Leave Your “Buts” Behind for Great Customer Service

Leave Your “Buts” Behind for Great Customer Service
How many times have you heard something similar to this in
a customer service situation?
Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will
take care of the situation.”
Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are
saying, but we can to do it this way.”
Then the situation magically goes downhill from there and it
is difficult to win back the customer.
What Happened?
The customer service person used the one word that has a
powerful negative effect when dealing with customers. The
one word, if you can imagine, brings out the horns on the
customer’s forehead, turns his face red, tightens his teeth,
and clinches his hands…the word is but.
This is because but is an exclusive word. The use of but
negates everything that was said previously by the
customer. The customer then feels alienated and
disrespected. It says to the customer, “You discounted or
ignored everything I just said and you are going on with
your agenda. Well, you don’t respect me, so I won’t respect
your solution.”
The Solution
Replace the use of but with this powerful, positive word that
will make the customer feel like he is are a part of the
solution, put a smile on his face, and change the mood to the
positive…the word is and. And is an inclusive word. If you
think about it, and in math equals the function of addition.
The use of and says to your customer, “I value what you
just said, and we will take that into consideration as I share
my solution with you.”
Remember, 90% of satisfying the customer is making the
customer feel like you are listening to them. The use of and
says to the customer I am listening to your input.
Lets apply this to the above scenario:
Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will
take care of the situation.”
Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are
saying, and we can to do it this way.”
As you can see it is a more positive response to the
customer’s feedback. Instead of the customer being on the
opposite side of your solution by using the word and you
create a bridge for the customer to cross to consider your
solutions. Bottom line, your customer is more likely to
quickly accept your solutions.
So, if possible, record yourself in a conversation so that you
can see where you are using but. Then work at substituting
and in place of but. It may feel a little awkward at first.
However, the more you use and the smoother it will sound
and you will see immediate results. The benefits are less
stress for you, positive customer service situations, and
happier customers. Remember, leave your buts behind and
you, too, will provide great customer service.