Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 If you work in customer service, then you know that words are incredibly powerful. According to psychologists Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg, words are so powerful, in fact, that even just the sight of a negative word like ânoâ can release dozens of stress-producing hormones in your brain. But the right words also have the power to create happy, life-long customers. Using positive phrases can enhance customer engagement, and luckily for you, all you have to do is remember several simple rules and commit to positive customer service phrases. Establish a Good Rapport Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, youâll start having positive results. â Willie Nelson Helping a customer should start from a sincere and positive place. The aim is to be open and receptive to customersâ pain points, so your positive phrasing will come out organically. If you focus on starting from a place of understanding, the rest will follow naturally. So remember: introduce yourself and ask for the customerâs name. Then ask how you can be of service without assuming that there is a problem to begin with. You want to start from a positive place and move the conversation forward with solution-building language. Do say: âHi, my name is X. May I ask your name?â âGreat to meet you, Y. How can I assist you today?â âHow can I help you?â âWhat can I help you with today?â Donât say: âWhat is wrong?â âAre you unsatisfied?â âAre you confused?â âWhatâs your problem?â Remember, if a customer says something nice about your company, respond positively to the compliment! Recognize any small talk that the customer has put forwardâwhile you donât want to waste their time, you do want to recognize their attempts to establish a connection with you. Repeat after Them When you rephrase a customerâs comment or complaint, you do two important things: 1) you make them feel heard and understood 2) you clarify what was said so that you donât make any mistakes. This is especially important because many customers arenât used to typing out their complaints via chat, so their communication may be rushed or confusing. However this technique does have to be used carefullyânever retype what a customer has said word for word. That would be very frustrating and could potentially offend a customer. Instead, summarize what they have said efficiently. For example, if a customer says something vague like:âI want to receive my package. Can you make it get here faster?â Try responding with: âI am sorry if you are having trouble with your package. Just to clarify, are you experiencing a delay?â âCorrect me if Iâm wrong, but are you saying that your package should have arrived by now?â These answers are helpful because the customerâs original statement was vague. By summarizing a customerâs statement, you also have the chance to clarify your interpretation. Do not respond with: âSo what Iâm hearing is that there is a problem with the shipping.â âAre you saying that we failed to deliver on time?â âIâm sorry, I donât understand you.â âNo, I cannot make the package come faster. Thatâs not my job.â Pepper with positive words Positive phrases are built from positive words. If you focus on using an affirming and energetic vocabulary, you will find that your great attitude may actually be very infectious. Use positive, affirmative words to describe: Definitely Surely Absolutely Gladly Certainly Fantastic Great Good Terrific Will Assure Understand Here is how you can start phrases with these positive words: âI completely understandâŠâ âI do know where you are coming fromâŠâ âI assure you, we willâŠâ âIâm so glad to be of helpâŠâ Eliminate Negative words Positive words are part of the positive phrase puzzle, but avoiding negative words can be equally important. Sometimes if you use negative words even with good intentions, you can come off as patronizing, or as if you pity the customer. Consider how you would feel if someone said the following to you: âThat sucks so badly.â âYou donât deserve that!â âThat is terrible!â âWe are sorry for giving you bad service!â âIt must be awful to be you right now.â It may be a little too easy to make this kind of mistake. You want to be empathetic, and thatâs a good. But when you use negative words you encourage a feeling of helplessness. Remember, you are there to be friendly, not a friend. Empathetic friends go out to drink with you and wallow in your misery when they canât change your situation. Empathetic customer support representative are friendly, but they have answers and solutions. Avoid intensely negative words like: Awful Sucks Terrible Bad No (if it can be avoided, sometimes it canât) Never Dumb Rude Sometimes customers ask for something you canât give them. For example, they may ask for a refund after several months, which exceeds your companyâs two week refund policy. So what are you to do? Here are some positive phrases to help you out: âI would love to help, butâŠâ âUnfortunately, thatâs not our policy.â âWhile I canât offer you X, I can implement Y.â Using soft words like âunfortunatelyâ and âbutâ can help you lead the conversation to a more positive direction. Suggest or recommend other resources or options. For example, just because you canât refund someone doesnât mean you canât give them store credit. Never let a customer leave before knowing all of their options. Communicating Confidence Weâve all had the experience when we run into a question we donât know the answer to, or weâve encountered a point in the conversation where weâre unsure of what to say next. Generally this happens when we lack certain information, or the customer is very anxious or upset and catches us off guard. Use the following phrases to communicate that you have it all under control, even when things feel a little shaky: To assuage or calm a customer: âRest assured that this will beâŠâ âI assure youâŠâ âI understand where youâre coming from.â To prevent doubt when you donât know: âOne moment please.â âLet me find that out for you.â âLet me forward you to our X specialist.â To express professionalism: âThank you for bringing that to our consideration.â âWeâre very happy toâŠâ âOn behalf of our company, I would like to say thank you for your patience.â Remember, you may not know everything, but you know more than the customer does. Itâs your job, so take pride in your role and use the right words and phrases to communicate your confident attitude. Creating positive phrases is as much about the attitude as it is about the exact words and rules you follow. Remember the information above, but donât ever forget the feeling you want to convey and the solutions you want to provide. Positive phrasing will create happy customers who are motivated to support your company and continue to recommend you for years to come. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Comm100 Blog and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Comm100 Follow @Comm100 Comm100 is an award-winning global provider of live chat, email marketing, and help desk software. Trusted by thousands of global brands worldwide, some of Comm100âs top clients include Farmers Insurance, Sears, Rogers, Stanford University, and Whirlpool. With â100% communication, 100% successâ as the company motto, Comm100 is committed to ensuring… View full profile ›More by this author:How to Apologize to Customers Effectively6 Rules for an Effective On Hold Message Script8 Reasons Why You Need a Live Chat Script