Knowing what kind of language to use when interacting with customers is more important than business leaders might think. It’s not just “what” an agent says that matters when building relationships with an audience, but also how they say it.
Complementary words and phrases may not seem essential to a sales or service discussion. But they can have a significant impact on a customer’s perception of a brand, influencing sentiment, loyalty, and engagement.
Not only do the right complementary words and phrases make customers feel better about themselves and their situation, but they can also improve how they feel about the company interacting with them. Let’s take a closer look at some of the keywords and phrases customer service leaders can use to transform their interactions with customers.
Complimentary Words for Customer Service
Complimentary words are the terms used in a conversation to make another person feel better about themselves. Usually, they’re words used to describe an aspect of someone’s personality or life.
For instance, the phrase “You’ve made a great point” tells a customer their input is valued and appreciated in a service discussion. The complimentary words used in customer service can vary depending on the situation. Here are some examples:
- Loyal
- Responsible
- Insightful
- Considerate
- Understanding
- Observant
- Honest
- Proactive
- Excellent
- First-class
- Superb
- Amazing
- Brilliant
In a customer service interaction, weaving some of these words into the discussion can help to improve the relationship between a brand and its consumers. For instance, if a customer calls to complain about a product or solution not working properly, the agent might say:
“First of all, we appreciate you being a loyal customer. We appreciate your honest feedback and will do our best to address this issue. Thank you for being so understanding while we find a solution.”
The idea isn’t to simply flood a customer with compliments but to subtly impart how appreciated they are during the conversation.
Complimentary Phrases to Use in Customer Service
Most of the time, complimentary words won’t appear in a customer service interaction on their own. They need to be used carefully and in the correct context. If a customer calls to ask about their upcoming bill, it doesn’t make much sense to tell them they’re an “amazing” person immediately. Throwing too many compliments into the mix can make a conversation appear inauthentic.
However, it is possible to implement complimentary words and phrases into discussions throughout the customer journey. Here are some examples:
- We appreciate how proactive you’ve been in addressing this
Customers don’t like wasting time calling companies to tell them something has gone wrong with their product or service. However, by providing this information, clients are actually giving a company an excellent opportunity to address issues before they get worse. A proactive customer helps brands get one step ahead of a problem, so they can preserve customer satisfaction levels.