simple paraphrasing examples in customer service

40 Empathy Statements For Customer Service (With Examples)

Customer service is the backbone of any business. It's how companies interact with their customers, solve problems, and keep people coming back. Not only that, but excellent customer service can make or break a company.

Research shows that about 90% of customers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience .

One way to improve your customer service is by using empathy statements to show that you understand what the customer is dealing with, demonstrate empathy, and ease frustration.

Empathy statements in customer service are simple phrases that show you understand what the customer is going through. They can turn a bad situation into a good one and make customers feel heard and valued.

In this article, we'll dive into what empathy statements are, how to use them, why they're so important in customer service, and 40 examples you can use to improve your customer service today.

What Are Empathy Statements?

Empathy statements are customer support phrases that help you connect on a human level with your customers. These statements show that you're not a robot reading from a script but a person who genuinely understands and cares about the customer's feelings and concerns.

They are the bridge that turns a transactional interaction into a relational one , creating a memorable customer experience.

Alternatively to canned responses , empathy statements go beyond the surface. They don't just acknowledge the issue; they validate the customer's emotions.

Using empathy statements can show that you are genuinely committed to resolving the customer's issue, which can have a huge impact on customer relationships.

For example, saying "I can see why you're upset" is much more impactful than a simple "I understand."

Using empathy statements shows that you're putting yourself in the customer's shoes, feeling what they feel, and that you're committed to resolving their issue.

5 Examples of Empathy Statements

These examples are practical phrases that you can use in various customer service scenarios. They are designed to show empathy by acknowledging the customer's feelings or situation .

These aren't just empty words; they are a way to connect with the customer emotionally and let them know that you're on their side.

• " I can see why you'd be frustrated ."
• " That sounds really tough, let's work on a solution ."
• " I would feel the same way in your situation ."
• " Thank you for bringing this to our attention ."
• " I'm really sorry you're experiencing this, but I'm glad you told us ."

Even if you're simply saying 'I'll get back to you ASAP , showing empathy in your support responses can show customers you care.

How Are Empathy Statements Used in Customer Service

Empathy statements serve multiple purposes in customer service. They are not just filler words but strategic tools that can significantly influence the direction and outcome of a conversation. Here's how:

De-escalation & easing frustration : When a customer is angry or frustrated, an empathy statement can act like a pressure release valve. It shows the customer that you're not an adversary but an ally.

Building trust & establishing relationships : Empathy statements can quickly establish trust. When customers feel you understand them, they're more likely to trust your judgment and the solutions you offer.

Guiding the conversation and resolving issues : Empathy statements can act as signposts in the conversation, helping to steer it in a constructive direction. They can transition the dialogue from problem-focused to solution-focused.

Whether you are apologizing for a delayed response or even replying to a refund request , empathy statements are important and can help build customer relationships.

Benefits of Using Empathy Statements for Customer Service

The benefits of using empathy statements in customer service are numerous and can have a ripple effect throughout your business. Here are some key advantages:

Increased Customer Satisfaction : Customers are more likely to be satisfied with the service if they feel heard and understood, which can lead to positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Higher Retention Rates : Satisfied customers are loyal customers. When people feel valued, they are less likely to switch to a competitor.

Improve Customer Relationships : Empathy statements help in building stronger, more meaningful relationships with customers. When customers feel that you understand them, they are more likely to become long-term clients and advocates for your brand.

Reduced Agent Stress : Believe it or not, using empathy can also make the job less stressful for customer service agents. When conversations are more positive, it's easier to find solutions and less draining emotionally.

By incorporating empathy statements into your customer service strategy, you can enhance various aspects of your business, from customer satisfaction to employee well-being.

How to Express Empathy in Words

Expressing empathy effectively in customer service is about much more than finding the right words. It's a blend of active listening and genuine emotional engagement.

Here's a breakdown of key steps to achieve this:

Listen Actively : Understand the customer's issue completely by listening without interruption, asking for clarification when necessary.

Match Your Tone : Ensure your voice tone reflects the empathy and understanding your words are conveying.

Be Genuine : Authentic empathy resonates more with customers. A sincere apology or expression of concern can make a big difference.

Follow Through : Demonstrating empathy is just the start; you must also take concrete steps to resolve the issue at hand.

By mastering these aspects of empathetic communication, you can elevate your customer service interactions, making them more meaningful and effective.

How to Automate Customer Service Phrases

If you find yourself typing repetitive phrases often (such as empathy statements), give Text Blaze a try.

Text Blaze helps you create smart text templates and insert them anywhere using keyboard shortcuts.

With Text Blaze, you can create templates for accurate, consistent communication with customers to improve your customer service and respond faster. Use Text Blaze to automate repetitive typing anywhere you talk to customers: Gmail, Outlook, social media, and more.

Not only does Text Blaze help you respond faster, but Text Blaze helps you personalize your customer service with placeholders, dynamic logic, formulas, and more.

Text Blaze is free & works anywhere !

Customer Service Empathy Statement Templates

Give the following empathy statement templates a try to improve your customer service, show empathy, ease frustration, and demonstrate understanding.

Copy templates to use them anywhere:

10 Empathy Statements Examples To Ease Frustration

General empathy statements are your go-to phrases for showing that you understand and share the customer's feelings. These are broad statements that can be used in a variety of situations to establish an emotional connection with the customer.

Using general empathy statements like these can help to build rapport and trust with the customer, making the interaction more pleasant and productive for both parties.

10 Positive Scripting Empathy Statements

Positive scripting empathy statements are designed to steer the conversation towards a positive and constructive outcome. These statements not only show empathy but also instill a sense of hope and assurance that the issue will be resolved.

The benefit of using positive scripting empathy statements is that they not only validate the customer's feelings but also set a positive tone for the rest of the interaction. This can make it easier to find a solution and leave the customer feeling optimistic.

10 Reassurance Statements to Demonstrate Understanding

Reassurance statements are used to affirm that you are taking the customer's issue seriously and are committed to resolving it. These statements give the customer confidence that their problem is being handled effectively.

Using reassurance statements can provide the customer with peace of mind, knowing that their issue is being taken seriously and that steps are being taken to resolve it. This can be particularly helpful in situations where a solution might take some time to implement.

10 Sympathy Statements to Demonstrate Empathy

Sympathy statements are a bit different from empathy statements. While empathy statements show that you understand and share the customer's feelings, sympathy statements express sorrow or regret for what the customer is going through. Here are 10 examples:

Sympathy statements can be effective, but they should be used carefully. Overusing them can make you seem disingenuous, and they don't replace the need for a solution to the customer's problem. Like empathy statements, they are most effective when followed by actionable steps to resolve the issue at hand.

Use Empathy Statements to Improve Customer Service!

Empathy statements are a powerful tool in customer service. They help to de-escalate situations, build customer loyalty, and guide conversations toward positive outcomes. By using empathy statements, customer service agents can make customers feel valued and heard, which is key to any successful business.

Use Text Blaze to automate repetitive typing, create templates for communicating with customers, and save time today!

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12 Real-Life Empathy Statements for Customer Service Teams

Customer service 13 MIN READ Jul 13, 2023

• How to Train Your Team to be More Empathic
• How AI and empathy coexist in customer service with Sarah Hatter
• Customer Service Terminology 101: Terms You Should Know
• The Best Customer Service Resources & Tools to Learn From

Customer expectations are constantly changing, but the trend is clear: Customers expect stellar customer service — and they’ll bail if they have a bad experience. When things go off the rails, your customers want to feel like you understand and care about the challenges they’re facing.

So although “providing great customer service” can be defined a hundred different ways, you’ll always find empathy is a key component. 

In customer service, empathy is the ability to share a customer’s feelings. It’s conveyed through tone, mirroring, and the agent’s understanding of the customer’s emotional state.

Using empathy statements for customer service is one of the best ways to start training your team to be more empathetic .

What is an empathy statement?

Empathy statements are designed to create meaningful connections with your customers and enhance overall customer satisfaction. They instill a sense of understanding and care into the support experience and connect us as humans rather than just some nameless, faceless entity on the other end of the phone (or email, chat, or carrier pigeon — we don’t judge). 

Here’s why it matters: 

• Good empathy statements create a human touchpoint instead of the usual transactional support interaction. 
• Empathetic statements help soothe angry customers, provide reassurance during challenging issues, and relieve customer frustration. 
• Effective empathy statements have the power to turn dissatisfied customers into loyal advocates. 

The best customer service empathy statements

The best empathy statements for customer service don’t sound like scripts.

You can train your customer support team on these empathy statements, but if they just repeat them like robots, then they won’t have the impact you’re hoping for. To have a paw-sitive impact, your team needs to be able to use these empathy statements sincerely.

They need to communicate in a way that shows they actually care about helping your customers (like, for real).

With that important point made, here are twelve customer service empathy statements you can start using today:

• “Hi, (customer’s name).”
• “I’m sorry you’re having an issue with (issue).”
• “I’m sure that’s frustrating.”
• “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten you what you needed.”
• “This shouldn’t have happened.”
• “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
• “I’d be frustrated in this situation too.”
• “This will be resolved in X days,” or, “You can expect me to follow up with you in X days.”
• “Let me know if that works for you.”
• “I’m taking a look at this right now for you.”
• “I’ll make sure this gets resolved for you.” 
• “I can help you with that.”

✨ These empathy statements for customer service teams are meant to be quick, go-to resources for training your team. If you’re looking for more, here’s a full list of support resources & tools to learn from .

1. “Hi, (customer’s name).” 

Use this empathy phrase at the beginning of the customer service conversation to easily incorporate the customer’s name and create an instant connection, for example:

Agent: “Thanks for calling customer support! This is Molly. May I ask who I’m speaking with?” Customer: “Hi, Molly. My name is Joe.” Agent: “Hi, Joe! Thanks for calling in today. How can I help you?”

All customer support agents should be using the customer’s name at the beginning of the call to create a connection. It shows respect, recognition, and a genuine interest in whatever reason the customer is engaging the support department. 

You can also incorporate the customer’s name into many of the other empathy statements below, like, “I’m sure that’s frustrating, Joe,” or, “I can help you with that, Joe.” 

The key is to make it natural — don’t overdo it ! Overusing the customer’s name immediately sounds scripted and ultimately breaks the connection you’ve worked hard to establish.

2. “I’m sorry you’re having an issue with (issue).”

This empathy statement is key to taking ownership of whatever issue your customer is having. 

The customer knows you didn’t do anything on purpose but at the same time, they want to know they’ll be taken care of. Use this statement to ensure your customers that you understand the issue. 

This empathy statement has two specific parts that help build a connection with your customer:

• The apology. First, by apologizing, you take ownership of the issue. An apology doesn’t have to acknowledge fault, but it does acknowledge that there is something wrong and you’re there for the customer. And if it is a direct fault of your company’s product or service failing, you’ve taken ownership of that too. 
• The paraphrase. Paraphrasing the issue acknowledges that you understand what they’re dealing with and can work to fix it. It shows you actively listened to your customer with your full, undivided attention.

Essentially, this empathy statement makes your customer feel like it’s just you and them, and like they’ve got your full attention at that moment—instant connection.

3. “I’m sure that’s frustrating.”

Whether it’s big or small, it’s always frustrating to have an issue with a product or service. On top of that, the customer needs to take time out of their day to contact the support team for help. 

Use this statement to acknowledge the frustration they’re having by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. It’s a simple statement that connects you to the customer by conveying that you understand why the customer is frustrated, regardless of whether you would be frustrated in a similar situation. 

This statement is also great for calming down a frustrated customer. As a customer, when you feel understood and acknowledged, it’s easier to trust the person on the other end that they’ll get you the help you need. 

4. “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten you what you need.”

This is an effective empathy statement for customer service situations where the customer hasn’t quite gotten what they needed. For example, if a customer has to call in for a third or fourth time, it’s important to acknowledge how frustrating that is. 

Saying, “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten you what you need” is a nice way to admit that the ball was dropped, and it’s a great precursor to taking ownership of the issue. 

5. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

This empathy statement example is a key phrase for situations where there was some sort of oversight in the actual product or in the customer experience. It acknowledges that the issue should have been foreseen. 

A good example of this is a lack of follow-up on an open ticket. Poor expectation setting can cause a customer to feel the need to contact your support department again when it’s 100% preventable with the proper follow-up. 

Saying, “Sorry, this shouldn’t have happened” admits that a mistake was made and reassures the customer that they’re in good hands. 

6. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

Use this empathy statement toward the close of a phone call to turn a good customer experience into an a-meow-zing one. 

Asking your customers if there is anything else they need shows empathy by respecting their time. You want to ensure all their needs are taken care of before they hang up the phone so they don’t have to call for a second issue they may not be thinking of right then and there. 

This empathy statement may spark a second question they forgot to ask or a second issue they may have meant to bring up. At the very least, it conveys a willingness to go above and beyond to make sure your customer’s needs are addressed.

7. “I’d be frustrated in this situation too.”

Use this empathy statement to acknowledge that the situation they’re frustrated with is not a “them” issue and that you’d be feeling the same way if you were experiencing the same situation. 

Support situations can often feel frustrating for the customer, but an empathy statement that says, “Hey, it’s normal to feel frustrated with this, but I’m here to help” can quickly turn bad situations into great customer service conversations. There’s a reason that 68% of customers will spend more money with a brand that understands them and treats them like an individual. 

8. “This will be resolved in X days,” or, “You can expect me to follow up with you in X days.”

Empathy cannot be overstated when it comes to time. As the old adage goes, “Time is money.” Both of these empathy statements set crystal clear expectations for what is going to happen next — whether it’s a resolution or an update.

This shows respect for the customer’s time and creates an understanding that you have taken ownership. The customer doesn’t need to contact support for an update or a resolution. They can rest assured that you are handling the situation from start to finish and that you’ll keep them updated along the way. 

9. “Let me know if that works for you.”

This is one of the most effective empathy statements for customer service because it gives the customer a chance to acknowledge if they’re satisfied or not. By asking the customer if they’re satisfied with the outcome, you allow them to speak up and voice any potential concerns with the proposed resolution.

Asking if they’re satisfied with the outcome allows you to pivot to help the customer before it gets to any CSAT (customer satisfaction score) or NPS (net promoter score) surveys. You’re turning a potentially reactive situation—addressing the unhappiness after the interaction—into a proactive situation by removing any roadblocks before the interaction stops. 

10. “I’m taking a look at this right now for you.”

Use this empathy statement near the beginning of a real-time interaction or as part of a first (empathetic) response via email. This lets the customer know you are on the case and assures them they’re not just hanging in limbo.

Ambiguity creates confusion and adds to frustration. So set some expectations with your customers along the way. 

11. “I’ll make sure this gets resolved for you.” 

