Phrases to Avoid in Business Telephone Calls
As you know, your first impression in business can end up as your last impression. It’s crucial to lock down how to speak to your customers – and how not to. When it comes to establishing a strong customer rapport, it’s essential to know and always keep in mind the essential do’s and don’ts when you are on the phone with them – especially the don’ts! Here are just a few of the statements and phrases that you should avoid at all costs -and as one of Canada’s leading call centres, we are happy to share our expertise with you.
‘I think…’
We say this in conversation a lot, don’t we? When it comes to instilling confidence in your customers, however, it says a lot. First, and foremost, it says you’re unsure. When you’re unsure, it means you don’t stand behind your product and lack the expertise your customers want from you. Sure, this phrase may sound innocent, and it is hardly a crime to use it from time to time; when it is used often, however, it puts off the other person on the line and makes them perceive you as an unreliable company (especially if he or she is enquiring about a particular product or service you are offering).
Try to always avoid statements such as ‘I thinkÛ_.’: because what the person on the other end is hearing is ‘am not sureÛ_.’ Whenever you are confronted with a task or query that you can handle on your own, clarify first from a colleague before giving your answer, you can even tell the caller to kindly hold as you consult. Statements with ‘I thinkÛ_’ especially on a business telephone call, often comes out as being rude – or worse: incompetent.
‘I’ll tryÛ_’
This is a seemingly harmless phrase which we use in our day to day conversations, but in business it can really cause damage when spoken over the phone. Your potential customer wants to hear, ‘I will.’ It’s that simple. Your customer doesn’t expect you to try, he or she wants you to say something more like, ‘no problem.’. Saying ‘I’ll tryÛ_’ usually comes across as ‘well, I might as well experiment, or do a shoddy jobÛ_.’ and you can easily lose a great customer by not being careful.
‘That’s not my problemÛ_’
Though this is rare in the business world, there might be a slip of the tongue and these words might just come out of your mouth. Such statements make you careless, rude and not on the hook for whatever product or service your customer is calling about – yikes. Take your customers’ seriously – if they are calling you, don’t think about it as a problem: try to find a great resolution.