Power Words

 Good Things DO Come in Small Packages.

 These little words should win medals, as adding any one of them into a
conversation has the potential to transform average customer service into great
customer service.
Example Uses of These Words in
Customer Service
 1. I definitely will make sure that it gets sorted…
2. I absolutely agree with you…
3. I can certainly help you…
4. That is exactly right…
5. I completely agree with you…
6. I will quickly run through this with you…
7. That is a fantastic alternative…
8. Great news!
9. Marvelous choice…
10. That is an excellent suggestion…
11. I hope you enjoy your…
12. Splendid! All that is left to do now…
13. Yes, it is essential that you…
14. It is a very generous offer…
15. I can highly recommend…
 16. Thanks, we aim to provide a friendly service…
17. That’s certainly impressive, Mrs. Smith…
18. That it is an interesting idea…
19. Brilliant! I’m glad we are on the same page…
20. Yes, it is an exciting prospect…
21. I think that it’s a terrific option…
22. That is absolutely fascinating…
23. You certainly are an expert on this…
24. That is personally my favorite option…
25. It would definitely be ideal, considering your situation…
Don’t Be Afraid of Sounding Too Upbeat

 Words such as “fantastic”, “great”, “marvelous” are very positive words and
can really inject some energy into a telephone conversation.
Three Bonus Words – FEEL, FELT ,
FOUND

 “I completely understand how you FEEL

A couple of our customers have FELT the
same
 However, what they have FOUND is…”
 “Mr. Smith, I understand how you feel … many of our happiest
customers felt the same way… however, what they found is…”
 Or when dealing with a difficult or angry customer, an advisor could use these
positive words to turn a problem into a solution, like so:
 “Mr. Smith, I can see why you feel like that. Something similar has happened to
me before and I felt the same way. What is found, and I hope this will be the
same for you, is…”
 Empathy Statements
“Empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy is the ability to “walk a
mile in someone else’s shoes” — while sympathy is feeling the same
feelings as the customer and agreeing with them. A person feels
sympathy — but shares empathy.”
What is an empathy statement?

 Empathy statements are short phrases that help you establish a connection
with the person you are talking to. They show that the other person is your
sole focus and that you are taking personal responsibility for them in this
conversation.
 They help create trust and mutual understanding.
What should be included?

 Personal Pronouns
 Active Verbs
 Authenticity
Personal Pronouns

 The words “I” and “you” are essential in an empathy statement, as

will be highlighted later.
 When you use personal pronouns (and especially “I” rather than a
more corporate “we”) the listener understands that you are
personally involved and interested in them as an individual. They feel
that you understand their situation and that you want to help them as
a priority.
Active Verbs

 The first version is anonymous, lacking personality and has no

underlying responsibility, whilst the second makes you believe that
there is a real person actively working to fix an issue, and who might
physically chase the team until it is done.
 So, replace passive verbs with active verbs, which add a sense of
immediacy
Authenticity

 Be genuine, honest and be yourself. Reading standard phrases without

being authentic creates resentment and can increase anger. It is more
important to be natural, calm and positive than to get the exact
phrasing correct.
 Authenticity means using a natural tone, and less formal ways of
speaking.
 Use “thanks” instead of “thank you”; “hi” instead of “hello”; “enjoy
the rest of your day” instead of “good bye”. Use contractions/short
forms of verbs: you’re, can’t, he’s, don’t, etc.
Assessing the situation
 The first duty of an agent when handling a customer query is to assess
the situation. When doing so, the agent should use empathy
statements to convey their interest in and attentiveness to the
customer’s enquiry. These two statements will help advisors to do so:
 1. “Is there anything I can do for you today, big or small?”
 Assuring the customer of your desire to resolve their complaint should
allow them to recognize your care and understanding for the
individual’s problems.
 2. “Can you tell me a little more about it, please?”
 Establishing that you want to extract as much information as possible
from the customer indicates your attentiveness and curiosity in the
matter at hand. However, you must be careful that advisors are being
respectful when using this line!
Clarifying the situation
 Once your advisor has all such information at their fingertips, the situation
must next be clarified to ensure that your frontline worker and their
customer are both “on the same page”. Here, empathy statements are vital
so that the customer does not get frustrated at having to repeat themselves.
These two remarks will allow the agent to avoid this.
 3. “I want to make sure that I really have an understanding of what you’re
telling me. I’m hearing that…”
 Expressing the desire to listen deeply to the customer, by giving them the
opportunity to correct your understanding of their query, reinforces the
customer–advisor connection.
 4. “When I am done, if I have got something wrong, I would appreciate it if
you would correct me, if that is ok?”
 Involving the customer in the process of clarifying and solving their enquiry
allows them to feel encouraged as to its progress and does not leave them
“stuck in the middle”.
Reassuring the customer
 When the advisor has a full understanding of the matter at hand, that individual
should make the process of what happens next clear to the customer. This involves
reassuring the customer that the company is striving to resolve their issue and
further building customer–advisor rapport. The three empathy statements below
demonstrate how to do so.
 5. “Thank you very much for alerting us about this…”
 Highlighting that your company appreciates feedback, whilst alluding to the notion
that you’d like to act on it, demonstrates your will to relieve them of any future
hassle.
 6. “We will help you get this issue resolved”
 Reaffirming the intention for a quick and appropriate resolution again builds rapport.
But the use of the word “we” also indicates that it is a team effort and that you are
prioritizing the matter.

