I had to call my bank the other day to resolve a problem. It would be quick and easy, I presumed. But after literally going through push-this-number-for hell to somehow get a human, my expectations for a fast resolution went down faster than taking a header off a wakeboard.
I was convinced that the woman on the other end must have had a sign glued to her computer screen that reads: “Say you’re sorry.” I wish I had counted how many times she said “I’m sorry,” but I do know I heard it enough to assume she probably couldn’t care less. Perhaps she was just pressing a button for a prerecorded “I’m sorry.”
It caused me to recall a good lesson in customer service I learned years ago. A customer’s satisfaction will rapidly drop when they repeatedly hear apologetic responses to requests for help, assuming they aren’t upset with the hassle of reaching someone on the phone in the first place.
According to cloud-based, customer-service firm Zendesk, “sorry” tops the list of customer irritants. Surprisingly, “thank you” and “please” also rank high as turn-offs when used excessively. It might fly in the face of what our parents told us when we were young, but customer displeasure increases the more they hear sorry, please and thank you.
The explanation, in part, is that the overuse of these words is often due to multiple back and forths that result in a longer resolution time than the customer expects. Looking back on my experience with the bank, I’d have to agree. When I wasn’t getting the quick resolution I expected, I heard those words multiple times, and my satisfaction devolved faster than a Three Stooges pie fight.
Experts have found there are anger triggers around the word “sorry,” and when used more than twice there’s a problem brewing. Based on that, it seems that when employees feel the need to apologize more than twice, they should be aware they risk customer satisfaction quickly crashing.
So what’s the right action? Obviously, stop saying sorry. Use expressions that let the customer know you want to solve their problem:
“I’m going to tackle that right now.”
“Let’s see if I can make this easier or faster for you.”
“I’m going to find the best way to solve your problem now.”
If a customer’s problem can’t be fully explored quickly, it’s critical to get the basic information and say you’ll call them back, rather than placing them on hold, which often leads to “I’m sorry.” Moreover, try to give them a time frame of when you’ll call back.
A somewhat similar experience I often have is with Southwest Airlines. If I call the reservations center, I’m immediately told how long the wait is for an agent. And so I don’t have to waste time on hold, I can leave my name and number for a call back, and in exactly how many minutes it will be. They’ve never missed (so far), and that keeps me a loyal, happy customer.
Customer-experience research shows that word choice and word frequency have a direct correlation with customer satisfaction. One study, which was no small undertaking, was based on actual customer service and support interactions between 2,500 organizations and their customers.
And artificial intelligence is now being used in phone interactions. When I pressed some buttons during my bank call, I think I got more questions from an AI program, so I kept going back to the main menu, adding to my frustration.
There’s an important lesson here. If it’s complicated and frustrating for a customer to reach a live person, it’s just plain bad for business. Thoughts of dumping my bank ran through my head, but my problem eventually was addressed. However, the time, irritation and numerous apologies to finally getting a resolution left a bad taste and might well lead to a loss of my business.
