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From mad to worse

You may have great products, but you can still have customer service
problems caused by bad weather, equipment failures, or human error.

You may have great products, but you can still have customer service problems caused by bad weather, equipment failures, or human error. While you can’t control external events, you can control what you say to upset customers. Here are the top ten worst things to say to unhappy customers (from least offensive to worst).

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. 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. 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, be positive 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 “Yes, and.”

5. “Looks like shipping messed up.”: Blaming anyone else 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.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.

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 colourful names when a customer swears at you): 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.” 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. You’ll have happier customers and a more engaged workforce by equipping your team with simple communication tools to use when things go wrong.

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