One of the hallmarks of being the receiver of empathy and understanding is the weight it can take off your shoulders. That’s exactly what this empathy statement does. 

Hearing a customer service agent say, “I’ve got this for you, and I’ll make sure it gets resolved” builds rapport and trust. It transfers the ownership from the customer experiencing the issue to the person taking care of the customer. 

And delivering a resolution after taking ownership of an issue creates lifelong customers. 

12. “I can help you with that.”

This empathy statement is best used at the beginning of a real-time support interaction right after the customer has laid out their issue. 

Imagine calling into support and being frustrated by an issue with a product or service. After expressing your frustration and detailing your issue, you hear a calm and understanding voice on the other end simply say, “I can help with that.” Weight lifted. Connection made. 

This empathy statement tells the customer, “You’ve come to the right place” and gives them peace of mind. It calms the customer and can de-escalate an already-tense situation. 

Customer service empathy statements to avoid

Ever had a chat with customer support that was just too sweet? Like they’re trying too hard to please you? Sure, they might get the job done, but does it feel genuine or personal?

Ines van Dijk asked around for examples of these over-the-top positive interactions , and here’s what people shared:

“Oh no! It was broken? I’m extremely honored to help you out today.” “You’re in luck! I can get you a new dryer in just three days! Others had to wait weeks, but because you’re so special to me, I’ll get you a new one in 3 days!”

When the tone of your responses doesn’t match your customer’s mood, even if it’s positive, it gets weird. So, while agents can show empathy by being emotional, it doesn’t work when there’s a disconnect with their customers.

The opposite is also correct. When handling an upset or angry customer, customer service agents shouldn’t be more upset. Your support team should be on the same page and match the customer’s energy without getting overwhelmed.

Here’s what to avoid when showing empathy:

• Using overly dramatic words, like “such”, “so”, and “beyond”.
• Showing more emotion than the customer. Try to mirror their energy instead.
• Flirting with a customer is never okay, even if you’re trying to show empathy!

When checking how well your team communicates with empathy, keep an eye out for these things. It’s also a good idea to revise your tone guide based on the empathy statements for customer service you’ve just read all about.

Track empathy statements with QA software

In a world filled with automation and AI-powered workflows, creating moments of genuine empathy can be a huge differentiator for businesses. 

Teaching your team to be empathetic is the first step to improving customer service.

Making sure they’re consistently demonstrating empathy is the second. If you could use a little help with that, there’s no better way than setting up a quality assurance program and including empathy on your QA scorecard .

What to read next?

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30+ Empathy Statements for Customer Service

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Customer service gurus and experts are all talking about using empathy statements. But is it really that simple?

In the field of customer service, no news is good news. Every day you deal with hundreds of complaints and angry customers who are ready to pounce on you like a cheetah on a gazelle. Amidst such chaos, how do you even keep yourself sane and practice empathy?

Well, even if empathy does not come naturally to you, you can always train for it. With the help of empathy statements for customer service, you can delight customers and make them feel valued.

Although empathy is a tough skill to master, it’s never too late to start today. In this blog, we have curated a handy list of customer service empathy statements that will help your agents foster long-term customer relationships.

But before we jump to the main part, let’s first understand what empathy statements are and their role in customer service.

What is an Empathy Statement?  

Empathy statements are phrases that can be used to show people that you understand, value, and respect their emotions. They are helpful, especially when you are looking to build rapport with people and win their trust.

By using empathy statements for customer service, you can show customers that you understand their frustration and are there for them until the problem is resolved. By using empathy statement examples such as “ I understand what you might be going through ” or “ I’m sorry you have to deal with this ,” you can train your team to delight every customer that contacts you.

How to Show Empathy in Customer Service

In customer service, even a small empathetic gesture can make a huge difference! 

Empathy in customer service does not simply mean listening to what customers have to say. It is more about understanding what they aren’t saying. Here are some tips that will help you get the job done.

• Focus on your customers’ unique needs: Honestly, customers do not care about your million-dollar acquisitions or marketing campaigns. They just want you to address their unique problems. Have one-on-one conversations and try to understand the challenges they face – it can be faulty product features, a poor checkout experience, delayed delivery, etc.
• Personalize your conversations: Modern customers want you to remember them and do not like being treated as mere “support tickets”. Personalize every conversation by understanding their likes and dislikes, store their past conversations, and offer personalized recommendations.
• Leverage customer support software: Empathy is all about respecting your customers’ emotions as well as time. With customer support software , you can prioritize issues that demand urgency and avoid customers from getting angry or frustrated. Moreover, you can even share CSAT and NPS surveys to understand how you can better meet customer expectations.

30+ Empathy Statements to Show Customers You Care

Customer service conversations can be divided into important stages such as greeting the customer, addressing the problem, closing the conversation, etc. For a delightful experience, you need to add a healthy dose of empathy in every stage. Let’s look at the different ways to use empathy statements for different situations.

1. Greeting a Customer With Empathy

When you are searching for empathy statements for customer service, it’s important to put enough emphasis on greeting the customer. A courteous and empathetic greeting is an excellent way to make a positive first impression on the customer. With a proper greeting, you can kick start the conversation on a positive note.

The number one rule here is to use the customer’s name. This will lead to a more personalized conversation and make them feel that your business cares to remember them. Considering that 96% of unhappy customers do not complain, you must appreciate those who reach out to you and share their concerns.

• “Hi Amanda, this is Peter. I will be more than happy to help you with your problem.” 
• “Hi Jake, good to see you back! Are you facing any issues with your recent purchase?”
• “Good afternoon Sam! Thanks for reaching out to us about this. We appreciate genuine customer feedback.” 
• “Good morning Ellie! I will do everything possible to help you out. To serve you better, this conversation might be recorded for quality or training purposes.”
• “That’s a great question. We get that a lot.”

2. Addressing the Problem With Empathy

Once you have greeted a customer, it’s time to let them know you understand their situation with the help of some good empathy statements. By addressing customers’ problems and sharing examples, you can show them that they are not alone in this.

Whenever something goes wrong, a lot of customers think it is the first time something like this has happened. To make the customer feel at ease, you can show examples of how you encountered a similar situation in the past or how other customers have shared the same problem too. Here are some examples of empathy statements that your team can use to address customer problems:

• “I’ve experienced this issue recently too.”
• “Please tell me more about what exactly you are facing.”
• “I understand your situation and know that this is something very important to you.”
• “A lot of customers are facing this issue. We have shared an update on our news feed about the same.”
• “I understand you are worried about receiving your order on time. I would feel that too.”
• “I’m working on this right away and will share the update with you shortly. Thanks for your patience.”

3. Handling an Angry Customer

No matter how hard you try, there will always be some customers who are not happy with your efforts. And in most cases, their anger or frustration has a big underlying “cause”. To prevent things from turning ugly, you must hide your ego under the carpet and apologize with empathy statements for irate customers.

You need to be extra careful as whatever you choose to write or say can make or break the situation. Instead of blaming the customer, take ownership of your mistakes and share a sincere apology. Let them know that you, too, would get mad if you were in their shoes. An empathetic apology statement will surely help you turn the tables and calm down an angry customer.

• “You are totally right. Frustration at your end is justified.”
• “I’m extremely sorry you have to deal with this.”
• “If I were in your place, that would be frustrating to me as well.”
• “You’re right. We need to do something about this immediately.”
• “As humans, sometimes we all make mistakes. However, I will make sure you don’t have to deal with this again.”

4. Summarizing the Conversation

Summarizing or paraphrasing what the customer said will allow you to correct misinterpreted information. You can even check whether you both are on the same page or not. Moreover, this process will also let the customers know that you have been actively listening to them all this while.

After all, if you do not understand the problem correctly, you can end up creating more problems for the customer and eventually for the business. To avoid any confusion, repeat what the customer shared in your own words. Once you are done paraphrasing, you can say, “Did I get that right?” This will allow the customer to correct you or add any additional piece of information.

• “Correct me if I’m wrong … you are facing an issue with X”
• “If I’m getting it correctly, you are saying that…”
• “To see if I have understood you correctly … you have encountered a problem with X.”
• “I understand you are having trouble with our product X, and I know how to help.”
• “Just to make sure we are on the same page, you wish to get a full refund for your recent purchase. Did I get that right?”

5. Comforting Customers

Let’s be honest. Nobody contacts a customer support team for fun. Whenever a customer is in trouble, you need to share reassuring customer empathy statements and help them find peace. Even if the solution is bound to take time, you need to reassure your customers and win their trust back.

You can win their confidence by telling them you are the right person to resolve the issue. To keep things transparent, you can even share the steps you are taking to get the problem fixed. Let’s look at some sample empathy statements that will help you comfort your customers.

• “You’ve come to the right place to get this resolved.”
• “Don’t worry. We are in this together!”
• “As a token of apology, I’m enclosing a discount coupon of X amount that you can redeem on your next purchase.”
• “What I’ll do right now is [Mention Steps] so that your problem is entirely fixed.”
• What would be a fair and reasonable solution, according to you?

6. Closing a Customer Service Conversation With Empathy

Customer service experts say that closing a conversation is as important as starting one, if not more. Well, they are right too. By appropriately closing a conversation, you can make sure the customer’s problem or issue is taken care of before you send them on their way.

Towards the end, you can share your apologies again and make the customer feel you really mean it. You must also appreciate them for choosing your brand over others and helping you discover your improvement areas. Here are some positive empathy statements that will help you close a conversation on a good note:

• “I genuinely appreciate your patience.”
• “My sincere apologies once again for any inconvenience. Thank you for your time and patience.”
• “You have been a wonderful customer. Thank you for choosing us!”
• “We are happy we could make this right for you. Have a wonderful day ahead.”
• “Thank you for getting in touch about this. You are an extremely valuable customer to us.”
• “I enjoyed talking to you today. I hope you have a delightful day.”

Hold Meaningful Conversations With Customer Service Empathy Statements

In today’s anxiety-prone environment of customer service, the use of empathy statements can turn the tables for your business. On one hand, agents can build stronger relationships , on the other hand, customers will feel understood and heard.

There is no denying that empathy does not always come naturally to a lot of people. However, with the help of the empathetic responses examples shared in this blog, you can stand out and delight your audience.

While these statements have been carefully chosen by our experts, you can always tweak them according to the situation. Always remember to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and perceive the world through their eyes. We wish you good luck!

About the author

Proprofs editorial team.

The ProProfs Help Desk Editorial Team is a passionate group of customer service experts dedicated to improving your help desk operations with top-notch content. We stay ahead of the curve on trends, tackle technical hurdles, and provide practical tips to boost your business. With our commitment to quality and integrity, you can be confident you're getting the most reliable resources to enhance your customer support initiatives.

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7 Powerful Customer Service Phrases to Use in 2023

Updated on 28 October 2022

We all recognize these oft-repeated customer service phrases from frontline staff members:

“Thank you for choosing us. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Sometimes they may come off as fake or mechanic, especially if we hear the exact same phrase everywhere else.

Repeatable phrases do have their function, however. They bring consistency to customer service.

When you have a repertoire of helpful customer service phrases at your disposal, it can improve communication with clients.

In most cases, customers have plenty of choices in terms of who they want to do business with.

Therefore, you need to learn how to talk to your customers in order to satisfy their needs.

Here are  7 powerful customer service phrases  for you to use in 2023. If you have a powerful queing software in place, making a habbit of using these sentences will improve the customer satisfaction even more.

Bonus read: The most important features in a queuing system

7 insanely impactful customer service phrases

But first, why even use these customer service phrases? How powerful are they, anyway?

The language that you use can directly affect a customer’s purchasing decision and the impression your company leaves on customers.

82% of customers left a company because they had a bad customer service experience.

Don’t want to become a part of the statistics?

If not, then read on.

1. “I don’t know, but let me find out.”

The first in our list of impactful customer service phrases is all about reducing customer effort.

Simply telling a customer that you don’t know and suggesting that they contact someone else isn’t good enough.

Nothing is more upsetting than having to contact different people one after another, none of whom have the answer.

If you want to provide high-quality customer service, you have to be the one who contacts other people on your customer’s behalf and finds the answer.

2. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

Not all companies are happy to receive a report of a flaw in their product or service.

That’s a wrong mentality.

In fact, the customer who reports the flaw is doing your company a favor by helping you with quality control.

After all, most customers wouldn’t make the effort.

The least your company can do in that situation is to show appreciation — by using this simple customer service phrase.

The observant customer is most likely not looking for anything more than recognition of their effort.

Being polite doesn’t really cost you anything.

3. “I certainly can check that for you.”

Using positive and confident language goes a long way.

Even if you’re uncertain about the outcome, it’s important that you at least appear encouraging.

The goal is to increase your customer’s confidence in your brand.

Show them that you’re a professional who gets things done.

4. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

If a customer is frustrated, it’s crucial to  show empathy to the customer  and let them know that you understand their concerns.

Apologizing to an unhappy customer and acknowledging the mistake is a better approach than giving excuses.

Your goal is to:

Retain existing customers.

Make them into loyal brand advocates.

Some mistakes are beyond your control and can happen regardless of what you intended to do.

Even if you’re not the one who is responsible for the mistake, you can still feel sympathy for the way your customer feels.

The next step is to work on making things right.

5. “I will update you by [time].”

Some customers can be impatient and are constantly checking on the status of their requests.

One solution to these update requests is to keep the customer posted as often as possible.

You can also promise to let the customer know when they should expect to hear from you.

Even if you cannot promise to have the customer’s request solved, you can always promise an update.

Moreover, this simple phrase provides you with an opportunity to build trust.

You show your customers that you care about them and want to keep them satisfied.

6. “Happy to help.”

Some customer service phrases are so short, they can fit on a post-it note.

Adding positive power to your words is the simplest way to make your customers feel more valuable.

Not all customers will inform you that they’re not satisfied. Some will just silently take their business elsewhere.

Positive words can invite them to share their feelings and concerns.

7. “As much as I would love to help…”

There are situations where you simply cannot provide any help.

Whether your customer’s request is impossible or you don’t have the resources to make it happen, you need to let them know to manage their expectations.

Simply telling them “no” is too abrupt and blunt. If the customer has been polite, you need to extend the courtesy.

By using this last example in our list of helpful customer service phrases, you’re providing a kind but firm response.

Your customer will understand that your ability to help them is limited and will not fault you for failing to deliver.

We hope that you find our list of customer service phrases useful.

Perhaps you’re already using some of them, and hopefully, they’re helping you provide exceptional customer service.

If you want to read more about successful customer service, you can check our earlier post about  how to provide exceptional customer service .

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How to paraphrase (including examples)

Jessica Malnik

Paraphrasing has gotten a bad reputation due to its association with plagiarism . However, when used correctly, paraphrasing has the potential to elevate your writing and give you a better understanding of the research.

