying “This will be available next week!” instead of “This isn’t available right now.”

7. Personalization

Show your customers that they are valued individuals. Use their name, remember past interactions, and personalize your service. This level of care can create a memorable customer experience. Other ways to personalize the experience are by offering customized solutions or rewards to loyal customers.

8. Proactive Approach

Demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction by being proactive. Reach out to customers before they have a problem, follow up after a service interaction, and anticipate their needs.

9. Feedback Collection

Feedback is a gateway to continual improvement. Seek, acknowledge, and use customer feedback to refine your service and better meet customer expectations. Ways to gather customer feedback are through surveys, social media channels, and direct communication.

10. Teamwork

A positive customer service experience involves multiple team members working cohesively towards a common goal. Encourage collaboration and support among team members to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.

11. Ownership

Taking ownership of customer issues shows accountability, responsibility, and reliability. Customers appreciate when they feel heard and understood, and their problems are being taken seriously. Take ownership of resolving customer issues, even if it means escalating them to higher management.

12. Solution-Oriented Approach

Instead of fixating on the problem, keep the focus on finding a solution. Train your mind and your team’s to think creatively about how to overcome challenges

13. Consistency

Have you ever walked in to a different branch of a store only to receive completely different levels of service? Consistency in service reassures customers that they can always expect the same high standards. Strive to provide uniformly excellent service in every encounter.

14. Continuous Learning

The best customer service professionals are lifelong learners. Stay updated on best practices, new tools, and technologies that can enhance the customer service experience. Use online training to continuously develop your skills and knowledge.

15. Admitting Mistakes

Nobody is perfect, and mistakes can happen. When a mistake does occur, admit it and apologize sincerely to the customer. As mentioned, taking responsibility for your mistakes shows honesty and integrity, which can strengthen the customer’s trust in you and your company. It also provides an opportunity to rectify the situation and turn a negative experience into a positive one.

These twelve strategies are about infusing a customer-centric approach into every facet of your service delivery. By demonstrating a customer service mindset, you set a powerful precedent for your team and create service experiences that can turn satisfied customers into loyal advocates.

About the Author

Ian Miller is Editor of Customer Service Manager Magazine – the leading resource and community for customer service professionals.

In the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect occasion to fall in love with exceptional customer service practices that make your clients swoon.

As a customer service manager, you’re in a unique position to foster relationships that leave a lasting impression of warmth and personalized care, making every interaction feel like a St. Valentine’s gesture of appreciation.

Below are heartfelt strategies that will not only make your customers feel truly special but are bound to infuse your customer service approach with a Cupid’s touch of delight and loyalty.

Listen with Love

Just as a good relationship hinges on listening, so does excellent customer service. Ensure every member of your team understands the golden rule: listen actively to what customers are saying—both verbally and non-verbally. By opening a heartfelt dialogue, you validate their concerns and create an emotional connection, fundamental for a lasting relationship. Endeavor to really hear your clients’ feedback, hopes, and even complaints.

Tip: Deploy customer feedback tools and actively ask for opinions to show customers you value their voices and want to grow with their insights.

Kindness Comes First

Genuine kindness goes a long way, and during St. Valentine’s Day, a dose of kindness can transform a simple service interaction into an impactful experience. Train your team to sprinkle their communication with kindness, whether they’re responding to emails, answering calls, or engaging in live chats. Small gestures of politeness and empathy will make it clear that your organization puts people first.

Tip: Encourage your service reps to personalize interactions with warm language, and consider sending a small St. Valentine’s token of appreciation to repeat clients.

Go the Extra Mile with Delight

Nothing says “I care” quite like going beyond expectations. St. Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to show your commitment to your clients by delivering that unexpected extra that makes their experience memorable. Can you wrap products in special packaging, or provide an unexpected upgrade? This is the time to be inventive with your gestures.

