12 Phrases Every Customers Service Agent Should Know

Providing great customer service requires a lot of care in many different aspects. Of course, it’s all worth it in the pursuit of high conversion rates. But to actually achieve it, you need to understand and use the right words and phrases to please your customers.  

Customers don’t want to sit on a phone call for hours only to be told that they will be emailed important details late or that they’ll have to wait for a manager. They want their issues addressed as quickly as possible while feeling like the company cares about them.

This is where effective communication can make a huge difference. But what does effective mean exactly in this case? 

In today’s article, we’ll look at what it takes to communicate with customers successfully. We’ll also give you a list of helpful phrases that you should use to make your customers feel valued and understood and also which ones you should absolutely avoid.

12 Perfect Phrases to Boost Customer Service Agents’ Skills

There’s a long list of steps in a conversation for agents to go through when interacting with customers.

These include: 

• a nice and warm greeting,
• listening attentively to an issue or a complaint,
• giving helpful advice,
• kindly asking customers for further details,
• ending the conversation in a positive and uplifting way. 

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But have you ever wondered how you could make those conversations really feel nice, attentive, and helpful with words alone? As a customer service agent, you definitely should.

Just because you may think you’re being nice or welcoming doesn’t mean you come across that way. And this is very important to keep in mind when dealing with people whom your business and bottom line depend on – your customers.

Phrases to Boost Agents’ Skills:

“Hi, my name is (your name), (job title) from (company name).  It’s great to hear from you! How are you doing today?”

Make sure to introduce yourself at the beginning of every conversation. Include your job title and the name of the company you’re calling from. Even if the customer contacts you, still provide the same information. 

People like to know who they’re dealing with, and revealing these details at the beginning of phone calls or virtual chats will make your company seem reputable.

Moreover, don’t forget to ask how your customer is doing. Not only is it kind and shows interest. It can also help you figure out how the customer feels and where the conversation could go. This will help you better prepare and, as a result, resolve the case with greater success.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Let me see what I can do to make things right.”

When customers call you to report their complaints or dissatisfaction, it’s always great to acknowledge their effort appropriately. Thank the caller for taking the time to raise the issue with you and let them know that you understand by saying something like, “Thanks for bringing this to my attention.” 

If the issue can be further looked into and is not a matter of a simple yes or no answer, you should let your customer know that you’ll take action to solve their problem. You can do this by adding a short “let me see what I can do to make things right”, showing that you care and are willing to look for solutions.

“Would it be okay if I (blank)?”

There may be times when you’ll need to leave a customer on hold for a moment to seek advice from a colleague or manager. Or, as is particularly likely to happen in technical support, you’ll need to engage with customers on a deeper level by logging into their systems or devices to perform certain operations.

As a well-mannered person representing your company with respect, we recommend that you always ask customers if they feel comfortable with you:

• putting them on hold
• accessing their device remotely 
• calling back later
• anything else you may need to do

A lot of the time, the answer will be yes. After all, customers want their problems solved. But just because you assume (and you’re probably right to do so) that the answer will be positive, don’t underestimate the power of a polite question. It lets clients think: “This person values my opinion”.

“I am very sorry to hear you’ve had a negative experience with us. Could you possibly share some more details with me?”

Confrontations with customers are not always lovey-dovey, with compliments and flowers raining down for your outstanding services. Sometimes things go wrong, and customers will get in touch with you to complain about your service, products, experiences, and possibly a whole slew of other issues.

When this happens, it’s good to take a positive approach instead of defending yourself or denying the customers’ complaints. Show your empathy and understanding. Doing this will help calm their nerves if they’ve started the conversation with an attitude.

Moreover, when customers are angry or frustrated, they may be chaotic with their words. To let them know you’re ready to help them, ask for further details. They’ll feel like you listen to them and value their opinions.

“I am sorry that you experienced this. Here’s what I can offer as compensation.”