In this post, we’ll discuss what paraphrasing is, why we do it, and 6 steps to walk you through the process. We’ll also share what not to do with paraphrasing, along with some examples.

Paraphrasing definition and rules

Paraphrasing is simply a way of summarizing someone else’s content in your own words. When you paraphrase, you keep the meaning or intent of the original work without copying it word for word. However, paraphrasing can quickly become a form of plagiarism if done incorrectly. This is why it’s crucial to follow the rules of paraphrasing.

When borrowing the ideas from someone else’s content, there’s one important rule to follow: you must correctly cite your source. This can be done in a number of ways depending on the style guide you use. 

Source citing is different for MLA and APA formatting and style guides. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the citation formats for whichever one you follow. However, in some cases, simply hyperlinking the source will be sufficient.

Why do we paraphrase?

There are a number of reasons that professional writers and students alike choose to paraphrase content. Here are just a few of the common reasons that a writer would choose to paraphrase instead of including a quote or summarization.

Process information better 

One benefit of paraphrasing is that it helps you process the author’s ideas. When you have to rewrite the material in your own words, it makes you really think about the context and how it fits into your piece. If you want to really understand the material you’re citing, try rewriting it. If you were to quote the same information, you would miss out on the benefit of analyzing the source material.

For example, if you are writing a research paper all about Shakespeare’s influence on modern-day literature, you don’t want to just use a ton of direct quotes, instead by paraphrasing original passages, it can help you comprehend and analyze the material better.  

Improve your credibility with readers

You can also improve your credibility by association with the sources you decide to paraphrase. 

When you rewrite the material, you create a connection between your content and the knowledge from the source. 

Your audience will have a better understanding of the direction of your piece if you’re paraphrasing a reputable source with established authority on the subject.

Present data in an interesting way

If you’re referencing a data-heavy webpage or study, then paraphrasing is an engaging way to present the information in your own writing style. 

This allows you to tell a story with the source material instead of simply citing numbers or graphs.

Show that you understand the source

Another reason for paraphrasing that’s particularly important in academic writing is to demonstrate that you’ve read and comprehended the source material. 

For example, if all of you are doing is copying and pasting the original words of a textbook, you aren’t really learning anything new. When you summarize the material in your own words, it helps you to understand the material faster.  

How to paraphrase in 6 steps

Paraphrasing is simple when you break it down into a series of steps. 

Here are the 6 steps you can use to paraphrase your sources:

1. Choose a reputable source

First, you need to pick a credible source to paraphrase. A credible source will likely have ideas and concepts that are worth repeating. Be sure to research the author’s name and publisher’s credentials and endorsements (if applicable).

You’ll also want to check the date of the publication as well to make sure it’s current enough to include in your writing.

2. Read and re-read the source material

You want to be sure that you understand the context and information in the original source before you can begin to rework it into your own words. Read through it as many times as you need so you’re sure that you grasp the meaning.

3. Take some notes 

Once you have an understanding of the passage, you’ll want to jot down your initial thoughts. 

What are the key concepts in the source material? 

What are the most interesting parts? 

For this part, it helps to break up the content into different sections. This step will give you a sort of mini-outline before you proceed with rephrasing the material.

4. Write a rough draft

Write your version of the content without looking at the original source material. This part is important. 

With the source hidden, you’ll be less likely to pull phrasing and structure from the original. You are welcome to reference your notes, though. This will help you write the content in your own words without leaning on the source but still hit the key points you want to cover.

5. Compare and revise

Once you have your initial draft written, you should look at it side by side with the original source. Adjust as needed to ensure your version is written in a way that’s unique to your voice. 

This is a good time to break out a thesaurus if you notice you have used too many of the same words as the original source.

6. Cite your source

Whether you use MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style guide, now is the time to give proper credit to the original author or source. When posting content online, you may only need to hyperlink to the original source.

Keep in mind that the paraphrased text will not change depending on the citation style that you follow. It will just change how it’s cited.

What you shouldn’t do when paraphrasing

Now that you understand the process of paraphrasing and can follow the steps, it’s important that you know what to avoid. When paraphrasing, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do NOT write while you’re still researching

You might be tempted to start writing during the research phase. However, this sets you up to miss information or restate the copy too closely to the source material. Be sure to do your research first, take notes, and then start writing the piece.

2. Do NOT skip the citations

When you pull a small amount of information from a paraphrased source, you may think you don’t need to cite it. However, any idea or copy that’s taken from another source is considered plagiarism if you don’t give it credit, even if it is only a little bit of information.

Paraphrasing examples

Here are some examples to help you understand what paraphrasing looks like when done correctly and incorrectly

Excerpt from LinkedIn’s Official Blog:

“When reaching out to connect with someone, share a personalized message telling the person why you would like to connect. If it’s someone you haven’t been in touch with in a while, mention a detail to jog that person’s memory for how you met, reinforce a mutual interest and kickstart a conversation.”

Here’s another example. This one is from the U.S. Department of Education:

“ The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Department provides oversight over the postsecondary accreditation system through its review of all federally-recognized accrediting agencies. The Department holds accrediting agencies accountable by ensuring that they enforce their accreditation standards effectively. ”

Here’s one more example to show you how to paraphrase using a quote from Mark Twain as the source material:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

Paraphrasing can be a beneficial tool for any writer. It can give you credibility and a deeper understanding of the topic. However, to successfully use paraphrasing, you must be careful to properly cite your sources and effectively put the material into your own words each time.

--> “A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.” -->

May Habib CEO, Writer.com

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How to Paraphrase: Dos, Don'ts, and Strategies for Success

#scribendiinc

Written by  Scribendi

Is It Considered Plagiarism If You Paraphrase?

How do i paraphrase a source without running the risk of plagiarizing, paraphrasing vs. quoting: what's the difference, paraphrasing vs. summarizing, how to paraphrase a sentence, direct quotation, omissions and editorial changes,  paraphrasing, all you need to know about paraphrasing, when should you paraphrase information, what is the purpose of paraphrasing, understand the text you are paraphrasing, do paraphrases need to be cited, example of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase,  don't start paraphrasing by picking up a thesaurus , don't copy without quotation marks, paraphrase with a direct quote example, don't paraphrase too closely, example of paraphrases being too similar to their sources.

How to Paraphrase and Tips for Paraphrasing Correctly

Write Down Paraphrases of a Source on Notecards

Paraphrase from your own point-form notes on a source, how to paraphrase using plotnick's method,  practice two-step paraphrasing: sentence structure and word choice, understand basic sentence structures, vary the use of active and passive voice, vary sentence length, vary word choice, citing a paraphrase in apa, mla, and chicago styles, how to paraphrase in apa, apa paraphrasing examples, how to paraphrase in mla, mla paraphrasing examples, how to cite a paraphrase in chicago style, chicago style paraphrasing examples, what is the meaning of paraphrase, how do you put things in your own words, what does it mean to paraphrase something.

As if the research process isn't hard enough already—finding relevant and reliable sources, reading and interpreting material, and selecting key quotations/information to support your findings/arguments are all essential when writing a research essay.

Academic writers and students face the additional stress of ensuring that they have properly documented their sources. Failure to do so, whether intentionally or unintentionally, could result in plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense.

That's why we've written this article: to provide tips for proper paraphrasing. We'll start with an overview of the difference between paraphrasing and quoting, and then we'll provide a list of paraphrasing dos and don'ts, followed by strategies for proper paraphrasing. 

We will include paraphrasing examples throughout to illustrate best practices for paraphrasing and citing paraphrased material .

As mentioned in our previous article on plagiarism , "simply taking another writer's ideas and rephrasing them as one's own can be considered plagiarism as well." 

Paraphrasing words is acceptable if you interpret and synthesize the information from your sources, rephrase the ideas in your own words, and add citations at the sentence level. It is NOT acceptable if you simply copy and paste large chunks of an original source and modify them slightly, hoping that your teacher, editor, or reviewer won't notice. 

Passing off another's work as one's own is a form of intellectual theft, so researchers and students must learn how to paraphrase quotes and be scrupulous when reporting others' work.

You might be familiar with all this. Still, you might be concerned and find yourself asking, "How do I paraphrase a source correctly without running the risk of unintentional plagiarism?" 

For many writers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the concepts of a particular field, learning how to paraphrase a source or sentence is daunting.

To avoid charges of plagiarism, you must not only document your sources correctly using an appropriate style guide (e.g., APA, Harvard, or Vancouver) for your reference list or bibliography but also handle direct quotations and paraphrasing correctly.

Quoting uses the exact words and punctuation from your source, whereas paraphrasing involves synthesizing material from the source and putting things in your own words. Citing paraphrases is just as necessary as citing quotations.

Even if you understand quoting versus paraphrasing, you might still need some additional paraphrasing help or guidance on how to paraphrase a quote. 

Summarizing is when you're discussing the main point or overview of a piece, while paraphrasing is when you're translating a direct quote into language that will be easy for your readers to understand .

It's easy to see how the two are similar, given that the steps to paraphrasing and summarizing both include putting ideas into your own words. 

But summarizing and paraphrasing are distinctly different. Paraphrasing highlights a certain perspective from a source, and summarizing offers more of an overview of an entire subject, theme, or book.

You can usually tell the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing by the length of what you're writing abore writing about. If you’re writing about a quote, that would be a smaller theme inside a larger work, so you'd paraphrase. 

If you're writing about the themes or plot of an entire book, you'd summarize. Summaries are usually shorter than the original work.

Learn How to Format Quotation Marks here.

When learning how to paraphrase a quote, you first need to consider whether you should be paraphrasing a text or quoting it directly.

If you find the perfect quote from a reliable source that fits your main topic, supports your argument, and lends authority to your paper but is too long (40+ words) or complex, it should be paraphrased. Long/complex quotes can also be shortened with omissions and editorial changes (as discussed below).

Introduce the quote with a signal phrase (e.g., "According to Ahmad [2017] . . .") and insert the entire quotation, indicating the text with quotation marks or indentation (i.e., a block quote).

If you only need to use parts of a long quotation, you can insert an ellipsis (. . .) to indicate omissions. You can also make editorial changes in square brackets [like this]. 

Keep in mind that you need to reflect the author's intent accurately when using this strategy. Don't change important words in a quotation so that it better fits your argument, as this is a form of intellectual fraud.

Changes in square brackets should only be used to clarify the text without altering meaning in the context of the paper (e.g., clarifying antecedents and matching verb tense). They signal to the reader that these changes were made by the author of the essay and not by the author of the original text.

Paraphrasing

Demonstrate that you clearly understand the text by expressing the main ideas in your own unique style and language. Now, you might be asking yourself, "Do paraphrases need to be cited like quotes?" The answer is a resounding "yes."

When deciding whether to paraphrase or use a direct quote, it is essential to ask what is more important: the exact words of the source or the ideas.

If the former is important, consider quoting directly. If the latter is important, consider paraphrasing or summarizing.

Direct quotation is best for well-worded material that you cannot express any more clearly or succinctly in your own style. It's actually the preferred way of reporting sources in the arts, particularly in literary studies.

Shortening a long quote is a great way to retain the original phrasing while ensuring that the quote reads well in your paper. However, direct quotations are often discouraged in the sciences and social sciences, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to paraphrase or quote.

Paraphrasing is best used for long portions of text that you can synthesize into your own words. Think of paraphrasing as a form of translation; you are translating an idea in another "language" into your own language. The idea should be the same, but the words and sentence structure should be totally different.

The purpose of paraphrasing is to draw together ideas from multiple sources to convey information to your reader clearly and succinctly. 

As a student or researcher, your job is to demonstrate that you understand the material you've read by expressing ideas from other sources in your own style, adding citations to the paraphrased material as appropriate. 

If you think the purpose of paraphrasing is to help you avoid thinking for yourself, you are mistaken.

When you paraphrase, be sure that you understand the text clearly . The purpose of paraphrasing is to interpret the information you researched for your reader, explaining it as though you were speaking to a colleague or teacher. In short, paraphrasing is a skill that demonstrates one's comprehension of a text.

Yes, paraphrases always need to be cited. Citing paraphrased material helps you avoid plagiarism by giving explicit credit to the authors of the material you are discussing. 

Citing your paraphrases ensures academic integrity. When you sit down to write your paper, however, you might find yourself asking these questions: "Do paraphrases need to be cited? How do I paraphrase?"

Here is a quick paraphrase example that demonstrates how to cite paraphrased ideas. The opening lines to one of Juliet's most famous speeches are "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884). 

If you needed to paraphrase these lines in an essay, you could do so as follows:

Juliet muses about why Romeo's family name is Montague and concludes that if either gave up their name (and thereby their family affiliations) for the other, they could be together (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884).

Generally speaking, you must include an in-text citation at the end of a paraphrased sentence. 

However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

Remember, no matter what style guide you use, it is not necessary to cite every single sentence of paraphrased material in a multi-sentence paraphrase.

Don't Start Paraphrasing by Picking Up a Thesaurus

This might shock you, but a thesaurus is NOT the answer to the problem of paraphrasing. Why? Using a thesaurus to swap out a few words here and there from an original source is a form of patchwriting, which is a type of plagiarism.

You shouldn't have to resort to a thesaurus unless you are completely unsure about what a word means—although, in that case, a dictionary might be a better tool. Ideally, you should be able to use clear, simple language that is familiar to you when reporting findings (or other information) from a study.

The problem with using a thesaurus is that you aren't really using your own words to paraphrase a text; you're using words from a book. Plus, if you're unfamiliar with a concept or if you have difficulty with English, you might choose the wrong synonym and end up with a paraphrase like this: "You may perhaps usage an erroneous word."

This is a common mistake among writers who are writing about a field with which they are unfamiliar or who do not have a thorough grasp of the English language or the purpose of paraphrasing.

If you choose to keep a few phrases from the original source but paraphrase the rest (i.e., combining quoting and paraphrasing), that's okay, but keep in mind that phrasing from the source text must be reproduced in an exact manner within quotation marks.

Direct quotations are more than three consecutive words copied from another source, and they should always be enclosed in quotation marks or offset as a block quotation.

A sentence that combines a direct quote with paraphrased material would look like this: 

In "The Laugh of the Medusa," Cixous highlights women's writing as a specific feat and speaks "about what it will do" when it has the same formal recognition as men's writing (Cixous 875).

The paraphrased paragraph of Cixous' essay includes a direct quote and a paraphrase citation.

Did you know that copying portions of a quote without quotation marks (i.e., patchwriting) is a form of plagiarism—even if you provide an in-text citation? If you've reworded sections of a quote in your own style, simply enclose any direct quotations (three or more words) in quotation marks to indicate that the writing is not your own.

