The Art Of Talking

10 phrases that make your customers feelsmart, good and coming back for more.

Happy

We’ve all had those moments when we’re on the line with customer service and they just

make us feel like they...

…think we’re 6 years old

…couldn’t care less about our problems

…are being needlessly combative

…don’t really want to help

Much of that comes from the words and tone of voice

“We appreciateyour business?”

Yea right.

Ugh, thatwas SUCH arude email!

It’s like they don’tknow how long I’ve

been trying to get thisfixed!

Every time I chat withsupport, I feel like I’mthe dumbest person

who’s ever called.

So why talk happy?It makes you sound nicer.

It helps you convey a can-do attitude.

It helps bu�er the blow of bad news and slower than

usual times.

Aside from good, timely service, studies show that

being positive and upbeat has the biggest impact on

customer satisfaction.

That’s why before you talk (or type), ask yourself:

IS THERE A BETTERWAY TO SAY IT?

Here are 10 ways you canmake every day conversations

sound nicer!

#1 “Actually…”

“Actually, you’ll need to go intoSettings to do this.”

“Sure thing, You can do this undersettings! :)”

Hat tip: Carolyn from Bu�er, who pointed out that it felt nicer to replace “actually” with something more positive.

#2 “I DONT KNOW…”

“I’m not sure we can help you with this.”

“I know what we can do. I’m going to loopin Jimmy. He’s the best person to help you

with this.”

Saying “I don’t know” makes customers nervous. Always show confidence, and direct them to the next best thing.

#3 “JUST…”

“Just send it back to us by mail.”

“The best thing to do would be to send itback to us by mail.”

“Just” is obviously a popular word, but play it by ear. It can feel sharp and curt in some contexts.

#4 “IN FACT…”

“In fact, we don’t o�er that optionanymore.”

“It turns out we don’t o�er that optionanymore, but let’s help you find another way

to get it.”

What’s a fact to you might be completely unknown to your customer. Not a bad word per se, but can feel pedantic in that

context.

#5 “BUT…”

“We would be happy to help. But Ineed your order number first.”

“We would be happy to help! Do youhave your order number with you?”

“But” kind of brings down the energy here. The alternative looks much nicer in comparison!

#6 “WE APOLOGIZE/APOLOGIES FOR…”

“Apologies for the inconvenience.”

“Sorry to hear you’re having this issue!”

If you want to apologize, just say you’re sorry! It’s more personal, sincere and no one gets hurt in the process.

#7 “IF YOU REQUIRE…”

“If you require any further assistance,please let us know.”

“Let me know if I can help you withanything else!”

No need for the passive voice when you’re chatting with your customers. Keep it active and personal.

#8 “I’M AFRAID THAT…”

“I’m afraid we don’t carry that productanymore.”

“It looks like we don’t carry that productanymore. We do have something similar

though, would you like to try it?”

Worst phrase in the English language. Who likes hearing a sentence that starts like that?

#9 “AS YOU KNOW…”

“As you know, we no longer acceptAmerican Express.”

“Did you get an email from us saying that weno longer accept American Express?”

Nope, don’t assume your customers know anything without asking first.

#10 “PLEASE BE AWARE…”

“Please be aware that our o�ice isclosed tomorrow for Labor Day.”

“I just want to make sure you know that ouro�ices are closed on Sundays. Make sure to

catch us by Saturday with any other questions!”

This is another phrase to delete from your vocab. Don’t ask customers to “be aware” - just tell ‘em like it is!

Language matters.Words matter.

Interactions matter.

So go forth and be happy!

Kayako is an incredibly powerful tool for support teams that want to control the entire

customer experience. Support teams are able to build incredibly customizable workflows

to manage their manage and nurture fast-growing customer bases. This frees up their

time to get to know their customers, build relationships and gather feedback so they can

prioritize support initiatives.

More than 30,000 organizations are using Kayako everyday to deliver great support to

millions of customers.

www.kayako.com