What to Never Ever Say to a Customer
During my two decades of reviewing thousands of calls and having follow-up conversations with Customer Service Professionals (CSPs), they’ve shared a number of reasons why a customer service experience did not meet expectations. Summed up, the reasons would fall into one of these categories:
The customer was rude to me.
I was having a tough day.
The customer wouldn’t let me get my point across.
You can’t please some people, no matter how hard you try.
I don’t know what happened, the call just went off the rails.
The customer was dissatisfied hearing “no.”
Let’s focus this week on what happens when we say “no” to a customer.
Despite the challenges CSPs may face, we must never treat our customers poorly. One of those ways we could treat customers with disrespect is using the word “No.” In all of my contact center experience, I have not had one incident that would qualify for this exception. When CSPs realize the way they responded to a customer, they often realize their response was within their control.
It’s rare in customer service for the answer to be: No. Period. Our job is to suggest solutions, offer options, invite interaction. So even if the answer really is “no,” we communicate to provide context, explain processes, confirm our concern, and suggest next steps. While the answer could be ‘no’ to the specific customer ask, the answer is “yes” as to whether we appreciate the person as a customer.
“No’s” to avoid include:
No at the beginning of the sentence
No because I’m the one in charge
No because I don’t like the way you asked
No because I’m having a tough day
I encourage leaders to talk about the “no’s” with their CSP team by identifying situations when a response could be “no,” and reframing the response with other options available to customers.
Customer Service Week 2022 is one week away. For ideas to celebrate your team, visit CSWeek.com.