When learning how to paraphrase, you need to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate forms of paraphrasing. The Office of Research and Integrity , a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, puts it this way:

Taking portions of text from one or more sources, crediting the author/s, but only making 'cosmetic' changes to the borrowed material, such as changing one or two words, simply rearranging the order, voice (i.e., active vs. passive) and/or tense of the sentences is NOT paraphrasing.

What does paraphrasing too closely look like? Here is an overly close paraphrase example of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' description of plagiarizing:

Using sections of a source, citing it, but only making surface-level changes to the language (such as changing a few words, the verb tense, the voice, or word order) fails as a paraphrase. True paraphrasing involves changing the words and syntactical structure of the original source. Keep reading for strategies for paraphrasing properly.

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In an article on how to paraphrase , the Purdue University Online Writing Lab suggests that you read the source text carefully and write paraphrases on notecards. You can then compare your version with the original, ensuring that you've covered all the key information and noting any words or phrases that are too closely paraphrased.

Your notecards should be labeled with the author(s) and citation information of the source text so that you don't lose track of which source you used. You should also note how you plan to use the paraphrase in your essay.

If you are a visual learner, the benefit of this strategy is that you can visualize the content you intend to paraphrase. 

Because a notecard is a tangible object, you can physically arrange it in an essay outline, moving the right information to the appropriate paragraph so that your essay flows well. (If you're not sure how to write an outline , check out our article.)

Plus, having a physical copy of paraphrased information makes it harder for you to accidentally plagiarize by copying and pasting text from an original source and forgetting to paraphrase or quote it properly. Writing out your paraphrase allows you to distance yourself from the source text and express the idea in your own unique style.

For more paraphrasing help, Jerry Plotnick from the University College Writing Centre at the University of Toronto provides a similar strategy for paraphrasing.

Plotnick advises that you take point-form notes of text that you want to use in your paper. Don't use full sentences, but instead "capture the original idea" in a few words and record the name of the source.

This strategy is similar to the notecard idea, but it adds another step. Instead of just reading the source carefully and writing your complete paraphrase on a notecard, Plotnick recommends using point-form notes while researching your sources. These notes can then be used to paraphrase the source text when you are writing your paper.

Like handwriting your paraphrases on notecards, taking notes and coming back to them later will help you distance yourself from the source, allowing you to forget the original wording and use your own style.

The Plotnick method above describes how to use point-form notes while researching a paper to keep your paraphrasing original. To paraphrase in your paper using Plotnick's method above, look at your sources and try the following:

Write down the basic point(s) you want to discuss on a notecard (in your own words).

Take your notecard points and turn them into sentences when you write your essay.

Add the reference for the source.

Compare your paraphrase to the original source to make sure your words are your own.

Practice Two-Step Paraphrasing: Sentence Structure and Word Choice

In an article on how to paraphrase by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the first two strategies are acknowledged—taking notes and looking away from the source before you write your paraphrase. 

The authors then suggest another two-step strategy for paraphrasing: change the structure first and then change the words. Let's break down this process a bit further.

Sentences in English have two main components: a subject and a predicate . The subject is who or what is performing an action (i.e., a noun or pronoun), and the predicate is what the subject is doing (i.e., a verb). Sentences can be simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. 

Here are some paraphrase examples using different sentence structures:

Simple: It was difficult.

Compound: It was difficult, but she knew there was no going back.

Complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back.

Compound-complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back, so she kept calm and carried on.

Once you have identified the structure of the original sentence, you can reconstruct it using one of the different types of sentences illustrated above.

You can also change passive voice to active voice, or vice versa.

The active voice is structured like this: Subject + Verb + Object (e.g., She learned how to paraphrase.)

The passive voice is structured like this: Object + "To Be" Verb + Past Participle (e.g., How to paraphrase was learned by the girl.)

See how awkward the passive sentence example is? It's best not to force a sentence into an unnatural sentence structure. 

Otherwise, you'll end up with Yoda-speak: "Forced to learn how to paraphrase a sentence, the girl was." (Did you like the unintentional "force" pun?)

Another way to distinguish your paraphrase from the original source is to use different sentence lengths. Often, scholarly articles are written using long, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences. Use short sentences instead. 

Break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand material. Alternatively, you can combine several ideas from the source text into one long sentence, synthesizing the material. Try to stick with your own style of writing so that the paraphrased text matches that of the rest of your document.

Once the paraphrased sentence structure is sufficiently different from the original sentence structure, you can replace the wording of the original text with words you understand and are comfortable with.

Paraphrasing isn't meant to hide the fact that you are copying someone else's idea using clever word-swapping techniques. Rather, it is meant to demonstrate that you are capable of explaining the text in your own language.

One handy article on word choice by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill lists some strategies for successful word choice, such as eliminating jargon and simplifying unnecessary wordiness. While this applies to academic writing in general, the "questions to ask yourself" are also useful as great paraphrasing help.

Once you have completed a sentence-long paraphrase, you include an in-text citation at the end of that sentence. However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. 

Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

To paraphrase properly, you need to explain a text in your own words without using a direct quote . Keep in mind, however, that different styles require different formats when it comes to documenting paraphrased sources. Some styles require a citation after the first paraphrased sentence, while others require a citation after the last.

For this reason, we've outlined examples of how to paraphrase in the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles below. Be sure to check with your professor to see which style your essay requires.

APA guidelines for paraphrasing include citing your source on the first mention in either the narrative or parenthetical format. Here's a refresher of both formats:

Narrative format: Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of false news.

Parenthetical format: The news can distort our perception of an issue (Koehler, 2016).

Here's an example of how to paraphrase from a primary source in APA:

Dudley (1999) states that "direct quote" or paraphrase (Page #).

Note: It's not always necessary to include the page number, but it's recommended if it'll help readers quickly find a passage in a book.

Below are a couple of examples of how to paraphrase in APA. Keep in mind that for longer paraphrases, you don't have to add the citation again if it's clear that the same work is being paraphrased.

Short paraphrase:

Stephenson (1992) outlined a case study of a young man who showed increasing signs of insecurity without his father (pp. 23–27).

Long paraphrase:

Johnson et al. (2013) discovered that for small-breed dogs of a certain age, possession aggression was associated with unstable living environments in earlier years, including fenced-in yards with multiple dogs all together for long periods of time. However, these effects were mediated over time. Additionally, with careful training, the dogs showed less possession aggression over time. These findings illustrate the importance of positive reinforcement over the length of a dog's life.

When paraphrasing in MLA, include an in-text citation at the end of the last paraphrased sentence. 

Your in-text citation can be done either parenthetically or in prose, and it requires the last name of the cited author and the page number of the source you're paraphrasing from. Here are MLA citation examples :

Parenthetical:

Paraphrase (Author's Last Name Page #)

Author's Last Name states that paraphrase (Page #)

In addition to adding a short in-text citation to the end of your last paraphrased sentence, MLA requires that this source be included in your Works Cited page, so don't forget to add it there as well.

Here are two examples of how to paraphrase in MLA:

In an attempt to communicate his love for Elizabeth, all Mr. Darcy did was communicate the ways in which he fought to hide his true feelings (Austen 390).

Rowling explains how happy Harry was after being reunited with his friends when he thought all was lost (17).

Paraphrasing correctly in Chicago style depends on whether you're using the notes and bibliography system or the author-date system.

The notes and bibliography system includes footnotes or endnotes, whereas the author-date system includes in-text citations.

Below, you'll find the correct way to format citations when paraphrasing in both the notes and bibliography and author-date systems.

Notes and Bibliography

For the notes and bibliography system, add a superscript at the end of your paraphrase that corresponds to your footnote or endnote.

Johnson explains that there was no proof in the pudding. 1

Author-Date

For the author-date style, include the page number of the text you're referencing at the end of your paraphrase. If you mention the author, include the year the source was published.

Johnson (1995) explains that there was no proof in the pudding (21).

In summary, the purpose of paraphrasing is not to simply swap a few words; rather, it is to take ideas and explain them using an entirely different sentence structure and choice of words. It has a greater objective; it shows that you've understood the literature on your subject and are able to express it clearly to your reader.

In other words, proper paraphrasing shows that you are familiar with the ideas in your field, and it enables you to support your own research with in-text citations. 

Knowing when to paraphrase or quote strengthens your research presentation and arguments. Asking for paraphrasing help before you accidentally plagiarize shows that you understand the value of academic integrity.

If you need help, you might consider an editing and proofreading service, such as Scribendi. While our editors cannot paraphrase your sources for you, they can check whether you've cited your sources correctly according to your target style guide via our Academic Editing service.

Even if you need more than just paraphrase citation checks, our editors can help you decide whether a direct quote is stronger as a paraphrase, and vice versa. Editors cannot paraphrase quotes for you, but they can help you learn how to paraphrase a quote correctly.

What Is the Meaning of "Paraphrase"?

Paraphrasing is when you write text from another source in your own words. It's a way of conveying to your reader or professor that you understand a specific source material well enough to describe it in your own style or language without quoting it directly. 

Paraphrasing (and citing your paraphrases) allows you to explain and share ideas you've learned from other sources without plagiarizing them.

You can write things in your own words by taking original notes on the sources you're reading and using those notes to write your paraphrase while keeping the source material out of sight. 

You can also practice putting things in your own words by changing sentences from passive to active, or vice versa, or by varying word choice and sentence length. You can also try Jeremy Plotnick's idea of paraphrasing from your own point-form notes.

When you're paraphrasing something, it means you are putting someone else's writing in your own words. You're not copying or quoting content directly. Instead, you are reading someone else's work and explaining their ideas in your own way. 

Paraphrasing demonstrates that you understand the material you're writing about and gives your reader the opportunity to understand the material in a simplified way that is different from how the original author explained it.

About the Author

Scribendi's in-house editors work with writers from all over the globe to perfect their writing. They know that no piece of writing is complete without a professional edit, and they love to see a good piece of writing turn into a great one after the editing process. Scribendi's in-house editors are unrivaled in both experience and education, having collectively edited millions of words and obtained nearly 20 degrees collectively. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces.

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Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing in a call centre or customer service setting is restating a customer’s issue or question with new words or phrases while keeping the same meaning to demonstrate you understand what they are telling or asking you.

It is often used to demonstrate active listening skills , one of the most important tools in customer service.

Why paraphrase on the phone?

Phone conversations can be difficult, especially when addressing complex, sensitive, or emotional topics with customers.

As the conversations are being held over the phone, visual cues such as facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact are missing and research shows that approximately 60% of human communication is typically visual.

Add to this the background noises and distractions often encountered over the phone and it can also interfere with concentration and comprehension.

So when we lose 60% of our communication powers, we need to make sure the other 40% is on-point which is typically made up of tone and the words we use.

Paraphrasing is a useful tool to help overcome these issues and enhance your communication skills.

Paraphrasing allows you to confirm your understanding of the speaker’s message and feelings, demonstrating that you are listening attentively and respectfully as well as aiding in building rapport and trust with the speaker by acknowledging their feelings and expressing empathy.

An example of how to paraphrase on the phone

When paraphrasing on the phone, it is important to not simply repeat what the speaker said word for word.

Instead, use your own words to summarise, restate, or reflect on what the customer has said, while keeping the same meaning and tone. 

An example of this could be, “OK <insert name>, my understanding is that <we need to/you’re trying> to<information>, is that correct?”

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The Ultimate List of Positive Words, Phrases, and Sentences to Brighten Your Customer’s Day

Positive words have the power to convey kindness, uplift the tone of your advisors’ conversations, and really help to brighten your customer’s day.

Positive sentences can also help to strengthen your contact centre’s signature response and opening gambit, when used daily by all advisors.

The power of using great words is highlighted in this video from Sandra Thompson about the importance of being conscious about what you say to the customer:

Looking for some positive spiel to help brighten up your customer conversations? Here we have put together a list of positive words and phrases to help expand your advisors’ vocabulary.

Want some quick wins for adding positive sentences into your contact centre scripts? Here’s a printable sheet of positive words and phrases your teams can begin using today.

The Ultimate List of Positive Words for Customer Service

These uplifting words should win medals, as adding any one of them into a conversation has the potential to transform average customer service into great customer service.

Looking for another word for wonderful? Here are 25 positive language examples to try today:

Examples of Positive Words in Customer Service

Looking for more phrases of positivity to include in your agent scripts? We have put together some examples of phrases where you can see these positive words in action in customer service conversations:

• I will definitely make sure that it gets sorted…
• I absolutely agree with you…
• I can certainly help you…
• That is exactly right…
• I completely agree with you…
• I will quickly run through this with you…
• That is a fantastic way to look at it…
• Great news!
• Marvellous choice…
• That is an excellent suggestion…
• I hope you enjoy your…
• Splendid ! All that is left to do now…
• Yes, it is essential that you do this today…
• That is a very generous offer…
• I can highly recommend …
• Thanks, we try our best to provide a friendly service…
• That’s impressive , Mrs Smith…
• That it is an interesting idea…
• Brilliant ! I’m glad I was able to sort that for you…
• Yes, it is an exciting and popular new service…
• I think that’s a terrific option…
• That is fascinating …
• You certainly are an expert on this…
• That is personally my favourite option…
• It would be ideal , considering your situation…

Positive Words on Display in the Contact Centre

We received a great example from a contact centre in the Philippines of how they printed our lead image on their contact centre walls, as shown below:

Closer to home, we have also seen other contact centres do this. Neopost’s contact centre in Romford was one such contact centre, using some of our words on their contact centre walls, like so:

The Top 25 Positive Phrases for Customer Service

“There are so many phrases that work well in customer service, but knowing when to use the best statements can be tricky,” writes Megan Jones , Editor at Call Centre Helper.

So, here we give 25 positive statement examples to use at specific parts of the call, with different options suggested for each.

Positive Sentences for Greeting the Customer

In our article, “ The Best Customer Service Greeting Phrases – with Examples “, our readers found the following two greeting statements to be the most effective in “kicking off” a positive customer service interaction:

• “Welcome to [INSERT COMPANY NAME] Customer Service. My name is [INSERT NAME]. How can I help you?”
• “Good morning/afternoon! You’re through to [INSERT COMPANY NAME]. My name is [INSERT NAME]. How may I help you today?”

Positive Phrases When More Information Is Needed

Staying upbeat when needing more information from the customer is a valuable skill.

However, if an advisor struggles to do this, encourage them to ask basic questions of the customer, while scattering in some of the positive words discussed earlier.

For example, advisors could use the following positive phrases when more information is needed from the customer:

• “So, what I understand so far is… it would be great if you could tell me a bit more about…”
• “For me to… it would be brilliant if you could give me just a few more details on…”

Positive Phrases for Acknowledging the Customer

We have previously quizzed our readers on their favourite acknowledgement statements to improve customer-advisor interactions, in our article “ The Top 12 Acknowledgement Statements for Customer Service ”.