 7. “You’re absolutely correct, Sir/Madam”

 Displaying respect and empathy for the customer’s opinions demonstrates the
advisor’s consideration for their client’s predicament.
Communicating Confidence

 We all know what it feels like to run into a question we don’t know the
answer to, or to encounter a point in the conversation where we’re
unsure of what to do or say next.
 Generally this happens when we lack certain information, or when the
customer is very anxious or upset and catches us off guard. Use the
following phrases to communicate that you have it all under control,
even when things feel a little shaky:
 To assuage or calm a customer
 To prevent doubt when you don’t know
 To express professionalism
To assuage or calm a customer:

 I’m going to take care of this for you…

 I assure you…

 I understand where you’re coming from.

To prevent doubt when you don’t
know:
 One moment please.

 Let me find that out for you.

 Let me forward you to our X specialist.

To express professionalism:

 Thank you for bringing that to our attention.

 We’re very happy to…

 On behalf of our company, I would like to thank

you for your patience.
Providing a sense of immediacy
 Whist reassuring the customer of their enquiry’s importance to the business, it is also important for
advisors to provide them with a sense of immediacy. In order to minimize customer frustration at
spending too long on the phone, your agents should use the five statements below to alleviate such
feeling on behalf of the client and demonstrate a caring approach.
 8. “I appreciate you bringing this to our attention, so that we can deal with this immediately”
 Recognizing the urgency of the query and assuring the client that they were right to contact the
advisor allows the customer to believe that all their efforts are valued by your company.
 9. “I can see where the problem is, Sir/Madam…”
 Conveying the advisor’s experience in handling calls of this nature provides the customer with a
strong indication of the ability of the call center professional to find a swift solution to the query.
 10. “What I’m currently doing to help you is…”
 Your taking control of the situation allows the customer to feel as if the problem has been “lifted from
them”, and by phrasing the statement in this way, you are personalizing the matter and making the
customer feel special.
 11. “This should be fixed by the end of the weekend, Mr. Smith”
 Providing a close, but realistic, timeframe for when a customer query can be answered, if it cannot
be solved immediately, should again take responsibility away from the customer and allow them to
relax.
Making a commitment
 As well as reassuring the customer and providing them with a sense of
immediacy, making a commitment to them helps to comfort customers with the
knowledge that their issue is being treated. The following three phrases present
ways in which you can make such a commitment.
 12. “I will contact you as soon as we have had an update”
 Making a commitment such as this and then following it up should help you to
establish a basis of trust between the company and the customer, which helps
in forming a long-standing relationship.
 13. “We will work to resolve the problem. You just enjoy your
(birthday/holidays/Christmas break, etc.), and I will be in touch shortly”
 Acknowledging a customer’s personal holidays and future plans allows your
advisor to add a personal touch to the interaction, and basing your actions
around a customer’s schedule demonstrates an empathetic approach.
 14. “Do let us know if you have any further questions, Mr Smith”
 Encouraging future contact helps to show your company’s commitment to
strengthening your relationship with the customer and fosters the progression of
the customer–agent rapport.
Maintaining strong customer relations
 After the process has run its course, there is a chance that the customer will not be
completely impressed by the answers that they have received. In such a situation,
building an empathetic atmosphere is key to maintaining strong customer relations. The
two examples below will help to quell such issues and rebuild customer faith in your
business’s processes.
 15. “We always value customers who are keen to give us their feedback. I will be
sure to pass on what you have told me to our managerial team”
 Exhibiting that you are proactive when receiving criticism and that your advisors are in
constant communication with their superiors helps to assure aggrieved customers that
the right procedures are in place to handle their complaints.
 16. “I have experienced a similar problem recently, so I understand what you are
saying. Let me see what I can do to help you out”
 Drawing on their own experiences singles the advisor out from the company that the
customer feels aggravated by. Then, by signaling that the problem has now gone, the
advisor has demonstrated that a solution is available.
Closing the call
 Now that the call is coming to a close, agents must still maintain a respectful
tone and maintain their empathetic attitude so that customers feel comfortable
voicing more concerns and stay satisfied with the service received. The next
two statements are crucial in signing off with a customer and staying
empathetic.
 17. “Is there anything else that I can help you with today, Mr Smith?”
 Demonstrating that there are no time limits in the job description of your agents,
this phrase illustrates that there are not company constraints on providing great
customer service.
 18. “Your satisfaction means everything to us. Have we covered
everything that you wanted to discuss today?”
 Reminding customers of the business’s ever-willing support for them helps to
conclude with a sustained empathetic approach, and the use of the word “us”
summarizes the collaborative culture on which empathy is based.
Food for thought
 Remember, you may not know everything, but you know more than the
customer does. It’s your job, so take pride in your role as a customer
service agent and use the right words and positive phrases to
communicate your confident attitude.
 Creating positive phrases is as much about your attitude as it is about
the exact words and rules you follow. Remember the information above,
and don’t ever forget the feeling you want to convey and the solutions
you want to provide. Positive phrasing will create happy customers who
are motivated to support your company and continue to recommend
you for years to come.