When people get into negative situations, their opinion about a brand can drastically change within seconds. To avoid losing a customer, make sure you tell them that they can be compensated for what happened. This, together with saying that you’re sorry for the case on behalf of the whole company, will secure a customer for a longer time.

“Could you possibly share some more details with me so that I can look deeper into the issue?”

For customers, it’s important to feel like you can see where they’re coming from. For this reason, you should always aim to ask customers if there’s anything else that they’d like to add to their case that could help the situation. This will really make them feel like you really value their business and wish to help.

“Thank you for your patience while I look into this.”

People are impatient. When you cannot avoid wait times, we suggest that you thank your customers for their patience. This won’t suddenly reduce the time needed to solve a problem. Still, it will reassure your customers that you appreciate their patience and that you’re working on helping them as fast as you can.

“I understand your point of view. Let me see what I can do.”

Often, customers will think that you aren’t willing to help. Or sometimes they may feel that you can’t exactly relate to their problems. 

By simply reassuring your customers that you understand their situation, they will feel appreciated. This works as a nice bridge between the company, represented by you, and the client. Further down the line, it could significantly improve their customer experience.

“I have informed our team about the issue and I will be in touch with you as soon as I hear back from them.”

Telling customers that you raised their matter within the company and that someone will get back to them as soon as possible gives them confidence and hope. They’ll feel that things are being sorted at the right speed and with the right amount of attention.

This confidence boost could really impact your customer’s attitude toward your brand, including customer retention and loyalty. By saying: “I have informed our team about this, and I will be in touch with you as soon as I hear back from them”, you could be retaining a long-term customer for your company, so use this sentence when appropriate.

“Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with today.”

Before hitting the “end call” or “close chat” button, double-check that you’ve addressed everything that the customer needed to solve. When people get in touch with you, they may want to raise more than just one issue. 

“I appreciate you getting in touch with us. Thank you for your time.”

Finally, remember to show appreciation for your customer’s time. It’s nice to say, even if the whole conversation wasn’t a complete success. Again, it shows that you represent your company properly, which can go a long way toward its overall success.

Watch our video to learn more about effective communication in the workplace:

9 Phrases to Avoid and What to Say Instead

When dealing with customers on the phone or in person, it’s crucial that you keep your words positive. Having a good attitude will reassure them that you are invested in solving their problems. However, it’s not always obvious which phrases won’t make you sound pessimistic.

Here are some phrases that you should avoid at all costs if you don’t want to sound negative:

• ☹ “There’s nothing we can do about this.”
• ☺ “I will do my best to solve your issue.”

• ☹ “You’re important to our company.” 
• ☺ “Thank you for being one of our most loyal customers.”

• ☹ “Thank you for your feedback.”
• ☺ “We appreciate you sharing your opinion with us. It will help us grow and develop our product.”

• ☹ “We’re very busy right now.”
• ☺ “Please give me some time. I will get back to you as soon as I find a solution.”

• ☹ “These things happen sometimes.”
• ☺ “Thanks for bringing this up. We’ll ensure it never happens again.”

• ☹ “We can’t meet your demands.”
• ☺ “What we can offer you is”

• ☹ “It’s not my responsibility to deal with this issue.”
• ☺ “Please bear with me while I redirect you to someone who will be able to better address your needs.”

• ☹ “You’re wrong.”
• ☺ “Let me clear this up for you so that you can better understand how it works.”

• ☹ “I don’t know.”
• ☺ “I will put you on a call with our specialist on this topic.”

Wrapping Up

As you can see, finding the right combination of words in order to provide top-quality customer experience service requires a lot of thought. No matter in what industry you work, in a travel agency or a real estate call center, it’s important to remain friendly and professional. Though, communication is simpler with the right telephony solutions. A software containing features that make your job easier.

If you’re looking to find out more about effective communication, especially in a call center environment, take a look at our blog.

It’s full of insights on how to communicate, why communication matters in customer service, and more.