The top three positive phrases for acknowledging the customer are highlighted below:

• “I realize that this situation is difficult, but let’s try and find a solution.”
• “I would feel the same in your situation, but we will sort this out…”
• “I’m sorry you are having this problem. Let’s see if there is anything we can do to help the situation.”

Positive Phrases for Reassuring the Customer

Once the advisor has a good understanding of the customer’s problem, and has acknowledged their concerns, it is now important to reassure them . Positive wordplay can be key here.

Take a look at the following examples of how positive statements can be used to reassure the customer:

• “Thanks, it is great that you alerted us to this.”
• “You are absolutely correct. Let’s look into this.”
• “Definitely, I will make sure that this gets resolved for you.”

Positive Phrases When Giving Instructions

When giving out over-the-phone instructions, it is an advisor’s role to make the process as easy as possible.

So, it is good practice to try and weave the following positive statements into conversations, to help the customer get from A to B with a smile on their face.

• “All you need to do is to just…”
• “A simple way / method to change it will be to…”
• “As soon as you receive…”

Positive Phrases When Being Courteous

Courtesy and positive language go hand-in-hand, as we discussed in our article: “ The Best Courtesy Words and Phrases to Use in Customer Service ”. After all, old-fashioned courtesy is a must for any service or sales team.

So, advisors should ideally be using positive statements like those below:

• “Would you be happy for me to put you on hold for a minute or two, while I quickly retrieve your details?”
• “I will send over the link to the email address that we have on our system and, if you would like, I can go through the rest of the process with you.”

Using positive words to give compliments is another great way to be courteous. Find out more by reading our article: 50 Great Complimentary Words to Use in Customer Service

Positive Phrases For Building Rapport

Using positive small talk is great for rapport building.

Therefore, advisors could try dropping some of the following positive statements into the conversation during these moments.

• “What I’m doing for you now is…”
• “Don’t worry, I often make that mistake myself.”
• “How is the weather where you are today? Better than here, I hope!”

To find more examples like this, read our article: Best Tips, Phrases and Words to Use for Building Rapport

Positive Phrases for Handling Angry Customers

Advisors are often told to try to stay positive when interacting with an angry customer. However, that is much easier said than done, especially if the advisor is having to deal with such a caller for a long period of time.

So, the focus should instead be on getting the frustrated customer to change their mood. The positive phrases below could help to do this:

• “We always value customers who are keen to give us their feedback. I will be sure to pass on what you have told me to our managerial team…”
• “I recommend that you (INSERT ACTION), Mrs Smith, so that I can take further action without delay.”

Other phrases to use when speaking with an angry customer can be found in our article: The Right Words and Phrases to Say to an Angry Customer

Positive Phrases for Closing the Call

So, the advisor has successfully helped the customer to solve their query, given them a quick summary of the call and explained the next steps. All that is left to do is finish with a positive call-closing statement.

We’ve found some great examples of these in our article: “ The Best Call-Closing Statements ”, with two of them being showcased below:

• “Thanks for calling, and if you have any additional questions, please call us.”
• “Have a nice time in [INSERT PLACE NAME] on your holiday.”

Positive Phrases for Making a Sale

While dealing with a customer complaint, it may also be part of an advisor’s job to “sell-up” other areas of the business.

Here are some useful phrases to help an advisor seal the deal – taken from our tips for selling over the phone article:

• “We have a variety of…”
• “It’s a wonderful service where instead of…, you can…”
• “This is the best plan/scheme for you…”

Phrases to Avoid

There are also situations where using positive language is contradictory to how you are trying to make the customer feel – and should be avoided.

There are some good examples here, typically heard on IVRs or when an advisor needs to put a customer on hold:

• Would you LIKE to continue to hold?
• Your call is IMPORTANT to us
• Your call MATTERS to us

They sadly come across as disingenuous when the contact centre isn’t delivering the high standards of service customers expect.

A-Z of Positive Words to Expand Your Vocabulary

Looking for other positive words? Here are even more good words for you to add into your positive call centre scripts, as well as handy definitions:

Have you discovered any other positive words and phrases that work for you?

Found this article useful? Why not also have a look at:

• 18 Empathy Statements for Customer Service
• Positive Words to Increase Customer Satisfaction
• The Power of Positive Language
• The Top Words and Phrases Customers Use to Express their Dissatisfaction

Published On: 27th Jan 2023 - Last modified: 25th Jan 2024 Read more about - Skills , Empathy , Featured Articles , Language , Popular , Positive words , Printable , Rapport , Sandra Thompson

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Because you are a valued client/customer

That’s a fantastic choice

Great ! Fantastic ! Perfect ! Marvelous ! Pretty well !

Your satisfaction is a great compliment for us Mr./Ms _____

Assuring you our best services Mr.Ms.___________. Have a great day ahead!

“Let’s have a look; I’ll not be a second”

“And that’ll all be with you on …”

But in response to above:

“I will surely ensure that…” sounds as if you’re getting tangled up…

and will either of you really be able to keep a straight face after “special customers like you”?

Certainly. With pleasure. I’d be delightly to assist. Would you mind waiting?

Words such as Great, Fantastic, Marvelous should be avoided as they produce an underlying psychology of exaggeration.

Certainly, “sir/ma’am” I’d be happy to assist you with that today.

Also for proper a hold pattern you could use:

Do you mind holding 2-3 minutes while I research or process your request?

This way you are askign the caller permission to hold, you are giving them a reason for the hold, and your providing them an attainable timeframe for the hold.

Then when you return to the line: “Sir/Ma’am, thank you for holding I appreciate your patience.” This way you are acknowledging the imposition from the hold.

I am a trainer in a call center for a Mutual Fund Company and we are using a 3rd party business (Dalbar, Inc.) and they monitor and score our customer service skills.

I particular hate sir/madam/ma’am – please use their name, this, in my opinion creates a barrier that really doesn’t need to be there.

Agree with the comment about avoiding ‘great, fabulous, marvellous’ – just too much!

Speak to your customer like you would want to be spoken to and always tell them what you can do for them, not waht you can’t. Always try to offer as an alternative option where appropriate.

Many of our customers prefer to do/use…… What other customers have done/tried in your position is….. Let’s look at this (very arm around and sorting it together)

I would steer away from definitely – unless you can really and absolutely, definitely do it……..

commenting on Ben’s comment

“That’s one our most popular choices” – rather than fantastic

We understand the value of your time.

need advice

in a situation where the customer is facing dificulties due to company’s fault and no solution .what am i to do?how am i suppose talk my self out of it as call agent

Sounds very familiar…

What we need to do is basically listen to the customer, apologies for the great inconveniences, use all positive words & finally assure the customer that YOU will personally take this matter up (give your name & employee no.) & tell the customer you will call him back before the days end to update on his case status. Then you do just that & do call the customer back even if you do not have an immediate resolution as any human being, the customer will eventually cool down & reliaze that you are sincere in helping them out. Remember…a contact center is a huge sponge…we absorb all other departments short comings…the key is are we feeding back this crucial information to the relevant department else we might be running out of those positive words…;)

This is a very popular item. Reinforce benefits of product, by using word phrases such as that. “that color is very pretty” “we have had alot of positive feedback on that item”

On a not about an upset customer: Feel, Felt, Found process is a very helpful on, as well as the note about getting information and make sure you are the one to follow up with the customer. There is nothing more exasperation from a customers point of view, then having to repeat the whole story again and again. Take inituative in the call and make sure the customer knows your name to refer back to.

I have found some truly amazing things on this site and so glad Google brought it up as first choice. I do have some feedback that may help some people from a course I went on with my company recently (Which I loved)

Just think of a few words and what they mean to you… The easiest way to do this is in a quiet room and with your eyes shut

If I mention the word WAIT to you… What file does the little man in your head go and pull out? What do you associate with wait? (Mine is waiting in a queue) It doesn’t matter how friendly or polite you are, we need to re phrase the words we use..

If you can just wait on the line whilst I check that information for you.. I have that information here for you now, I will just get it for you

When you hear the word SORRY….

Sorry to keep you holding / waiting… (Must be something to be sorry about) Thank you for staying on the line

PLEASURE …. Amazing how many of you will smile when you think of what this word means!

Well it’s been a please reading and sharing

Customer NOT ALWAYS Right But Customer ALWAY IMPORTANT.

Yes,there are sometimes when the cust does´nt have reason but just remember they are paying 4 a service and they feel frustated when there are problems so the best way to speak with a cust is do your best … and not just using the phrase ill do my best… so just do it…stop and put yourself in their shoes..be respectful and friendly but not such a machine.. as u really want to help…SOMETHIN´IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IS PEOPLE IS 4 U WORK FOR…IF U DO SOMETHIN´DO IT AS BETTER AS U CAN

ELI.. COMCAST…

Daryl:Thank you for calling___________,my name is Daryl,I’m your customer service representative for today,how may I help you? Customer: I have problem with my Internet Service, my internet connection is very slow. I’m paying much for this service and yet I’m not satisfied with it. Daryl: (Empathy)I do understand that its been very inconvenient in your situation right now that your Internet service is giving you a slow internet connection. If I’m on your situation, I would feel the same way too. Don’t worry Mr.Customer, (Willingness to help the customer)I can definitely handle this problem for you.

Emphathy is the most essential part of a call. It cools down a customer frustration.

FROM: Daryl Hall CONVERGYS

I agree with the comment above that some words such as ‘great’, ‘brilliant’ etc, can sound completely over the top, leading to a loss of confidence in your sincerity.

What if customer asks a question we don’t have answer for. Let’s suppose our supervisor isn’t present on the floor too?

Please advise.

[ What if customer asks a question we don’t have answer for. Let’s suppose our supervisor isn’t present on the floor too? ]

>RE: You may consider using a line to the effect of: “Due the (technical nature / sensitivity / nature) of the information I am unable to provide the information you are requesting, but I do know who can. With your permission I could give your contact information to my (supervisor / manager) and when he/she returns to the office (tomorrow / in an hour / Monday) he/she will give you a call as soon as convienient to answer your question.”

Typically, unless urgent, the caller will decline due to the sense of hassle and will be pacified. If the customer agrees, you must make sure you get the info to the appropriate superior and that they understand what information you and the customer discussed. Give your name and rep ID (only as allowed by company policy) to bestow a feeling of trust and commitment on your part to ease the callers agreement to wait for an answer.

How can I handle an angry and frustrated customer and swears a lot?

Angry and frustrated customers should be heard out, empathy statement ;and follow script as normal while ignoring the cussing, unless offending you where you can suggest that he calls back after calming down, where he could control his language, *1st wrning and 2nd warning- if he doesnt agree to call back, Sir, mr./ms.I understand that you are upset, yet I will have to end this call if you continue to use that language.

Some excellent comments, thanks guys helped out alot!!

Do you work in customer services? The customer is NOT always right.

Actually the customer is always right as they are the ones with the problem. The misconception is that they often are incorrect about the best solution and that’s where you come in to assure them.

Just wanted to make a note on the back of several references to the use of sir/madam (even ma’am at one point which sounds like a sheep). These terms are so impersonal and do not treat the customer as an individual. Plus sir is someone who has been knighted by the queen and a madam is someone who runs a brothel!!

Customer is the BOSS. If you talk with an irate customer, don’t take it personally. They were just angry on the service not with you. It’s just happen that you were the one they talk to. Just accept the responsibility and prepare to help.

speak what you want to tell your customer

Customers need to feel validated with there concerns. First and foremost – acknowledgement should be made – re-instate their issues back to them to validate their concerns as well as verify to them that they do have your complete attention. Second – let them vent – It’s not personal – they have an issue with either a product or the company itself- not you- Explain that you can empathize with the customer. If abrupt and offending language occurs then a low even tone should be used to take back control of the call. I usually offer an apology – then advised that I am here to offer assistance to find an efficient effective resolution to your concerns, however I will not be verbally abused. We need to work together inorder for me to better assist you find the outcome you desire. If this language continues, I will be forced to disconnect the call, which will unfortunately, not give you the immediate resolution you seek.

In all the 10 years of working in a call center – this works very well.

Positive words or not- Treat the customer as if they are always correct.. this will ensure the customer comes back.

it’s not true that CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT…many of them are very demanding, abusive specially for a call center agent. i can definitely feel what they are going through specially if it’s the company’s fault. racist customers. if they weren’t able to get what they want instantly they’ll say all neagtive things in the world and blame you.

let it be customer service, collections or sales the very important hing in each n every call is customer service. without that in ur call, consider tht u r missing many things on tht call..

while speaking to customer the agent should have a normal rate of speech. eg- if customer is old then the agents hasve to be very slow and clear so tht he/she doesn’t have to repeat themselves. this will also assure a low talk time which is considered as AHT( average handle time).

I want you to know I am taking this call to help you and am paid just for that – helping you! Rest assured I’l be your partner on this issue

re: [Words such as Fantastic, Great, Marvelous are positive words and are definately appropriate during a telephone conversation. They help the agent to sound upbeat and interested in helping the customer]

I have an agent who repeats the word Wonderful several times over in a call. The caller commented that they felt they were back in 3rd grade. Unfortunately, the agent over-uses the word and it does start to come across a bit fake.

“Is ther anything else I can help you with?”

Though not appropriate at all times, this one sentence at the end of the call leaves the essential ‘last lasting impression’ among the customers. Further, many sales calls could be led to a second sale or discussion on a possible sale in future.

Also, while listening to a rude customer I have found it to be useful for me to draw some patterns on a paper. This has provided me with much needed patience to listen to the long, unpleasant conversation.

the customer is the most important person in the company….they inadvertidly pay your wages so be respectful and helpful.

customers are not always right but proving them wrong is always wrong…

If you use a higher piched voice, it sounds more positive, and it will get a great reaction.

My goodness!! Many CS advisors on here who have been bitten once or twice by ‘the customer is always right’ eh?

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependant on us. We are dependant on him. He is not an interruption in our work – he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to serve him.

Mahatma Ghandi

Back to positive words and phrases, I feel the most important part of positivity/positive language is the sincerity of the words being used.

Fantastic is a very positive word. But used in a monotone loses all positivity and impact. How many times have you received a ‘cold call’ where the advisor asks ‘How are you today?’ and then rattles straight into the rest of their script without even responding to or taking in your responce?

I feel positive words must be used naturally and sincerly.

I would like to offer the following as a Contact Centre Manager with a great team……

We shouldn’t say “I know how you feel”. The fact is we don’t know how they feel, that doesn’t mean however that we aren’t compassionate (in the appropriate way) and sympathetic to their issue or complaint.

I think positive words can be a good and useful tool but I agree that they shouldn’t be over used, As a customer care manager it’s our responsibilty to train our team on appropriate words and when to use them.

