Customer service is an ever changing industry. There are more ways than ever to communicate with your customers, but with this freedom, comes more opportunity for mistakes.

In customer service, how you say things can be just as important as what you are saying. Simply trading the phrases below for slightly tweaked versions can keep your interactions with your customers from going sour.

?Calm down?

This may seem obvious but this phrase lacks the empathy needed to actually calm your customer down. Instead, try a phrase like, ?I?m sorry to hear that. I understand your frustration.? Showing the customer that you listening to their feelings can go a long way.

?Sorry, but it is the policy.?

Policies are incredibly important, and businesses couldn't run without them, but explaining why the policy is in place can go a long way for the customer. Don't use your policies as an excuse, but rather a tool to help your clients! Try using, ?I?m sorry for the frustrating experience, but here is why we have this policy in place.?

?No?

Sometimes, you will have to tell your customers ?no?, but there are ways to say it that will lead to a more pleasant experience. Rather than just ?no?, phrasing like ?I’m sorry, but we are not able to do that. What we can do to help is____.? This gives the customer the option of taking the solution you CAN offer, rather than dwelling on what you can't do.

?Hold please?

This phrase is cold and unwelcoming. Sometimes you will need to place your customer on hold, either to grab another call or to find an answer to one of their questions. However, you should always ask your customer if you can place them on a brief hold and be sure to respect their answer.

?Actually??

We have all heard that “the customer is always right”, even when they are wrong. However, correcting customers is never the right way to handle things. Fun fact, Apple is among one of the largest businesses to explicitly prohibit their representatives from correcting the customers. At the end of the day, mispronunciation of products or other customer misunderstandings are minor and not in need of correction.

?These simple Customer Service phrasing techniques will boost you leaps and bounds above your competition!