Sometimes it helps to have just the right phrases in your pocket to give your customer support that more personable touch. Here are the first 3 of the top 6 phrases that can rise you to the cream of the crop when it comes to customer communications.

“I’m sorry to hear that, I’d be frustrated too.”

How many of us have called an internet provider, for example, ready to rip into whoever answers the phone about how inconvenient the most power outage is for our workday. But when the receptionist apologizes and acknowledges with genuine empathy how frustrating it must be, our hackles go down. Why? Because we are validated, and we are heard, and that’s the gateway to compassionate communication.

Acknowledging the customer’s emotion also poses the customer service representative as a real person, rather than a robot or an operator who’s just going through the motions. Suddenly, when the customer hears the agent they’re speaking with would feel the same way they do, they feel they’ve reached an ally rather than an adversary.

“I’m happy to help!”

The goal of any customer service interaction is to make sure the customer is as satisfied as possible. Even if the answer is no, you can still leave them feeling like they got a yes. For example, with the internet provider situation, when the operator says, “Let me see how I can help you with this,” and then offers to send a diagnostic signal to your router to make sure the issue isn’t the equipment you feel helped, even though the problem isn’t fixed.

When that same operator goes another step further and checks the service reports to see if there’s indeed a reported outage in your area, the customer really feels like they’ve reached the right ally. It may not fix the problem, but searching for and relaying the appropriate information sheds light on the root cause of the problem and brings the customer out of the dark.

“Great question, I’ll find out the answer for you!”

It’s never comfortable to not know the answer to a customer’s question or request, but saying “Hmm, I don’t know” leaves them hanging in uncertainty, which leads to anxiety. Don’t make the mistake of taking the blame and saying something like, “I’m not equipped to answer that question.” That makes the customer feel like they haven’t reached the right person who can help them, and that they’ll be shuffled down the line until someone else can. Again, anxiety provoking.

Thanks in large part to the way our receptionists use these winning phrases and others to connect to your customers, Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. has earned an 82% referral rate. Customized communication solutions, secure messaging, and appointment scheduling services also save you time and money while increasing your customer loyalty.

Voice Link offers month-to-month service agreements to meet your unique needs, with no hidden fees. Our excellent reputation, expert staff, and state-of-the-art technology will exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.

For the next 3 helpful phrases, click 6 Winning Phrases For Customer Support – Part II.