‘The Customer is always right’. I would say not always but part of our skill as customer care advisors is resolving the situation to acheive a win win without pointing out to the customer directly that they may be incorrect. The is also which is more often than not, that the customer is actually right, it’s important in these instances to acknowledge the customers misgivings but not always directly admit liabilty. Particularly if you are a 3rd party/outsourced call centre. Whatever you say is reflected on the Brand/Client.

I’ve found this thread helpful and there’s some great points on here!

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks, the information was useful.

The customer is not always right, but they are always first. They should be treated as such.

If you don’t believe that’s true in this industry, then you probably shouldn’t be working in it.

To use empathy, you need to stay away from the word, “understand.” Many times I’ve heard customers yell because we don’t understand. We may have been in their shoes, but no two situations are the same.

The best way to help calm a customer down from an extreme emotional high (positive or negative), is to appropriately use empathy. Not sympathy.

Empathy is feeling plus contact.

Feeling = It certainly is frustrating when… Content = your cable is not working and you are not able to see your favorite show.

Feeling = How exciting it is… Content = when you are purchasing your new home!

(You can have content first and then feeling, try mixing it up a bit so you don’t sound like a machine)

Stop there! Don’t move onto resolution until the customer is ready. If you still feel emotions are high, let them vent and use another 1, 2, or maybe even 3 empathy statements.

What you have for a resolution will not be considered if the customer’s emotions are running high.

Hope this helps someone out there!

Thanks you friends, This info was of great help..:)

I dont know if this has already been covered but ill ask the question anyway. I work for a breakdown organisation I basically take the breakdown information off the customer. When I ask the relevant questions and the customer replys I say, “yea, yea, yea, yea, no problem” I want the customer know that I am listening its my verbal nod. The problem is that when I listen to my calls it sounds awful. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I could say. Please dont suggest fantastic or wonderful they are not appropriate in our world. We are not Customer Service as such.

I may not be that long in the industry but hoping this will help…

after you’ve recognized the problem and empathized, set member’s expectation and goal…do not give false information nor lie just to escape from the irate member…

alright…going back on settings of goals…let me cite an example

“Alright Mr. _____, just to set your expectation…we may or may not resolve the issue over the phone and we may end up sending a tech to fully restore your service..yet, i guarantee that you and i are going to work together in resolving this issue while we are still on the phone..Let’s start with setting a goal to make sure we’re on the same page…blah blah..”

exhaust all that u can do over the phone…but… weigh things..check if member is still willing to do the steps.. respect member’s time…don’t waste energy…if you are following a call flow, create ur own shortcut..be specific and give concise instruction…do not use flowering words much… they don’t…

now…let’s think that issue is resolve..go back on ur goal…say “Wow…that’s so great Mr. _____..We did over the phone…we don’t have to send a tech…We did it together…this is indeed teamwork…Now that ut issue is resolved, i hope that made u happy…for that made me happy…”

Thanks for the comments people. I’ve Learned many things from this thread and I hopefully learn many more things from here in future.

I am working in customer support but my process is chat.I would like to know some more good phrases to be used while handling customers. I am new to customer service so, It would be really great help for me.

Thank you all for the Helpful comments.

thanks so much, this has upgraded my skills

This has been a helpful read. thanks alot

Thanks for sharing these information. It was really helpful…..

Thanks for the wonderful information guys. I just want to ask, what if a caller wants to talk to your superior immediately without saying any valid reason? What would be a good way to answer to that situation? Thanks!

What if the customer is insisting for something that you dont have?

thank’s it helps me a lot,.

Gosh….it’s great to see that what we say to our customers excites such a response from so many people, and I guess that is where the key is…individualism and our personal view of language, the world and how we are within that world.

It’s the same for our customers, who are all unique people with unique needs and unique understandings of the world – and that is, perhaps, what we all need to pick up on. “The customer is always right”, “the customer is not always right” – I guess it doesn’t matter as each customer has a right to their opinion whether they are right or wrong, and our job is to understand that opinion without discounting them or necessarily agreeing with them and use it within our response.

Our skills as frontline customer agents whether delivering service or sales, need to focus on truly listening, understanding and adapting to their uniqueness in oredr to then deliver (or not if appropriate) a relevant solution.

We adapt and change as people almost daily in our own lives to differing sets of people around us; loved ones, children, mates, colleagues, parents and we use a different approach, a different language to each of those sets – so perhaps we need to tap into the inherent skills we have and let them loose in a Customer Experience environment, trusting to the fact that as adults we generally enjoy the wonder of relationships, building them, managing them, developing them, whether for 2 minutes on the phone or for life with our loved ones. We enjoy adapting our language to suit – whether emotionally intense like “fantastic” or friendly or formal, polite or jovial…..we change to suit, to fit in, to make someone else feel comfortable – so perhaps we should be trusted on the frontline to deliver what we believe is right for that unique customer and not to ‘tar every customer with the same language brush’.

this thread is very interesting and helpful. thanks. 🙂

it help me a lot.,,.

nice work guys.,.,.

thank you sooo much!….

very helpful

Very helpful for front line technical supports agents like me.. We usually deal with a lot of angry and frustrated customer so all the statements posted here are amazing

Just say “I Love You customer” and they will surely be glad with the service and won’t ever call again because of over satisfaction

Anything for you,Though it is to forget you.

that’s great…

How can you offer a survey at the end of the call when the customer is in a hurry? positive script? with a 2 question survey….

I FEEL THAT DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO HELP THE CUSTOMER AND MAKE THEM HAPPY AND WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS WITH ME , IS WHAT I STRIVE FOR !!!

We appreciate the opportunity to assit you. I appericiate your patience on this. Please let me know if I can provide any other additional support.

when transferring a cust to M&T.i normally advice the cust that they are a specialised dept.who deal with all aspects of movers issues.this works quite well if a cust has been transferred thro to us at cust rel.then i have to pass them on.

When a customer immediately asks for a supervisor, the best response is…. Sure I can help you with that, in order to ensure that I get you to the best person to be able to handle your call, can you please tell me what your issue is?… After hearing the issue or concern, if I am able to assist the caller, I let them know…. Ok, well actually I can help you take care of that today, I just need your name etc. so I can take a look at your account… I also mention…if however we do need to have a supervisor help us, I will be happy to discuss your issue/concern with them and make sure that we get that taken care of. Generally they will allow you to assist. Also, by saying “we” and “us” and “I” it helps the customer feel that you are taking ownership of the situation. This is a great article…. Great responses.

Great points on this site, thanks. Im just about to embark on some telesales for my own company and dont have much experience. Now I have a good place to start and much to work on! Happy selling all!

This thread helped me a lot..Thanks for your insights guys!!!

Very interesting opinions here. I agree with the “feel, felt, found” approach. It seems to conver all grounds, UNDERSTANDING how your customer feels (which is so important), RELATING to how they feel (felt) and offering a solution (found).

ALL the ABOVE information are just great! Thank you. 24/7 Customer.

Why is my payment being held for so long?

Mr. / Ms. _______, that’s a good question and I know it can be frustrating to have your available credit held. I expect the hold may be released on ______, and that is based strictly on how long we estimate that it will take to receive the funds from your bank.

One of the very few posts where all the participants have made sense n added value lol!

Cheers JOHN

All the posts here are really helpful. I can practice it…thanks guys!!!

Very helpful. , .thanx alot guys 🙂

ONE CALL RESOLUTION -you do not have to call back! We have an amazing site called *****.com that I believe to be more convenient than calling in, PLUS same shipping!

Mirror the customer to an extent

Point out the benefits for the company when a customer has to take a survey at the end of the call: This is the best plan for your requirements…. For special customers like you…… Great news! You will ONLY be charged….

and POWER WORS really do help, plus smiling when talking!

Learned a lot, Thanks.

I’m trying to crossover from phone to chat support. Is there a list that i could use for chat and a more candid words? Thanks again.

these comments really helped me a lot 🙂

THANKS A LOT GUYS!!!IT WILL HELP ME A LOT SPECIALLY IN OUR COMPANY WE HAVE FIZZBACK!!! EVEN THOU YOU WERE ABLE TO RESOLVED THE ISSUE CX WILL STILL GIVE U DIS SATISFACTORY SCORE FOR REP.

An advice to each and every Call center agent my friends: Forget what happened previous. [Previous Customer Experience]. Concentrate on what is happening and what will happen with your responses and reply. [Impress customer with your current service].

This will make you to feel proud…!

We at ABC company take needs of each customers seriously and ensure that we earn your goodwill. Understanding your concern I’m happy to let you know that I’ve gone ahead and waived the late fee in your account. it’ll be credited back to your available credit. . I greatly apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please accept our sincere apologies. . Kindly allow me a minute or two to review your account and get back to you. . Thank you for being a great customer. We value your relationship. . I would be more than happy to look into your account to see why your account is restricted and guide you for the responsible team with their contact number. . thank you for being pleasure to talk with. I appreciate your time and patience. have a wonderful day. . etc

I agree that customers are not always right. However, we can’t handle each and every customer with a doubt. That would create a negative impact and customer would hung up. We need to believe what the customer says and we need to proceed with empathizing with the issue. If we don’t believe customers word and customer will certainly say that we are not helping them.

In some cases, we need to handle issues that fall under company policies. We need to be too smart to say no to the customers. We need extra soft skills to say no gently to the customers at this point.

In customer service, the points below would help to earn WOW customers:

Understand(Both issue and emotion) Empathize Personalize Ownership Resolve Exceed customer’s expectation Educate

I am a coach at a call center and we are trying to come up with different to present when we are unable to reverse a late fee for a customer. We are trying to come up with phrases that do not use the words “can’t” “unable” “won’t etc. We want to present this in positive way. Anyone have Ideas for me? I have created one to help relate to the customers and still present it in a positive way. I am looking for other ideas.

Here is what I currently use “I understand you are calling in today in regards to the late fee on your account , I have been in the same situation before so I understand how you exactly feel. At this time the late fee will remain on the account but what we can do is provide you with different methods to prevent this from occurring in the future (then provide options) (You have to use the right tone when relaying this to customers)

I am looking to hear others ideas in what they may use in the call centers

I am learning a lot from this thread. I just want to ask for this certain situation.

How about if you would need to transfer a call? What’s the best way to say this? or How are you going to relate to the customer wherein they will not get angry?

Thanks and more power!

Tiny– If at all possible conf in the client. Don’t transfer. Customers when “polled” say that they build up more frustration from being transferred and having to repeat the problem then ANY other one thing.

What we do at our company is “Mr. Jones _empathy_ I unfortunately can not answer that question or resolve that concern, however I am not going to transfer you anywhere either. I am going to conf you with the department that can.” Before I do, what is your number just in case we get disconnected I personally will call you back.”

Once you have them Conf with the correct person. Simply excuse yourself from the call and move on to the next one.

when there is no other solution or alternative options for the customer I say: “If I would have the possibility to do it I will do it right away, trust me, but… it’s out of my hands…” so the customer understands that we are trying our best to solve their concern(s)/request(s)…

This is the BEST webpage I have come across. So I am glad I came across this. Do you know how hard it was to find this “GEM:? Very hard!! Thanks so much to EVERYONE…

THIS HELPED ME SO MUCH!! One good suggestion you have to have a good tone together with the phrases IT WILL ABSOLUTELY WORK 😉 Thanks guys!

This a great site,with so many useful advice. I am a rookie when it comes to CS and I would really need any advice you have.I work on chat, CS for an online casino, we also have to sell promotions, so this is really new for me. Is there anyone that can tell me something about this, how to relate with customer, beside the caring part, how do I present the offer without abuse words such as Wonderful, Fantastic etc, also because I see that my colleagues use this words a lot so I am trying to be a little differnt. Anyway and Advice you have is well received.Thanks a lot!

This is Incredible! Imagine all these people who share their knowledge not just to showcase their knowledge and how good or great they are but the willingness to help other especially like us who seeks for this. You guys are amazing! Thanks for the help! 🙂

Sample Lead-Ins to Put a Caller On Hold • “Mr. Smith, can you please hold while I retrieve your file?” {pause for a response} “Thank you. I will be back in a minute.” {caller on hold} “Thank you for holding Mr. Smith. I can now help you…” • “Ms. Jones, I will check to see if Mr. Johnson is available to take your call. Can you please for a minute?” {pause for a response} “Thank you. I will be right back.” {caller on hold} “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Mr. Johnson is not available right now. May I have him call you back?”

Hi thank you for all your comments…it helps a lot..Now Showing some loyalty statements to the customer let´s say that the customer is not upset and during the call you could handled a good call but at the end of the call you say a loyalty phrase such as “Mr.jones we appreciate a lot the time you have been with the company and we thank you for the opportunity you gave us to provide you our services, we hope we can serve you for many more years”…customer was thankful and he said -“I appreciate a lot you beautiful words but I have been about to leave the company because of xx issue with the service..I’m just waiting for contract expiration to go”…I would like to see some comments about loyalty phrases and any way to say them…and what to say if a customer say something like my customer said. Waiting for answers.. Thank you all.

Certainly this page helps me a lot, I am a call agent for tech support and customer service too… good thing google put this on 1-1 page/options… thanks against for the creator and contributors certainly i will recommend this site to my colleagues…

I’m a team leader at a car insurance company & this thread has been brilliant! I’m currently working on a project to upskill our agents & this has been so useful so thanks to everyone who has posted!

i love this site! very helpful to me. more scripts on how you empathize, please.

This info helps a lot

Can anyone Help me with following “inbound Call Handling Phrases for Appointment Setting”, if there’s any mistake?

——————————- QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED AT INBOUND APPOINTMENT:

Thanks for Calling ABC Air Conditioning how may i help you ? If someone says that he’s looking for an air conditioner. Reply: OK sir, what we can do we can send our home comfort advisor at your doorstep, he will give you the estimate for that and this appointment would be free of cost. So can i have your name please? and your contact number is? Do you have any alternative number? And your address? is this a town house or a single one? and you are looking for an Air Condition Right ? (Good) How old is your house? and the age of your existing air conditioner? may I know the size of your house? OK sir which date and time is convenient for you? Let me check my database, please be online. OK sir we can visit on Between . is that convenient for you? ——————————-

I learned a lot. Thank you people. 🙂

thanks a lot.. it is helpful for me because i am working as customer support in call centre

i really love this site.. thanks a lot guys..

This proves that 2 brains are better than one. Thank you so much! Cheers!

this site is cool. thanks for the good stuff. this will help hone my client service skills

its very helpful! thank you for having this…

“Customer Is Always First”

I understand your frustration but please be reminded that you’re already disclosed on it and the thing you wish is not possible.

Guys, whats a more positive way of saying “As much as I would like to help you….”

I am a call center newbie and this helped a lot. Thank you very much.