Tip: Implement a ‘Delight Initiative’ where each team member goes above the call of duty at least once a day to surprise a customer and create a ‘wow’ moment.

Incorporating Heartfelt Service Year-Round

While St. Valentine’s Day offers a themed opportunity to emphasize love in customer care, these strategies should be the beating heart of your service department all year round:

• Personalized Interactions: Make every point of communication with a customer as personalized as possible. Remembering past interactions can make a customer feel seen and valued.
• Timely Responses: Demonstrate respect for your customers’ time by ensuring swift responses. Fast and efficient service shows that you prioritize their satisfaction.
• Authenticity: Encourage your team to be themselves; authenticity in customer service builds trust and rapport faster than any scripted response ever could.
• Consistency: Offer the same high level of service regardless of the season. Your company should radiate customer love whether it’s February or September.

Embrace these customer service tips to create an environment where customers feel cherished and appreciated. By weaving empathy, personalized care, and that extra sprinkle of St. Valentine’s spirit into your daily interactions, you’ll not only enhance customer satisfaction but also foster enduring loyalty.

Let the season of love galvanize a renewed commitment to making your customers’ hearts flutter with every interaction!

When most people think about customer service, the first thing that comes to mind is solving problems. While this is an important part of the job, it’s not the only aspect. Showing empathy for others is a key customer service skill that is often overlooked.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It’s an important quality in customer service because it allows you to see things from the customer’s perspective and build a rapport with them.

Here are ten ways you can create empathy-centric customer service.

1. Write an Empathy Statement

The first step in creating empathy-centric customer service is to write an Empathy Statement. This is a short, one or two sentence statement that captures the essence of what you are trying to achieve. It should be something that you can reference when making decisions about customer service. For example, the Empathy Statement at Zappos is “To create customer loyalty through customer service.” This statement guides everything they do; from the way they answer the phone to the way returns are managed.

2. Make empathy a priority

The next step is to make empathy a priority. This means that you need to take the time to understand your customer’s perspective and needs. One of the best ways to do this is to constantly ask for feedback. This can be done through surveys, customer interviews, or simply by paying attention to the way your customers interact with your business. It’s also important to give your customer service team the freedom to show empathy. This means empowering them to make decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the customer, even if it isn’t the most efficient way for your business.

3. Train your team

You will need to train your team in empathy-centric customer service. This means teaching them how to put themselves in their customer’s shoes and understand their perspective. They will need the tools to be successful. This might include customer service software that makes it easy to track customer details and interactions. Don’t forget to train all your employees and service providers too. It’s important that your delivery drivers are polite and drive with empathy, for example, adhering to a safe following distance when making deliveries to customers.

4. Use phrases that show empathy to customers

This means using language that customer can relate to and understand. For example, instead of saying “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” try saying “I know how frustrating this must be for you.” This slight change can make a significant difference in the way your customers perceive your customer service.

Examples of empathy phrases:

• I understand how you feel
• That sounds difficult
• I can imagine how that would be frustrating
• That makes sense
• Thank you for explaining that to me
• I appreciate your patience
• I’m sorry to hear that
• Can you tell me more about that?
• I’ll do my best to help you
• Is there anything else I can do?

5. Convey empathy by listening carefully

Listen carefully to your customers. This means really hearing what they are saying and trying to understand their perspective. It can be easy to get caught up in solving the problem and forget to truly listen to the customer. However, if you take the time to really listen, you will be able to provide better customer service and build a stronger relationship with your customer.

6. Use the customer’s name

Calling a customer by name is one of the simplest and most effective ways to show that you value their business. It personalizes the interaction and helps to build rapport. Furthermore, it sends a clear message that you are paying attention and that you want to provide excellent customer service. Of course, there are some challenges to using customer names effectively. You need to be able to pronounce them correctly, and you need to make sure that you have the correct spelling. However, taking the time to get these details right will pay off in terms of customer satisfaction.

