If you work in customer service, chances are you know that words are incredibly powerful – so much so, that according to psychologists Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg, just hearing a negative word like “no” can set off an alarm in your brain and trigger the release of dozens of stress-producing hormones.

Positive customer service phrases can enhance customer engagement, drive up satisfaction, and reduce customer churn rate.

Luckily for you, finding and using the magic words is not hard; all you have to do is remember a few simple rules and commit to positive scripting. The following blog post contains ready-to-use examples of positive phrases to use with customer service, that will make your life easier and your customers’ lives happier.

Establish a Good Rapport

Helping a customer should start from a sincere and positive place. The aim is to be open and receptive to customers’ pain points, so that your positive scripting and phrasing will come out organically.

If you focus on starting from a place of understanding, the rest will follow naturally.

At the onset of your call or live chat, remember to introduce yourself and ask for the customer’s 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:

Don’t say:

Remember, if a customer says something nice about your company, respond positively to the compliment!

Recognize any small talk that the customer has put forward – while you don’t 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 customer’s comment or complaint, you are doing two important things:

1. You make them feel heard and understood
2. You clarify what was said so that you don’t make any mistakes.

This is especially important because some customers aren’t used to typing out their complaints via chat, so their communication may be rushed or confusing.

However, this technique does have to be used carefully. Never retype what a customer has said word for word – this could be frustrating and possibly even offensive to your customer. Instead, summarize what they have said efficiently.

For example, if a customer says something vague like:

Try responding with:

These answers are helpful because they take the customer’s vague original statement and begin productively working towards resolution. At the same time, by summarizing the customer’s statement, you also have the chance to clarify your interpretation.

Do not respond with:

Pepper with Positive Words

Positive customer service phrases are built from positive words. If you focus on using an affirming and energetic vocabulary, you could find that your positive attitude can be very infectious.

Here is how you can start phrases with these positive words:

Eliminate Negative Words

Positive words are part of the positive scripting puzzle, but avoiding negative words can be just as important. Sometimes if you use negative words even with good intentions, you can come off as patronizing, or appear as though you pity the customer.

Consider how you would feel if someone said the following to you:

It may be a little too easy to make this kind of mistake. You want to be empathetic, and that’s a good. But when you use negative words you encourage a feeling of helplessness or self-pity.

Recommended for you: 30 Empathy Statements and Phrases that Show Customers You Care

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 can’t change your situation.

Sometimes customers ask for something you can’t give them. For example, they may ask for a refund after several months, which exceeds your company’s two week refund policy. So what are you to do? Here are some positive phrases to help you out:

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Recommended for you: How to Say No to Customers in a Positive Way

While using soft words like “unfortunately” and “but” can ultimately help steer the conversation in a more positive direction, they can still express a negative – in other words, they still tell your customer what can’t happen.

Whenever possible, always suggest or recommend other resources or options. Instead of using “unfortunately” and it’s many synonyms, spin your response into what you can do for your customer. For example, just because you can’t refund someone doesn’t mean you can’t give them store credit. Never let a customer leave before knowing all of their options.

Communicating Confidence

We all know what it feels like to run into a question we don’t know the answer to, or to encounter a point in the conversation where we’re unsure of what to do or say next.

Generally this happens when we lack certain information, or when 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:

1. To assuage or calm a customer: 
   
   I’m going to take care of this for you…
   I assure you…
   I understand where you’re coming from.
2. To prevent doubt when you don’t know: 
   
   One moment please.
   Let me find that out for you.
   Let me forward you to our X specialist.
3. To express professionalism: 
   
   Thank you for bringing that to our attention.
   We’re very happy to…
   On behalf of our company, I would like to thank you for your patience..

Remember, you may not know everything, but you know more than the customer does. It’s your job, so take pride in your role as a customer service agent and use the right words and positive phrases to communicate your confident attitude.

Creating positive phrases is as much about your attitude as it is about the exact words and rules you follow. Remember the information above, and don’t 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.

Free Download: 101 Ready-to-Use Live Chat Scripts for Both Sales and Customer Service

How to put these positive phrases into your chatting? Our live chat scripts template provides you with the ready-to-use scripts that can convey positivity to customers.

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