Many articles and tutorials offer lists of helpful phrases and magic words that can turn a call around. I say that’s only half the story. You need the recipe, not just the finished product. You need to know how to construct your own magic phrases—not just parrot the ones you found on in a listicle somewhere.
I’ve performed word-by word “autopsies” on some effective phrases I’ve used or heard used in my call center days, for your own coroner’s report!
The four phrases:
“Hi, I hope you can help me.”
“Okay, we are at $87.52 today.”
“So, I see by the notes that you’re considering closing out the account today.”
“Oh, I wish I didn’t have to say that it’s the case, but unfortunately, that’s what we’re looking at right now.”
1.For collections: (For requesting contact information from a third party)
“Hi, I hope you can help me.”
This phrase was extremely effective. Why?
1.”Hi” (Informal greeting, sets a friendly tone)
2.”I hope” (no one wants to dash your hopes)
3.”you can help me” (a request for help is actually a more powerful psychological bonding tool than doing a favor, studies show. Use this to “bond” your listener to you.)
Overall, this phrase gives your listener a direction, and something to do, to get you off the phone graciously—i.e., give you the contact information. It also puts you in this position (see below article), ‘the powerful supplicant’.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/08/the_kindly_brontosaurus_the_amazing_prehistoric_posture_that_will_get_you.html
Frankenstein’s monster: making a similar sentence using the knowledge you gained from your autopsy
“Hello there, I’m hoping you might be able to help me out here.”
2.For retail or other sales: (Giving tally)
“Okay, we are at $87.52 today.”
1.”Okay” (casual usage, indicates wrap- up of job duties, sounds brisk yet friendly)
2.”we” (magic word cubed. “We” creates a sense of teamwork, unity, and the subtle indication that you’ve been working with the customer this whole time.)
3.”are at” (Some people don’t like roundabout ways of referring to dollar amounts- those numbers with no currency indicator you see on menus, or the like. I personally think it’s situational. When you’re the IRS, you don’t say “We’re at $15,528.53 today”.
There are times to be exact, and there are times to draw the veil of subtly over what you’re doing. Shopping for pleasure is one of those times to blur the lines of harsh reality as much as possible.
4.”today.” (You’ll be back! Or conversely “Hey, it’s just one day, tomorrow you can go on a budget! But YOLO!”)
There is something offhand, casual, and even at bit international about this phrase. Heard it at the H&M in Denver Pavilions shopping center and was so struck with it I decided to write this article.
Frankenstein’s monster: making a similar sentence using the knowledge you gained from your autopsy
“Alright, we’re looking at $57.92 for you this time.”
3.For retention: (Upon opening up the case)
“So, I see by the notes [or “my other customer service agent told me” if you have a retention queue that is separate] that you’re considering closing out the account today.”
1.”So” (this is the opening shot of a longer conversation, inviting explanations, which means you can give counteroffers.)
2.”I see by the notes” (I pay attention and I care)
3.”you’re considering” (You haven’t done it yet, but I am deferential to your wants)
4.”closing out” (or some other delicate euphemism like “changing the status of”/ ‘discontinuing”)
5.”today” (What happened in the recent past that dramatically changed your service so that TODAY you called us? Oh my gosh!)
I had to train my retention reps out of saying “You want to terminate your account, is that correct?” (So many things wrong with that, I don’t even know where to start!)
Frankenstein’s monster: making a similar sentence using the knowledge you gained from your autopsy:
So, I can see that you’re thinking about discontinuing your services with us today.”
4.For all customer support bad-news situations:
“Oh, I wish I didn’t have to say that it’s the case, but unfortunately, that’s what we’re looking at right now.”
1.”Oh” (universal signal for regret)
2.”I wish” (further signaling that you care, and you regret having to give bad news)
3.”have to say it’s the case” (firm yet polite way of setting expectations and boundaries)
4.”unfortunately” (signally that you understand the frustrations/situation of the customer
5.”that’s what we’re looking at” (I particularly like “what we’re looking at”- it orients the “team” to the mindset of problem solving and looking forward to solutions, rather than digging in and arguing about the policy or situation)
6.”right now” (this signals that the situation is not ‘set in stone’, and the customer doesn’t have to contact the BBB or the Attorney General to file a complaint, things might change in the future)
Frankenstein’s monster: making a similar sentence using the knowledge you gained from your autopsy:
“Oh, gosh, what a tough situation. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but where we are right now is…”
I heard this phrase from a recorded call from India. I was tasked to find out why certain Indian reps were getting such high scores from our customers (answer: partly their Anglo-Indian accent, which sounded extremely high class and credible, partly their delivery—sweet and helpful.)
Well, you heard the medical examiner! Now you know why these types of phrases are so effective. Go forth and use your knowledge!