7. Stay calm with customers

You will inevitably have to deal with upset customers from time to time. While it can be challenging to keep calm in the face of angry outbursts, always remember that the customer is not angry with you personally. Instead, they are upset about the issue or problem that they are experiencing. By staying calm and focused, you will be better able to help the customer resolve their issue.

Tips to remain calm with upset customers:

• Take a deep breath and count to ten before responding to the customer. This will help to prevent you from saying something that you may later regret
• Avoid defensiveness. Even if the customer is wrong, it is important to remain calm and polite. Getting into an argument will only make the situation worse.
• Offer solutions. Once you have listened to the customer and understand their problem, offer potential solutions. This will show them that you are trying to help resolve the issue.

8. Be patient

When dealing with customers, it is important to be patient. This can be difficult, especially when the customer is angry or upset. It is important to give the customer time to explain their problem. Often, customer service issues can be resolved quickly if the customer is given the opportunity to fully explain their issue.

9. Show your customers that you care

Customer service isn’t just about being polite and helpful. It’s about showing you care about your customer’s life problems. That could mean taking the time to listen to their story, offering advice or resources, or just being a shoulder to cry on. Whatever the problem may be, customer service representatives who show they care can go a long way toward building customer loyalty. In today’s competitive marketplace, which can make all the difference. So, the next time you’re on the phone with a customer, remember to show you care. It could be the most important part of the call.

10. Say thank you – and mean it

A sincere “thank you” goes a long way in making customers feel appreciated. Whether it’s a handwritten note included with their purchase, or a simple verbal thank you at the end of their transaction, expressing your gratitude will let them know that you care.

Empathy-centric customer service is all about understanding and meeting the needs of your customer. It’s not just about solving their problems, but also about making them feel valued and appreciated. This can be done by providing a personalized experience, showing genuine concern, and taking the time to understand their individual needs.

Why is it that we seem to think that empathy plays no role in Business? I think that is so very wrong. Business is all about the buying and selling of goods and services. Empathy allows us to build a bridge between the buyer and seller to the point that consumers are not simply buying something, they are buying a relationship. You are simply not the only game in town. Customers can buy your stuff somewhere else. But what they can’t buy somewhere else is the relationship you are willing to provide them as they buy and use your product or service.

Empathy really counts when there are issues. Things go wrong. And yes, many times it is the customer who fouls things up. But by being empathetic and understanding their perspective and frustration, you can forge a stronger relationship by helping them and resolving the situation that will make them forever loyal to you.

Lifeless, automated, and robotic responses kill the customer experience.

Empathy drives connection in relationships. Empathy is the art of understanding and acknowledging a customer’s feelings and needs before trying to find a solution that meets them. When we take the time to understand the person and make them feel cared about, they will be more likely to continue to work with your company over time.

Empathy lets you share the feeling of someone’s joy or pain. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone’s pain or situation.

Empathy does not mean you agree with the person’s perspective or feelings. It means that without fixing it, giving advice or making suggestions, that you demonstrate an understanding of the feelings they are expressing.

As business leaders, empathy is important in our company as it allows everyone to feel safe in their mistakes and encourages leaders to look for the real cause driving the poor performance. Being empathetic allows leaders to help struggling staff improve and/or correct the behaviors and actions to help them succeed in their role.

CX is all about relationships and communication. Communication needs to be focused on showing the other person they are valued, cared about, and focused on helping them:

• The tone you use is crucial in conveying sincere empathy
• Leave your ego and perspective at the door and truly make the effort to see things from the other person’s viewpoint
• Actively listen. Validate their perspective. Check your attitude for the desired outcome.
• Relate to a similar situation or experience that generates the same emotions or feelings – a missed plane, last-minute cancellation of plans, lost keys or wallet, etc.

Phrases that Convey Empathy

I can understand why you are frustrated…

I understand the situation and I’m so sorry you feel this way. This isn’t how we want any of our customers to feel.

