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.”
“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’.
Frankenstein’s monster: making a similar sentence using the
knowledge you gained from your autopsy
“Hello there1, I’m hoping
you might be able to2 help me out here3.”
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
“Alright1, we’re2
looking at3 57.92 for you this time4.”
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:
So1, I can see that2 you’re thinking about3
discontinuing4 your services with us today5.”
“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 situation¹. I wish I didn’t have to
tell you this², but4 where we are5
right now6 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!
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