Customer Is Always First”

I learned a lot. Thank you people

What is the best spiel for csat without saying the word “satisfaction” to caller?

When asked, “how are you doing?” never just say ‘good’ that is boring and almost expected. Instead, get creative with it, use these different words(with a smile of course)- wonderful excellent terrific splendid marvelous fantastic phenomenal fabulous magnificent

What call centers and telemarketers in general really have to address is the predatory practices that they utilize to gain their ends in business. There is such a thing as good business practice, such as calling during business hours, not 8am on a Sunday morning. These practices are unethical and rude.

1. Definitely 2. Surely 3. Absolutely 4. Certainly 5. Fantastic

with my little experience in the call center industry, the use of positive words are very important. the concern here however is, knowing when, where and how to use them. for me, knowing your caller is very important.i.e if the caller is an intellect or an average person. for an intellect, the words above may be an exaggeration but to an average person it will be appropriate.

I appreciate you patiently waiting. I’m currently looking up the information so that I can provide you with the best option. I want to make sure that I am able to provide you with an accurate answer.

It is really very helpful and it will definitely make the customer feel special

Sorry to hear about that. Is that an empathy statement or apology?

it was great conversation which i came through and help me a lot. thanks guys

Hello, everyone.

I work as a customer service representative for a bank. I want to excell my performance in assisting our clients. I am not good at suggesting things to someone. I want to learn something from everyone. If you could teach me some words and sentences to use while assisting our clients, that would be great. That’s for chat support. Thank you all. Have a nice day.

Welcome to xxx chat support. My name is Vernon. How may I assist you today?

Hello, xxx. A very good morning to you!

It’s a pleasure to have you onchat today.

May I place your chat on hold for a minute to check this for you?

Thank you for your time and patience.

Your satisfaction is our first and the top priority. Have I completely resolved/answered all your queries/questions today?

You are most welcome. It’s my pleasure assisting our clients.

we appreciate your business with us.

Xxx ,if you’re happy with my efforts to assist you, end this chat session and take a brief survey based on my assistance.

Please feel free to contact us anytime round the clock.

Have a pleasant day.

These are the sentences we use for most of the clients. We may change these depending on the client’s response and query.

Hi! everyone,I need your help on how am I going to explain to existing customer’s who are asking to take advantage of marketing promotions that are offered for new sign up customer’s?

Hello all, I have read all of your helpful comments and suggestions. learned a lot! Thank you all 🙂

this site helps me alot.. while i’m actually having my training right now. and i am on internet service acct. and we need positive scripting when delivering badnews. so can you help me with this.. for example, when you have to tell the customer that their account was transfered to the collections because they didnt pay their bills on the right time. please help me with this. asap response please.

excellent points very helfpful

thanka guys! Everythings wre great

Hi my friends ill be working as a customer service represantative in airlines company.. would anyone write me a phrases for that ?

Can someone help me with a spiel for down time. Like for • System Down\ Tools Down • Site is currently experiencing an emergency ( earthquake, fire etc.

We work with the same customers over and over again. Sometimes we can find it frustrating to stay professional because we do know our customers so well (even personally). Are there some helpful hints/websites to assist with this type of customer service? Most everything I find is for random callers with no relationship.

Treat every single Customer, as if he/she signs your paycheck, coz they really do………….!!

I hope it will be helpful.. just want to share something..

When you are talking to your customer, of course there are five forbidden phrases: 1. Don’t say the word…”I DONT KNOW” 2.) Dont say the word “we can’t do that.” 3.) Dont say NO to your client. 4.) If you are getting in a situation that you can’t really handle, dont’t say negative responses to the customer. It should be always POSITIVE and DIRECT TO THE point and well organized. 5.) Don’t say ” JUST A SECOND” .. you have to say something positive again just to make sure that your customer will not really offend.

VERRRYYYYYYYYYY GOOD SITE!! YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!!

Handling every call is like riding on a bike we need to be balance..PATIENCE is ALWAYS A VIRTUE!

I appreciate your efforts and willingness to help your buyer to resolve this issue. I can realize the situation and truly regret for the inconvenience this has caused you. It must be distressing for you not to receive the item on time.

thank you. that was very helpful

Putting the customer first and delivering service with a smile is an important part of a positive customer experience.

There are some interesting points here – and the use of positive language does have a really vital point to play in customer communications.

However I can’t help feeling that some of the phrasing and words recommended here aren’t appropriate for everyday conversations.

In particular the use of the word ‘surely’ simply wouldn’t sit right with most callers – who wouldn’t use (or be used to hearing) the word ‘surely’ in the context of ‘You will surely be able to enjoy…’.

There are other words and phrases that would sound more natural and less bossy. For example ‘I’m hoping you’ll really enjoy…’.

Never tell the customer what they should be thinking or feeling – just point them in the right direction to get there…

Oh yes, your choice of words can make a huge difference. A customer might just get turned off and walk away by one negative sounding word. So be positive and pass it on.

This is awesome! I really learned a lot. Thank you for your help.

– i understand how frustrating that might be – i understand how inconvenient that must be – i know that could be frustrating – i understand how you feel

-It is unfortunate that. -I truly empathize that. -I sympathize with your situation/disappointment..

Great tips. Can anyone share more closing phrases and some open ended/probing questions or a website I can refer to. I spent 5 years in call center in sales/service/billing and just recently started in a cable/tv/phone tech support call center so that is new to me. Thanks

thank you for calling,my name is xxxx how may I assist you with today? before continue.(before anything else )..please allow me to pull up my resourses first ( may I please have your first name and last name to properly address you..

Helloi i read your comments about call center conversations.. i need more help about it i just start job last week, and i m from turkey, i will speak with foreing customers.. so i m working aesthetic beauty center. so i need diffirent kind of conversations.. thank for your helping guys..

Hi All, I’m new in customer services and want to know how to acknowledge any query or concern with positive note… Regards..

Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. It really helps and I’ll be able to improve now my communication skills. G

Instead of using “great, fantastic, wonderful” what other power words or positive words that is not too generic?

I learn a lot from you guys tank you very much

Good content to learn from

Thank you so much for bringing this/these to our attention so that we can improve our services as well.

I appreciate you for giving us a call so that we can do something about it to improve our services.

Empathy acknowledgement, ownership.

Amazing thread! Helped me lot : ) Good going everyone of ya…

I’ve a question, what If customer wants to talk to superior as soon as the agent picks the call?? And the customer is not ready to listen what agent replying.

No worries, I am more than happy to find an available supervisor for you.

Escalate systemic problems and keep in mind the escalation time. It also adds frustration to cx

@Ram what works for me when I resolved the issue

“I hope in a way I was able to help you out with the concern.”

(if cx asks do I need to click on yes?)

“Any feedback will do.”

“I was happy that I was able to assist you for today….”

@Lyndsey: warn the customer.

Acknowledge the problem: I understand the frustration that you face right now, I am trying my very best to help you out. (add if customer is shouting) You do not need to be angry.

(Do not overly apologize) I do apologize is better than I’m sorry

We do not tolerate profanity, I will be terminating the call.

This is a second warning, I will be terminating the call if you will still use profane language.

This is the last warning. Thank you for calling.

Thankyou. I love positive words! :0)

This was an enjoyable read. Its all about positive words!

Really I’m happy after reading this. I got a confidence to handle the chat. Thank you for posting this comment.

could we end our conversation by telling “thank u for calling xxx have a nyc day bye bye “is there any alternative to end our conversation

I would suggest to also put more emphasize on technical knowledge of customer service staff, less on phrases. The customer might luke all the “Absolutely, fantastic” techniques, but if they realize their problem is not getting solved, they will start to hate the service even more because all it does is using marketing phrases which is disrespectful.

I was looking something like that. Thanks for sharing such a helpful article.

Thank you so much!

thanks for the help guys!!!

I am a customer and all customer service agents say the same script since the 80’s… I would really appreciate talking to a human who knows how i feel and connects with what i am feeling before/after conversation. I can feel who makes a drama vs. a real human connecting.i appreciate every conversation that i dont ask why…i hope this helps

When speaking to a customer I find it hard to say I understand…… because when Im calling into a customer service line it really bothers me when someone tells me they understand my situation does anyone have any other words I can use instead of understand

I get it very helpfull.I am gratfull for this.

What if I cannot help the guest in rectifying his actual complaint, but as a service recovery at times I need to offer him the best complimentary things. But even some guest become more angry stating they are not beggars to take my compensation, could you help me with right phrases to offer them politely, so that they do not disagree with my compensation.(Example : For a guest who complained about stains on bed sheet I need to offer him with complimentary dinner)

i’m a newbie in a voice account all the tips that were posted helps me a lot thanks…

It will help a lot those who are working in customer service. thanks.

Customer is not always right! What is right is “Customer is always First!”

I can understand the gravity of the situation.

This has been helpful I will surely be using these phases need them to improve

thanks its works

very helpful for 1st time call center agent like me 🙂

Bah. Adverbs are ugly and ignored by listeners.

Here are much better expressions for anyone trying to get his way without seeming to do so:

Yes, and… Thanks for saying that and …. Wonderful, and …

fantastic!!!!

Every one likes to hear these words 🙂

being a newbie, i’m getting my spiel here 🙂 God bless

thank you for this spiels it helped me much

Thanks for spiel.. 🙂 newbie here.

Hi, somebody here knows powerful words that starts with letter q, x and z?

Tnx alot …this helps me..

Guys at the end of the day for these spiels to work in your end deliver it with the right TONE/VOICE.

THE SO MANY IDEAS HERE REALLY HELPS ME A LOT.

Thanks for letting us know

Reasuring: It will be a pleasure for me to help you, No response: Unfortunately I have not received a reply from you, do you wish to continue? Put on hold: Give me a moment I need to verify this for you, it will not be long.

Some really useful words and phrases for anyone in the customer service world! Language really can transform you communication with someone from negative to positive (and vice versa!!).

When speaking with a customer, THAT moment, is your most important moment.

This tips are very useful… guys can you please help me develop more my ability in communication skill?? I will be working as outbound customer service for floral company..thank u for your help guys..

Not “Customer always right” , But “customer always has the right” to be listened, served, appreciated, valued …

These tips are really great, I always highlight the important of language to the team I manage. I manage a call centre that deals mainly with customer queries. We often over look how powerful words are and how they can completely change positive communication with a person to a negative exchange when words are chosen wrongly. I found the following resources really helpful when doing some refresher customer service training with staff I know have these 5 do not say words displayed around the office. goo.gl/dzSM9b

incredible!!!

Thanks a lot, You guys have been of immense help!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

“We may agree that Customer is NOT ALWAYS Right, but we have to consider that Customer is ALWAY IMPORTANT.”

The Customer Is NOT Always Right, But The Customer Is All We’ve Got!

Combined ideas, knowledge, curiosity and experiences result to an amazing web page that everyone must read on. Congratulations to the creator of this. Thanks to all accommodating contributors. And lucky to us who were able to read this for free!

I love positive words. Thanks for these. I will definitely utilise them

I totaly agree with the post. We can always translate the negative phrases to positive. For example,

Why not? → Sounds good.

No problem → Definitely!

Can’t complain → Everything’s going well, thanks.

I’m exhausted → I need a rest.

I’m going to forget → I’ll make sure I set a reminder.

It will not be delivered on time → It will be delayed.

Constructive criticism → Constructive Feedback.

Please hold → One moment, please

By using this idea of positive responses we can have a cumulative impact on the customer.

Nice set of words to translate negative phrases

Customer Service Scripts

Gladly Team

7 minute read

#Best Practices

Ready to see what radically personal customer service looks like? Sign up for a free demo with Gladly today.

Having a customer service strategy is important for any business, and if you’re in retail or ecommerce, there’s a good chance you’ll be speaking to customers, correcting orders, and handling customer-related issues on a daily basis.

To prepare for these circumstances, many businesses will create and use customer service scripts to help guide employees through various customer encounters and solutions.

[Read more: Ecommerce Customer Service ]

Learn from CX visionaries shaping the future of customer service.

What is a customer service script?

Customer service scripts are written prompts used by customer service teams to confirm and resolve customer issues or questions. A customer service script can be used for phone conversations, chat boxes, email, and social media conversations.

What are the benefits of customer service scripts?

Not only do scripts provide your representatives with on-hand support should they need it, they are also excellent tools to train new team members. Additionally, using customer service scripts (while allowing for use of natural language in conversation) provides a consistent experience for shoppers.

Below, we’ve provided thorough guides that cover the most common ecommerce and retail customer service phone script needs.

Customer Service Call Template For First-Time Callers

• Hi this is [name] from the [name of the department/company]. How are you today?
• Great to hear! I’m doing very well, thank you for asking. How can I help you today?

When the customer provides a negative response

• I’m so sorry to hear that. What can I do to help?
• So sorry about that. If you give me your full name and order number, we can go ahead and start making the correction for you.

A large majority of ecommerce/retail questions will come down to order issues, so you want to identify your customer and their order before moving on. 

• Sure thing. Can I get your full name, phone number, and address to check in on that order?
• Not a problem, sir/ma’am. Do you happen to have to the order # so I can bring up your order?

How to Greet a Returning Customer on the Phone

Acknowledging a returning customer is a best practice and reiterates that your brand cares about the relationship and values each customer. Using a customer service platform that provides this information and details of past interactions can help you add even more layers of personal service.

Customer Service Phone Script Examples For Repeat Visitors

• Hey again, [Customer Name]! How can I help you today?
• Welcome back [Customer Name]! What can I do to help?
• Hi [Customer Name]. Do you want to pick up where we left off on our last call??
• Hi [Customer Name]. Were you still having issues with [insert previous problem]?

Customer Care Scripts for Apologizing for Order Mixups, Product Issues, and Other Concerns

The first thing you want to do when there’s any issue, regardless of who’s at fault, is apologize and convey empathy. You want to help resolve their issue, but you also want to make sure that their concerns are heard and understood. The scripts below will cover the basic issues of price errors, order mix-ups, and other product-related issues.

When the incorrect shipping address is entered

• It looks like your order shipped to the wrong address. So sorry about that. We’re going to send another [product name] to your address, and it should arrive within the next week.

When a product is never delivered

• So sorry to hear that, [insert name]. Let me bring up your order so we can see what happened and get another [product name] sent to you.
• I’m so sorry about the mix-up. Let’s see what we can do about correcting your order.

When the product is received broken

• I know this is less than ideal. But  I’m going to have to talk to my manager and see what we can come up with to resolve your issue. Is it ok if I [call/email/message] you back once we have a resolution? I promise it won’t take longer than 24 hours.

When the product is not what they expected

When the product is a different color or size than what they ordered.

• So sorry, [customer name], It seems we made a mistake and sent the invoice to the wrong email. We’re going to go ahead and resend your notification; you should be receiving it within 24 hours.