I can imagine how upsetting it is to…

I’m so sorry to hear that…

I’m sad you had to contact us about this…

I’m glad you called so we have the chance to help you with this…

Empathy is teachable. Everyone is born with empathy and make the effort to develop it further.

It all relates back to Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote – “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

About the Author

Kristina Evey is improving the way companies connect with their customers and increase their profits, she is an accomplished speaker and trainer on customer satisfaction and retention.

You have a problem. You call the phone number listed on the company’s website. You wait on hold for what seems much longer than the ten minutes they said you would be holding.

You finally get to a customer service rep. You tell your story and the customer service rep responds, “I’m sorry, that’s not my department.” Then you’re transferred to someone else and the “game” of holding and telling your story starts all over again.

This has happened to many of us, if not all of us – but I have good news! Since customer service has become a center of attention for most companies (even though some still don’t get it right), “That’s not my department” is being heard less and less. That said, there are still plenty of other phrases and words we, as customers, hate to hear. Here’s ten more:

1. “You’re wrong.” Customers hate to be told they’re wrong.
2. “I wasn’t here when that happened. It’s not my fault.” Customers don’t care whose fault it is, they just want someone to help.
3. “I’ll get the manager, but he’ll tell you the same thing.” Why don’t we wait and see?
4. “We’re a little busy now.” What, too busy to take care of your customer?
5. “The person you need to talk to is on vacation and won’t be back for a week. Call back then.” Customers hate to wait. Why isn’t there someone to cover for a person who everyone probably knew was going to be on vacation?
6. “We can’t do that.” My dad always said, “Can’t means ‘won’t try.’” Customers want to see you at least make an attempt to help them.
7. “We won’t do that.” Almost the same as can’t, but more emphatic. Still, make the attempt to find a solution.
8. “Your call is very important to us. The wait time is 45 minutes.” Apparently, the call is not really that important.
9. “You’ll have to…” Customers hate being told “you have to…” Find a way to make it easy on them.
10. “No!” Does anyone like to be told no?

This list is by no means complete. There are plenty of other words and phrases people say that upset customers, cause them to lose confidence, and may ultimately cause them to leave and never come back.

Take Action!

Share this article with your team, then sit down and talk about which of these phrases might be in your vocabulary – and banish them. Develop better responses.

For example, what else could you say instead of “It’s not my department” that won’t upset a customer? True, it may not be your department, but what you say and how you get that customer to the right person will make or break their confidence in you and your company.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customer to determine the best way to respond. A customer-friendly response will comply with a modified Golden Rule: Say unto customers as you would have customer service professionals say unto you.

About the Author

Shep Hyken is the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. As a professional speaker and best-selling author, Shep helps companies develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

The restaurant was extra busy when a waiter stumbled while carrying a bowl of barbecue sauce, spilling it on a beautiful jacket draped over a chair.

The waiter apologized and wiped the sauce off the jacket. He then excused himself and returned with the manager. The manager apologized again, asked the customer to get the garment cleaned, and gave the customer a note that guaranteed payment for the cleaning. The customer, while not happy, knows that accidents will happen occasionally and accepted the offer.

The waiter, the manager and the customer handled the situation with consideration and dignity, and the problem was solved.

When barbecue sauce goes flying, or some other unexpected thing happens, companies that value having a high-quality reputation recognize that this is a “Moment of Truth.” It’s the time to make good on all those quality and service brags that are posted on your website, advertising, sales scripts, and other marketing material. It’s an opportunity to shine and prove that your reputation is more than just some marketing copy.

Even in the very best of companies, bad stuff happens for any number of reasons. High-quality companies work hard to right the few wrongs that pop up because they have worked hard to create their reputation, and they know that it can be lost with one spill of barbecue sauce or another misstep.

