by Robin Singh

A wise woman once said: “Make a customer, not a sale”. Then again, it seems the competition in the industry took this advice the wrong way, since they constantly address the customers with generic phrases, or should we say clichés.

But is customer service wrong to use such expressions or is the method working in their favor? It’s not like clients are left astonished with those answers, since they are quite predictable, still, what hides behind those words might be more powerful than meets the eye.

A Customer Service Agent’s Responsibility

In some way, being a live chat customer service representative gives the impression that the sole purpose of this job is to smile and try to trick the customer into acquiring your products. Governed by a “the more, the merrier” policy, they sweet talk the confused audience until they are ready to accept their service.

However, the reality is that they are trained professionals with a job to inform, assist, and resolve any issues a customer might have. Not only are they a crucial connection between a business and a target audience, but they also play an important part in increasing conversion rates.

As the statistics imply, 78% of the customers give up the purchase due to poor customer service, while 81% of people are more inclined to work with a business again after being pampered by a good customer support.

And how much does this affect the conversion rates? Well, a quality service can increase the profits by a whole 125% and the organizations who chose to focus on customers make at least a 60% higher profit than their competition.

Therefore, it is obvious that the customer support job duties are far greater than the popular opinion. And although it appears simple, in reality, the list of responsibilities goes deeper than the basic job description suggests. For example:

  • Attracting potential customers;
  • Answering product/service questions;
  • Suggesting information about related products/services;
  • Opening customer accounts;
  • Updating account info;
  • Resolving product/service concerns and complaints;
  • Finding and explaining the best problem solution;
  • Ensuring that issues are completely resolved;

Customer Experience

The way customers are treated sets the tone for business growth potential. After all, consumers are just people wanting to be respected, so if the company doesn’t show some interest, customers will remember being mistreated.

Furthermore, apart from losing potential clientele, the organization will lose credibility. Due to fast online connections, bad reviews can seriously put the business in danger. It only takes one disappointing Yelp review for a company to lose up to 30 prospective buyers, as 70% of the global consumers trust online reviews.

That is why enterprises are shifting the focus to customer experience more than ever. They are realizing that a business needs to invest in their clients, which slowly fulfill the predictions stating that by 2018, approximately 50% of organizations will be motivated to devote their attention and spend on customer service innovations.

The Most Common Clichés    

Despite the problems mentioned above, customer agents still refuse to give up the “classic” metaphors. Why? Because they are nice sound bites that evoke a certain response, and people are used to them.

There numerous famous sayings we can hear even in daily commercials, but here are some of the most common cliché tactics:

  • Highest quality at lowest price;
  • If you buy now, you get one more for free;
  • Satisfaction guaranteed or we will give you your money back;
  • Professional customer service experience;

Do These Clichés Actually Work?

Unfortunately, the clichés actually work. Although they are not something exciting and new, they are carved into our brains. Every time a customer hears these familiar quotes, it triggers a positive reaction.

Let’s analyze the meaning behind those words for a moment. “Highest quality at lowest price” is everybody’s dream, thus implying that the business cares about its customers. It simply makes one think they will get a high-quality product for a reasonable price, which is a sufficient reason to accept the purchase.

“If you buy now, you will get the second product for free” is yet another cliché frequently accompanied by “limited or one time offer”. It creates a rush and customers feel that they must hurry to make a payment or they will lose a good deal.

On the other hand, the legal “satisfaction guaranteed” definition describes the term as a sales or services contract in which the seller defers to the buyer the sole and unilateral discretion as to whether or not the goods and services tendered are acceptable.

This phrase lures the customers with 100% guaranteed satisfaction, so why not make that kind of a deal? Nonetheless, the problem may arise when the business fails to deliver its promises. This is a dangerous cliché to use because it can lead to serious business repercussions. Still, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, as people are more motivated to proceed with the purchase due to such promise.

Finally, there is one seemingly pointless, yet effective cliché sentence: “professional customer service”. Though every customer service should be professional or at least try to be, potential clients will lean towards an organization that looks qualified. And adding the adjective “professional” can definitely turn people into leads.

Every single business depends on the customers, particularly the highly satisfied ones. In order to attract more clients, organizations will often turn to small but clever tricks of using the influential clichés to trigger an increase in revenue.

It’s funny that a few common expressions can make a big difference, but they really work. They are an effective means of increasing your customer base. So, the logical conclusion is that businesses will continue to use them until the promise of customer service innovation becomes a new cliché within the industry.

Author Bio:-Robin is a Technical Support Executive. He is an expert in knowledge management and various Knowledge base tools. Currently, he is a resident knowledge management expert at ProProfs. In his free time, Robin enjoys reading and travelling.

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