We’re all about positivity at Ruby, and it’s not just because of our naturally friendly, upbeat staff โ we’ve learnedย that havingย happyย receptionists leads to happy customers, and that’s just all-around good business! Our virtual receptionist team knows how important it is to skip negative phrases. A few little words can turn a good conversation into a great one, and replacing negativeย words with positive ones might be easier than you realize. Before you chat with your next customer or potential client, scrap these three phrases:
I donโt know. You may not have the answer to yourย customer’s question, but saying โI donโt knowโ gets you nowhere. Bypass โI donโt knowโ and move on to the next part: finding the answer, or putting your customer in touch with someone who does know.
โGreat question! Diana in our Sales Department would be happy to answer it. Let me put you in touch with her.โ
โThatโs a good question! I’ll find the best person to answer it!โ
I canโt (or we canโt). Okay, if someone asks you to bench press 500 pounds, โI canโtโ may be a reasonable reply. But when it comes to customer service, these are two words to avoid. Maybe โI canโtโ is the short answer to your customerโs question, but itโs far from a confidence booster. What can you do? Talk about that instead. If customer service is important to you, thereโs always something you can do. Check this out:
โCan I pick up my computer tomorrow?โ
โWe’d like to keep it one more day to make sure it’s tip-top. Weย can have it ready for pickup first thing Wednesday morning, or weโd be happy to deliver it to you then!โ
Youโll have to (or you need to). If you eliminate any three words from your conversational repertoire today, makeย them โYouโll have to.โ This bossy phrase is a big customer service no-no. When youย want to guide your customer in a different direction, trade โYouโll have toโ in for softer reply-starters like โYou might want to…โ or โMay I suggest…โ or โIt might be best to….โ Better yet, offer to do the legwork for your customer, or at least lend a hand:
โIt might be best to talk to your phone provider about the options available to you. Iโd be happy to conference you in so we can call them together!โ
Now thatโs customer service!
Also, don’t forget to check out our 5 Positive Phrases You Should Steal!