Too often the person responsible tries to wriggle out of it, and you can watch the customer’s blood pressure rise. Voices grow louder and shriller, no one wins, and a customer is forever lost. It used to be said that a customer who feels mistreated would tell eleven people about a bad experience. Today, a customer can post a negative review on any number of internet sites and can shout his or her dissatisfaction to the world.

It’s up to you to create a win-win culture that solves problems before they escalate and make that culture an effective management tool that keeps customers coming back. Take a look at your customer service policies to see how you can make things right before they turn wrong.

About the Author

Larry Galler works with professionals, small-business owners, contractors, and entrepreneurs to increase sales and profits through better, more creative marketing and effective administration systems.

Have you ever noticed feeling compelled to do something for those who have helped you—even if they haven’t asked you to?

That’s the Law of Reciprocity at work.

This law says whatever you give, whether it’s money, time or effort—it comes back to you with a tenfold return.

I know for a fact this law works as we’ve experienced it many times over the years. Almost like clockwork, we notice a distinct increase in leads that come in after making a donation or doing something extra for a client.

How Relationship Marketing Incorporates the Law of Reciprocity

Some businesses lead with hard-selling tactics to drive you to buy. This is called “push marketing”. But others, using “inbound or relationship marketing” strategies, have discovered how to put the power of generosity to work in their business.

How do you think your business would change if, instead of taking you focused on giving? Once you shift your focus to serving others and creating value—it changes everything.

Over time, your generosity creates a reputation that sets you apart and your rate of referrals will increase as well.

So how would you like to have not only more clients but more loyal ones too?

Here are ten ways to be more generous in your business to achieve that:

1) Be a Great Resource. If anyone needs a referral, share vendor referrals of those you know and trust. People will see you as the “go-to” person and come to you for recommendations.

2) Give More Than Expected. Doesn’t it feel nice when you walk into a hotel room and there’s a mint on your pillow? It’s an unexpected surprise. Provide more value than what you charge. Go the extra mile. Give a surprise gift. Deliver your product or service faster than promised.

3) Provide Excellence. Since your business needs to differentiate itself from your competitors, how about making it your mission to only offer top-quality products and services? Respond to all email and phone messages promptly. Give clients uninterrupted attention. Listening to and addressing concerns are some ways to do this.

4) Serve Others. Zig Ziglar once said “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” And Mary Kay’s empire was built on the premise of achieving success by helping someone else succeed. Many entrepreneurs are in business because they are on a mission to serve others in some capacity. When you live your purpose, you’ll live a life of joy while making a difference.

5) Open Yourself to Receiving. Most of us were never taught how to receive. For instance, how do you typically respond when someone complements you? Do you push back and try to minimize their sincerity? The same thing applies to your business—If you say “no” when clients, money or opportunities come your way, those opportunities will stop coming.

6) Listen to Your Inner Voice. Inner wisdom leads us to those who need our help. Stop, listen and take action on those nudges. Offer your attention, time, and advice in their hour of need.

7) Follow The Golden Rule. I grew up with this rule ingrained into my psyche. Essentially, treat others the way you wish to be treated—and that includes in business too. When a company treats you right or sells you a terrific product, you feel happy. You feel loyal. You’re likely to buy more from that company. You’re likely to recommend that company’s products and services to friends, family and colleagues. Make it your goal is to have the same thing be done for you.

8) Perform Acts of Kindness. Lift up others. Empower others through a simple word of encouragement and inspiration. Share your vision of what you see is possible for them.

9) Be Genuine. Share yourself openly with those in your network. Let them see the real you. Build warm relationships with people around you. Make them feel special.

10) Practice Gratitude. When your heart is full of gratitude and you put forth effort to show your gratitude, really great things can happen. Make it a practice every day to share gratitude. Who has shared a referral? Who taught you something? Who is your favourite new customer and why? What vendor did a great job on a project? Show thanks for someone or something today and watch what happens.

