Customer Service Information

Dealing with People - Words to Avoid


You probably realise how the wrong tone of voice and negative body language can cause problems when dealing with other people, particularly customers and staff. However, using the wrong words can also cause problems.

There are certain "trigger" words that cause people to become more difficult especially in emotionally charged situations and they should be avoided. These include:

* Have to - as in - "You'll have to speak to the sales department yourself"

*I can't or you can't - as in - "I can't do anything about that" or "You can't do that"

*I'll try - as in - "I'll try and speak to finance department today"

*But - as in - "I agree with what you're saying but??.."

*Sorry - as in - "I'm sorry 'bout that"

"What DO I say I hear you cry?"

Instead of the words "Have to" which are very controlling type words, why not try - "Are you willing to?" or just a straight - "Will you?."

Can't, can be replaced with - "I'm unable to because?."

"I'll try," which is pretty wishy-washy, can be replaced with something more honest - "This is what I can do" or "This is what I'm unable to do"

"But" is a word that contradicts what was said before it, replace it with - "And" or "However" (which is a soft 'but')

Instead of saying "but" you could leave it out altogether. For example; instead of - "I agree with what you're saying but I can't help you" use - "I agree with what you're saying. The reason I'm unable to help you is??"

At the end of the day the answer to a customer or one of your staff could be -"no"- however, choosing your words more carefully will have a more positive affect on how he or she reacts and ultimately responds to you.

"Sorry" is one of the words to avoid because it is so overused and it's lost its value. Think of the number of times you've complained or commented about something and you hear - "Sorry 'bout that." If you're going to use the "sorry" word then you need to use it as part of a whole sentence - "I'm sorry you've been receiving so many complaints Mary."

Sometimes it's appropriate to use the word 'apologise' instead of 'sorry.' "I apologise for not getting you that information sooner."

For smoother interactions, take care with the words you use.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people. Visit http://www.howtogetmoresales.com


MORE RESOURCES:

How to Mix the Right Technology and People to get Quality Customer ...
eWeek,  NY - 15 hours ago
For Internet retailers, having friendly, knowledgeable customer service agents available to customers 24/7 can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. ...
Contact Centers Gain Flexibility to Meet Customer Needs Through ... MarketWatch
Communications and Financial Services Companies Lead Other ... CNNMoney.com
Study Identifies Industries with Strong Perfoming Contact Centers TMCnet
TMCnet
all 24 news articles


Customer Service Specialist
Seattle Times, United States - 7 hours ago
At HealthServicesNW we value the strong relationships we have built with our clients, and the Customer Service Agent is the employee responsible for ...


Home-Based Customer Service Agents Save Average of $24000 per Year ...
MarketWatch - Jul 23, 2008
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Jul 23, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Sending customer service agents home through homeshoring can result in individual savings of ...


Virtual Call Center Company Jumps on "Green" Bandwagon
TMCnet - Jul 23, 2008
“Time and time again, home-shored customer service agents demonstrate remarkable results,” Naylor said, “and there is no reason for any organization with an ...


Bausch & Lomb puts new CIO in charge of customer service
ZDNet - Jul 23, 2008
Eye care company Bausch & Lomb has given its CIO the customer service reins. On Wednesday, the company named Alan Farnsworth, senior vice president of ...


Court Staff Receiving Customer Service Training
Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service, Jamaica - 5 hours ago
The over 700 court staff island-wide who interact with the public daily have begun to benefit from a series of customer service training workshops being ...


Bausch & Lomb Names Alan Farnsworth as Senior Vice President of ...
MarketWatch - Jul 23, 2008
In this newly created position, Mr. Farnsworth provides leadership for the company's global delivery of customer service processes, as well as for the ...


Electronics retailers say customer service is key
Colloquy.com, OH - 2 hours ago
"Across many industries, we’ve seen that the retailers that grow customer-service ratings the fastest have greater sales growth." —Chris Denove,JD Power and ...


"Excellent VOIP but terrible customer service"
BroadbandReports.com, NY - 2 hours ago
Customer Service : I have had to contact customer service on several occasions since this new service was installed. I had problems accessing the digital ...


Materials Handling World Magazine

Customer Service Survey gives excellent results
Materials Handling World Magazine, UK - 9 hours ago
The Customer Service Survey is an annual initiative as part of the company's Key Account Management Programme. This year shows the best results to date. ...

Customer-Service - Google News

home | site map
© 2006