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Sample Customer Service Call Replies for Being Unable to Fulfill a Request

Similar to the scenarios above, this script sequence will help you in speaking with customers whose orders can’t be fulfilled or met.

• I am sorry, but it’s not possible to fulfill your request at this time because [provide reason]. Is it ok if I speak to my team and reach back out when we come up with a resolution?
• I’m sorry, but it seems that we’re out of stock of [product name] at the moment. Would you like to check if we had it in a different size or color?
• Let me have a look at what else I can help you with.
• I’m so sorry, but we can’t actually customize [product name]. Whatever we have online or in stores is what’s available for the time being.
• It looks like we don’t have this feature at the moment. So sorry about that. But we do have these other options that you can look at.

Example Customer Service Phone Template to Transfer Requests and Putting Your Customers on Hold

You may not always be in the position or have the authorization to answer some questions or meet requests, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Delegating certain requests to other departments or team members, while putting the customer on hold, is a common task in customer service. This “putting customer on hold script” below will help you transfer requests for a number of scenarios.

• I apologize for any inconvenience. Let me transfer you to the [insert department name] so they can help resolve the issue.
• Please hold for a second while I transfer you to [department or staff member].
• I understand. I’m going to transfer you over to our shipping department. They’ll be able to help complete your request.
• Please hold for a moment while I get in touch with him/her.
• I am sorry, but [administrator/department] is the one who can handle your problem. Let me put you through to them.
• Can I put you on hold for a moment? I’m going to transfer you to my supervisor so they can complete your order.
• Would you mind being on hold for a second while I check on this with our administrator?
• Thank you for waiting. I have the details for your order. I’m going to email them to you right now.

Customer Service Phone Script for Billing and Credit Card Information

• To process the order, please give the number of your credit card, CVV code, and expiration date.
• How would you like to pay for that order? We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and PayPal.
• Can you please give me the account number listed on the generated bill?
• Can you please give your current billing address?
• Can you please verify your address for me?
• Can you please verify your zip code please?

Customer Service Phone Scripts for Handling Angry Customers and Complaints

While angry customers are typically the exception to the rule, you will occasionally come across someone who is angry or verbally aggressive–whether justified or not. Start by showing sympathy and being understanding to the customer’s concerns.

• I’m so sorry this has happened. Let me see if I find a way to fix things.
• I’m so sorry. Can you tell me what happened so I can help?
• I’m really sorry that you weren’t happy with your purchase. Let’s see what we can do to set things right.
• I completely understand your frustration. I’d feel the same way. Can I please have your order number so we can get to resolving this?
• I’m so sorry your order didn’t come in on time. Let me speak to my supervisor to see what we can do for you.

Customer Care Call Script for Following up With a Customer at a Later Time

Sometimes, it isn’t possible to resolve orders or product-related issues while you’re communicating with your customers. In such cases, having a well-prepared follow-up calls script can be extremely helpful. The following script options will provide you with effective ways to organize a follow-up time with your customers.

• [customer name], I just wanted to let you know that we’re still looking into how we can replace your [product name]. Can I call you back within the next hour when we have some options for you?
• So sorry, but we’re having some technical issues on our servers that are preventing us from completing your order. We’re working on fixing the issue as I speak, and everything should be resolved by tomorrow. Can I call you back then when the order has gone through?
• Thanks for waiting, [customer name]. We got a hold of your new [product name] and it should be sent out today.
• Sorry, [customer name]. Can I check on some of these with my supervisor and get back to you in the next hour?
• I’m so sorry for the mistake. Your transaction may take a couple of days to resolve. Can I email you then?

Customer Service Call Scripts for Handling Several Customers at the Same Time

When working with more than one customer at the same time, you don’t want to give them the impression that you’re rushed or talking to multiple people. If necessary, tell them you have to check on some information or confirm a product and have to put them on hold for a moment.

• I completely understand, [customer name]. Let me go ahead and look over your transaction history to find that order. One moment, please.
• No problem. Give me a moment to check on that. One second, please.
• Sounds good. Let me double check this information with my supervisor, and I’ll be right back with you.
• Do you mind waiting for a moment while I double check the order transaction?
• Bear with me for one moment while I confirm this order with my supervisor.

Customer Care Phone Script Example for Thanking Your Customers, Wrapping up, and Upselling to Other products

While it’s important to provide a cordial goodbye, ask if your customer has any other questions, and thank them for their business, the end of the conversation is also a great opportunity for upselling and cross selling.

• Thank you for your call. Do you have any other questions or concerns? Great, thank you. Have a nice day.
• Thanks for using the 24-hour help service, and please feel free to reach out to us if you need anything else.
• I’m so glad we could help and that you found exactly what you were looking for. In case you didn’t know, many of our customers who enjoy [purchased product name] also really liked [product name]. If you’d like, I can show you [product name] that are currently on sale.
• There might be something else I can help you with before I let you go. Our customers love to pair [product name] with their [purchased product name] purchase. Would you be interested in having a look at some of our [product name]?
• While we’re on the discussion of [purchased product name], we have some great [product name] to match your order. Mind if I share them with you?
• Is there anything else I can do to help? As I mentioned, your order should be coming in by the end of the week. Don’t hesitate to call back or email us if you have any other questions or concerns.
• Again, so sorry about the mix-up. If you have any other issues with your re-order, please let us know. Have a good day.

Final Thoughts: Customer Service Script

Whether you’re training new customer service representatives or bolstering your support for your existing team, having a retail customer service phone script is going to improve both your customer and staff member experience.

Gladly utilizes machine learning technology and a comprehensive platform to ensure your agents are ready to handle your customers’ needs and concerns.

About Gladly

Gladly is a customer service platform for digitally-focused B2C companies who want to maximize the lifetime value of their customers.   Unlike the legacy approach to customer service software, which is designed around a ticket or case to enable workflows, Gladly enables radically personal customer service centered around people to sustain customer loyalty and drive more revenue.

The world’s most innovative consumer companies like Godiva, JOANN, and TUMI use Gladly to create lasting customer relationships, not one-off experiences.

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How to Paraphrase in 5 Simple Steps (Without Plagiarizing)

Krystal N. Craiker

Paraphrasing is a tricky balance between using your own words and still getting the original message across.

Understanding what paraphrasing is, and how to do it well, takes the challenge out of paraphrasing and makes it a more user-friendly skill.

What Is Paraphrasing?

How to paraphrase in 5 easy steps, paraphrasing different types of content, paraphrasing examples, want to improve your essay writing skills.

The word paraphrase can be used as a noun or a verb .

A paraphrase (noun) is a restatement of someone else’s words into other words . If you’re reading a paraphrase, you’re reading someone else’s rephrasing of the original.

To paraphrase (verb) is the act of rephrasing a statement into your own words . When you paraphrase, you are essentially borrowing someone else’s ideas and putting them into your own words. Since you’re borrowing and not creating those ideas, be certain to give credit to the original source.

Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you steal someone’s words or ideas. Some people think that it’s only plagiarizing when you use the exact words.

Paraphrasing isn’t a way to steal someone’s ideas by putting it in your own words. If you’re paraphrasing someone else’s ideas, you must give them credit.

If you don’t acknowledge that source, you’ve plagiarized, which has serious ethical, and even legal, implications.

ProWritingAid can help you keep your work plagiarism-free with its plagiarism checker , and will never store or resell your work as some other plagiarism checking services sometimes do.

How to Paraphrase Properly

Why paraphrase when you could just use direct quotations? Direct quotes in academic writing and research papers do not demonstrate that you understand the original material.

Proper paraphrasing doesn’t mean rewriting the original passage word for word. It’s more than just pulling out a thesaurus. You are rewriting the ideas in your own words.

Just as you would provide the source of a direct quote, provide the source of paraphrased information according to whatever style guide you’re following (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) or by including the source within the paraphrase itself.

Typically, you’ll use an in-text citation alongside your paraphrased text, but sometimes you may use footnotes or endnotes.

When you use a direct quotation, it’s important to put the original passage or statement in quotation marks. But paraphrased text does not require quotation marks.

Paraphrasing is translating someone else’s words into your words. If you were to translate a sentence from one language into another going word-by-word, you’d end up with nonsense.

The same thing happens when you paraphrase. You’re performing a translation of sorts.

If you try to translate each word, you’ll end up with a paraphrase that reads more like a “word salad” than an intelligent rephrasing.

Why? When you isolate words, you take them out of their context.

The meaning of a word can change based on its context, so respect that context. Keep ideas whole to keep the original meanings intact.

Here’s what it looks like when you translate word for word.

Original Text: “Life expectancy isn’t set in stone: Both public policy and personal responsibility can tip the scales, experts said.” (Craig Schneider, Newsday)

If I paraphrase that text word-by-word, I could end up with something like this:

Word-by-Word Paraphrase: Human existences are not put in rocks. The pair of non-private systems and individual duty can point the measures, professionals uttered.

That makes no sense. Here’s a more effective paraphrase:

Proper Paraphrase: According to experts, public policy and individual choices can affect life expectancy.

This makes much more sense. Keep the entire context in mind when you paraphrase.

There are some practical steps you can follow to ensure skillful paraphrasing. It might take some practice at first.

As you become more experienced with paraphrasing, you’ll notice that you follow these steps naturally.

Step 1: Read, Reread, Then Read It Again

You can’t properly paraphrase if you don’t fully understand the original passage. For effective paraphrasing, reread the original text multiple times.

Pay attention to word choice and tone, as those contribute to the overarching message. Be sure that you know exactly what the original author was trying to get across before you move on.

Step 2: Determine the Big Idea

There’s a difference between paraphrasing and summarizing, but a quick summary is a great starting point for a paraphrase.

A summary is the main idea. What is the big idea of the original passage?

Try to sum up the big idea in one sentence using your own words.

If you’re only paraphrasing a short chunk of text, this might be the extent of your work and you can skip to step five. For longer quotes, start with the gist.

Step 3: Break It Down

Once you have the big idea, you can start looking at the individual ideas. A good paraphrase includes all the essential information. This is the step where you determine which pieces are essential.

You can start breaking it down sentence by sentence, but keep in mind that you’re really trying to understand it idea by idea.

There might be one idea in two or three sentences or two ideas in one long sentence!

Step 4: Rewrite, Idea by Idea

Once you know all the essential information, it’s time to rewrite. Use your own words and phrasing as much as possible.

Of course, sometimes you will have to use some of the same words. For example, if you’re paraphrasing a quote about the economy, you don’t need to find a new word for “economy.”

Plagiarism isn’t just the words you use, but also the order those words are in.

If you do use more than two of the same words as the original in a row, place them in quotation marks . Avoid this as much as possible for a good paraphrase.

Once you’ve rewritten each idea with the important information, it’s time to make sure your paraphrased version accurately expresses the intent of the original passage.

That leads us to the final step.

Step 5: Check and Cite

Have you ever heard the phrase “lost in translation?” It’s true for paraphrasing, too. Sometimes, when we rewrite something in our own words, we lose the intent and meaning of the original.

Reread what you’ve written and ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this portray the same big idea?
• Have I included all relevant information and ideas?
• Does my paraphrase maintain the integrity of the original’s intent?
• Are all sentences written in my own voice and my own words?

If you can answer yes to all four questions, you’ve successfully paraphrased! If not, return to the quoted material and go through each step again.

Finally, add your citation. Always credit the original source so you don’t plagiarize.

While the same basic steps apply no matter what you’re paraphrasing, it will look a little different depending on the type of text and why you’re paraphrasing.

Let’s take a look at three common situations that require paraphrasing.

How to Paraphrase in an Essay

Essays require paraphrases of many different quotes and sources.

While the occasional quote is fine, frequent direct quotes suggest that you don’t fully understand the material.

Your professor wants to know that you comprehend the subject and have thoughts of your own about it.

To paraphrase in an essay, start with a reasonable sized quote.

If the entire quotation is too long, your essay will become one giant paraphrase. You can always paraphrase another piece of the original text later in your paper.

Make sure the quote you are paraphrasing fits your thesis statement and is in the correct section of your essay.

Then, follow the five steps above to write a paraphrase. Don’t forget to cite your source material!

After you’ve paraphrased and cited the original text, offer your own commentary or thoughts.

How does that paraphrase answer the prompt of your research paper or support your argument? Original thoughts are crucial so your whole essay isn’t a paraphrase. That would be a form of plagiarism!

How to Paraphrase a Quote

Paraphrasing a quote requires you to pay special attention to the tone. Quoted material for academic writing often has a dry, informative tone. Spoken quotes usually don’t.

When you’re determining the big idea (step two), also determine the tone. You can note the tone in your paraphrase by saying the speaker was impassioned, angry, nostalgic, optimistic, etc.

When you move to step three and break down the ideas, pay attention to where the speaker placed emphasis. That’s a clue that you’ve found essential information to include in your paraphrase.

How to Paraphrase Complex Text

Complex and highly technical text can be difficult to paraphrase. All the same steps apply, but pay special attention to your words and sentence structure when you rewrite.

Whenever possible, simplify the complex text in your paraphrase.

Paraphrases are useful because they can make something easier to understand. Imagine that you are explaining the complex text to a middle school student.

Use simplified terms and explain any jargon in layman’s terms. Avoid clichés or idioms and focus only on the most essential pieces of information.

You can also use ProWritingAid’s editing tool to run a Jargon Report and a Cliché Report, as well as readability.

We use the Flesch-Kincaid Scale for readability , which is based on U.S. grade levels. You can see how old someone needs to be to understand your paraphrasing.

Your level of readability might change depending on the purpose of the paraphrase.

If you are paraphrasing complex text for a college-level essay, your readability score can be higher. If you are paraphrasing for a technical audience, some jargon is appropriate.

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of properly paraphrased material.

Original Text : “Life expectancy isn’t set in stone: Both public policy and personal responsibility can tip the scales, experts said. Everyone can make choices that increase the odds of a longer life, said Cantor, of the Center for Socio-Economic Policy. Eating well, exercising, not smoking, getting enough sleep and staying in school are decisions made by each and every one of us, he said.” (Craig Schneider, Newsday )

Paraphrase: People do have some control over their life expectancy. While public policies matter, experts say personal choices can also affect how long you live and that making healthy lifestyle choices about food, sleep, education, and smoking is up to each individual.

Here’s another example from a speech.

Original Text: “We’ve got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future—especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. That’s why I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet.” (President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 12, 2016)

Paraphrase: President Obama emphasized the importance of investing in clean energy. He supports a shift in the way the country manages non-renewable resources to match the impact they have on both American citizens and the planet.

Remember, when you paraphrase, focus on the ideas, not rewriting word for word. Always cite your original source material even though you are using your own words.

(This article is an update to a previous version by Allison Bressmer.)

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Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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