Be Generous and Watch Your Business Grow

There are many other ways you can practice kindness and will see returns tenfold. Go volunteer, be a sponsor, donate funds to a worthy charity or even invest in a business that you believe in! Remember as a business person we can serve with compassion, kindness, patience and respect. Being a good person not only makes you feel happier but it is also great for business.

Make it your mission to make someone’s day brighter every single day!

About the Author

Susan Friesen is the founder of eVision Media, a boutique web development and Digital Marketing firm of over 15 years that specializes in designing, building and marketing professional, unique websites for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations.

At the heart of every business is a great customer service team, always striving to deliver an exceptional service to their clients with the goal of turning a first-time customer experience into repeat business.

If your team are happy and feel appreciated they will, of course, perform at their very best. But what separates a good customer service representative from a highly successful one?

We have found that there are 6 very identifiable traits that set them apart from the rest.

Practice Patience

This can be a tricky one. You either are naturally a patient person or you’re not. However, most habits can be learnt and you will find that the best CSRs practice the art of patience irrespective of whether their personality reflects that or not.

Take the time to understand your customer’s frustrations from their point of view and never skip on the details. Nothing could be more frustrating than having to repeat yourself to a representative because they were not completely attentive the first-time around.

This leads us to the next common habit.

Listen Twice as Much as You Speak

As much as you may want to stop a blabbering customer in their tracks, don’t butt in. Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them in order to make it all ok. Think of a time when you had to repeat your story a couple of times before the person on the other side actual understood what you had to say.
A situation like this can be avoided just by listening.

Our world is so digitalized these days that customers just want to know they are talking to a real person and are really being listened to.

Think Outside the Box

This habit will really set you apart. There is always a solution to the problem at hand and the phrase “I’m sorry but I cannot help you with that” just doesn’t quite cut it. You can always do something to help, even if that something is just passing customers over to a more suitable team member to help them with their problems.

Customer Service representatives who think outside the box are very much invested in their careers. They take pride in their work, they aim to please and always find a way of doing things differently.

Be remembered by your clients by being able to problem-solve on the spot to create a unique solution that resolves their unique issue.

Be Relatable

Customers want to talk to a real person so refrain from sounding too rehearsed. The best CSRs will call you by your name, ask you how your day is travelling and generally just make you feel comfortable.

From a client’s point of view, nothing feels better than having great interaction with a real person. If you can manage to finish the call leaving them feeling happy and satisfied – they will remember you and the business that you represent.

According to Kolsky,​ 55% of consumers are willing to pay more with the guarantee of a great experience.

Know Your Stuff

Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to customer service. Not only does it help you in conflict resolution, sound knowledge of your product or service can increase upselling and cross selling rates.

Your customer will pick up on whether you know your stuff or not right away. Don’t lose your confidence due to lack of knowledge. We can’t know everything all the time and sometimes procedures change or products get an upgrade. If you simply haven’t been supplied with correct information just yet, be honest and offer to find them the correct answer right away!

Always Be Prepared for Roadblocks

Whether it’s a glitch in the system, a lack of information or miscommunication, roadblocks are inevitable. It’s how you handle the situation that really counts. How do you avoid roadblocks? By asking questions!

Everything begins with the proper training, so be that person in the conference room asking as many questions as needed to really take on the new information. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about what concerns you would have on the topic.

Treat training workshops as mastermind sessions. For every question you have, it may spark a thought in someone else and you’ll find the team bouncing ideas off each other.

Although not the most popular way of identifying roadblocks – role playing actually works incredibly well. Everyone has a different way of viewing things and role-playing scenarios in a safe environment can lead to resolving issues before they happen outside in the real world.

Putting it all Together

Adopting the above 6 habits will put you on the right path to becoming the most successful customer service representative possible. A little help goes a long way in this line of work and what may seem like the simplest of solutions usually works the best. Take the time to understand your clients, be tolerant and helpful.

About the Author

Ashley Phillips is Managing Director of The Website Group, a UK based Digital Agency specialising in pay monthly business web design, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media Marketing.

