When my oldest son, Robert, landed a full-time job as a customer service agent at a local consumer electronics company, we went out to dinner to celebrate his success. When we ordered, the server said, “That’s great. I will get that right out for you.”
My son laughed and said, “That’s a total customer service line.” I asked him what he meant, and he said that the lead of their customer service team had taught all the new reps to periodically add the words “for you” when affirming a request.
Wow.
Just think about the difference between these two statements:
I will get that right out.
I will get that right out for you.
Those two little three-letter words tacked on to the end of the sentence gently move the conversation from one centered on a transaction (you pay for the meal, I bring the food) to one centered more on a social interaction (you’re celebrating a new job, I will make it special).
My son didn’t know whether they’d formally tested adding “to you” to their customer interactions, but he did believe it helped both the consumer and the service agents to make the interaction more personal and less transactional.
Do you know of any other “secret words” used in customer service? I promise to share any more that my son finds.