Certain phrases will serve to either diffuse or inflame. Here are my top ten worst things to say to unhappy customers (from least offensive to worst), along with tips for regaining trust.

10. “Want the good news or bad?”

When customers hear bad news they tend to catastrophize. They become so focused on the obstacles that they don’t see the bigger picture. So when you have both good news and bad to deliver, begin with the good. That way they begin with the proper perspective.

9. “Bear with us.”

To customers, that phrase comes across as an order. It also implies that your service is something to be tolerated. When problems occur, it’s better to express appreciation than give orders. Instead, say: ‘We appreciate your patience.’

8. “We can’t…”

Customers don’t want to hear what you can’t do. You need to move quickly to, ‘Here’s what we can do…”

7. “It won’t be here until…“

Similar to phrase #8, the wording here is negative. Instead, word your message positively with, ‘It will be here as soon as…‘

6. “Yes, but…“

The word ‘but’ negates whatever precedes it. Responding to a customer with, ‘Yes, but…’ means you’ve started an argument. Instead, replace but with and as in, ‘Yes, and…”

5. “Looks like shipping messed-up.“

Blaming other employees, departments, or suppliers looks like deflecting responsibility. You represent your company so take ownership on behalf of your entire team with words like, ‘Looks like we messed up.’ Better yet state, ‘Your problem just became my problem. I’m going to pursue this until it’s resolved and you tell me you’re satisfied.’

4. “Why didn’t…?

Asking a customer why something was or wasn’t done is inviting them to start blaming. You’ll get answers like, ‘I guess so-and-so must have messed-up.’ It makes things worse. Next time you’re gathering information, ask who, what, where, when, and how questions. Don’t ask why.

3. “Our policy is…”

When foul-ups occur customers don’t want to hear your standard procedures. After all, mistakes should be a rare occurrence right? Instead, explain why the policy is there. If the policy doesn’t make sense, then obviously it should be changed. When training your team, make sure everyone understands which procedures are meant to be guidelines; not policies.

2. “What do you want us to do?”

The customer’s response to this question may be physically uncomfortable, ‘I’ll tell you what you can do with this product!’ Instead ask, ‘What will work best for you?’ Another option is to state, ‘We want to do the right thing. What do you think would be fair?’ Then, on top of fixing the problem add a slight extra that helps compensate customers for the hassle. That way you convert an upset customer into an advocate.

1. “You jerk!” (or other names when a customer swears at you).

I believe employees are paid to take the heat; not the abuse. When dealing with a customer who is swearing at you over the phone, state, ‘Mr. X, I want to help you. But I can’t help you when you’re using that language. So, let’s resolve this without using that language.’ If they continue swearing, then say, ‘Mr. X, as I said, I want to help you but I can’t help you when you’re using that language. So, I’m going to hang up now. Please call back when you’re ready to talk about this without using that language. Good bye.’ Then, immediately brief your supervisor so they’ll be forewarned when the caller phones asking to speak with the manager.

Bottom line – It’s human nature for employees to want to avoid dealing with angry customers. But in the real world of delays and occasional mistakes, avoiding confrontation is impossible. Now and then, things will go wrong. In too many organizations the default becomes, ‘You’ll need to speak with my manager.’ Of course, this worsens customer aggravation because it forces them to repeat themselves. And it makes employees feel like doormats. You’ll have happier customers and a more engaged workforce by equipping your team with simple communication tools to use when things go wrong.

About the Author

Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist, Hall of Fame speaker, and bestselling author. For more tips, training tools or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team visit JeffMowatt.com.

Two Weeks Early

My father worked two jobs most of his life to support my four siblings and me. So he was very proud when he was able to buy a small house for us in St. Paul, Minnesota. He took out a 30-year mortgage with a bank just three blocks away. This bank is also where he maintained his checking accounts and his life savings, which amounted to a good deal of money as he saved over the years. My mother ran the house (a tough job with five kids) and paid the bills.

The mortgage payment was given special status by my father. He insisted that my mother always pay it two weeks early. “It’s part of our pride in our home,” he would say. And, of course, that meant the mortgage payment would never be late. So every month, my mother would sit at our breakfast table, have some toast and coffee and pay the bills, including the mortgage that went into the mailbox in front of our house two weeks before it was due.

Paying It In Person

Time moves on, and kids grow up. Eventually, my siblings and I moved out. But as my father told me, one day he was sitting at the breakfast table with my mother while she wrote out checks to pay the bills. Suddenly, she dropped her pen and looked up at my father.

“Mickey, it’s the last mortgage payment.”

“Thirty-years!” my father exclaimed. “Let me have that check. I want to take it to the bank in person.”

So he went upstairs and got into his finest suit. Then he walked out the front door on that beautiful spring morning and strolled three blocks to the bank. He opened the door to the bank with a great sense of pride, stood in line and then approached the teller.

“Good morning, Sir,” she said. “How may I help you?”

“It is a good morning,” said my father, smiling broadly. “I’m making my last mortgage payment on my house after 30 years,” and he slid the check to the teller.

She stamped the check, then stamped the receipt and slid it to my father. “There you go.”

“There you go?” thought my father. As he told me this story years after the event had happened, I could see how upset he still was.

“I didn’t say anything,” said my father. “But 30 years I had been paying my mortgage to this bank, never late, two weeks early, working two jobs… and all she could say was, ‘There you go’? I mean, she could have said, ‘Mr. Rosen, you’ve been with our bank for 30 years, and you’re making the last payment on your house. Well, congratulations, Sir. We really appreciate you being a loyal customer for all these years. And we hope we can continue to serve you. Thank you so much, Mr. Rosen, and you have a great day!’ Nope. Not even a toaster,” he said.

So my father turned from the teller and left the bank without saying a word. But he came back the next day. He withdrew his life savings, closed his checking accounts and moved them all to another bank. THERE YOU GO!

What Did the Teller Do Wrong?

That’s the story as my father told it to me. Did my father overreact? Well, imagine the investment he had made in the house. Imagine the pride he took in his hard work and early payment each month. Imagine how proud he felt when he entered the bank having completed his 30-year commitment. And imagine how crushed he felt when he left.

What did the teller do wrong? She listened to her customer… but she didn’t understand her customer. She didn’t understand the importance of the moment and how my father felt. She didn’t read his smile, his body language or the expression in his voice. She looked at the situation as a simple transaction rather than one of building a relationship. Even a simple, “thank you” (which should have been automatic) might have been enough to save my father’s accounts.

Now, here’s the scary part. If her manager had been watching that morning and had seen her line moving along quickly, that manager would have judged that this teller was doing a great job without realizing that she had lost a valuable customer. And if my father was telling me about his disappointment years later, how many of his friends do you imagine he told at the time?

Little Things…

In our highly competitive markets, too often we only emphasize big things to attract customers – extended hours, faster delivery, lower prices. These can all be important and potentially expensive to implement. It’s a shame to have all of this effort and expense undercut by small actions (or inaction) with the customer when doing things correctly can have a very positive effect while costing nothing.

Has your team been trained on the little things that can keep or lose your customers? Are you rewarding your team only for speedy transactions, or are they also being rewarded for building relationships? As happened with my father, you can lose your customers due to a lack of understanding of their needs and motives, and never even know you have a problem.

About the Author

Dr. Dennis Rosen is The WinFluence(R) Expert on customer service and sales improvement. He helps retailers, service providers and professionals provide a Transformational Customer Experience(TM) to create customer devotion that leads to customer promotion. He is author of the book, Create Devoted Customers and the instructional audio, The Mental-Rental(TM) Sales Process. Dennis delivers value-filled presentations with an entertaining style that participants rave about.