In every support conversation there’s always a shared goal between the business and your customer: to resolve the issue.

But sometimes conversations don’t go as planned: something is miscommunicated or you might not know how to handle a particularly tricky escalation.

Equipping yourself (and your employees) with a playbook of tested, effective customer service phrases can help you tackle sticky situations with more clarity and consistency. They create a baseline for cohesive, thoughtful, and personal support, which can bolster more authentic conversations with your customers overall. 

The best customer service comes from a place of understanding, positivity, and sincerity. These phrases will help you capture that tone during every interaction:

1. Thank you for contacting us! 

No matter what the customer’s state of mind is, start every email by thanking them for contacting you. The customer emailing you gives you a chance to learn about a problem you didn’t know existed or to save a sale you might have lost for good. For taking the time to share any feedback at all, they deserve your thanks.

Additionally, thanking an upset or otherwise frustrated customer tends to defuse the situation and can put them in the right state of mind to be more receptive to what you have to say. Many customers leave because they believe the business does not care about their experience. It’s in your company’s best interest to start working against that from the very start.

2. I would be frustrated/upset/confused/annoyed too. 

Empathy helps ease nearly any tense situation. For example, one of your customers might have been expecting one of your products to ship before their wedding and it didn’t arrive. 

Or, perhaps they’ve run into a bug on your site that makes it impossible for them to update their credit card information. These situations are real and frustrating for a customer, so your service reps’ responses should feel authentic.

Empathy helps ease nearly any tense situation. It validates a customer’s concerns and positions you as their advocate.

While you acknowledge the issue, try putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. The importance of cultivating empathy with your customers and positioning yourself as another human that understands their frustrations cannot be understated. It validates their concerns and positions you as their advocate to help find the right answer.

3. Let me go find out for you! 

When customers contact support, they expect to get a resolution. If you don’t know the answer to their question, don’t leave them hanging.

Though it may be faster to tell a customer that you don’t know the answer, especially if finding out requires some legwork, it’ll leave a customer frustrated and potentially upset. Instead, go the extra mile and let the customer know you’ll work on it, even if that means it’ll take some extra time to get back to them.

4. Can you give me a few additional details?

If you can’t quite get the full picture, ask for clarification. But make sure you’ve hunted down as many details as you can first. This is especially important when working with an asynchronous channel like email, where asking for details will delay a resolution potentially by days. When you’re using tools, even a basic help desk can help surface important details right from the beginning so you don’t even have to ask.

Once you’ve exhausted the options, you can ask for clarification. Clarifying details with the customer means you’ll be able to better assist them and that you’ve acknowledged you want to take the time to fully understand their request. This provides value for the customer in a few different ways:

• It confirms that what you are hearing and assuming about their issue is correct.
• It allows you to put together the full story so you can provide better care.
• It makes the customer feel heard and listened to.

5. We can definitely help with this.

You set the tone for the entire conversation. Even if a customer comes in with fire, it’s up to you to keep the interaction positive and productive. Keeping your tone positive can be really subtle.

You set the tone for every support conversation; it’s up to you to keep the interaction positive and productive.

If the situation is tense you don’t have to come in with pep, but there are small modifications you can make to show the customer you understand their issue and you’re on it.

Negative language: “I can’t track your shipment until it’s been picked up by the carrier. You’ll have to wait 24 hours and then you can see the estimated delivery date!”

Positive language: “Your tracking details will update when the carrier picks up your package, which should be within 24 hours. Then we’ll be able to see the estimated delivery date for your order!”

The modifications are subtle here, but the second exchange uses proactive language that shows the customer the support agent is excited, ready, and willing to help. The defining difference is taking the burden off the customer and replacing “things I/you can’t do” with “things we can do together.”

As important as it is to use positive phrases and move the conversation forward, you should always match the tone of the customer. If they’re extremely upset, keep the chat focused on what you can do to make things right. If the customer is happy, you can equally match your response to let them know you’re delighted to chat with them, too. Great customer service is all about balance.

This also applies to your brand and the types of items you sell—it’s just as important to match the voice you have as a business as it is to match the tone of a customer.

6. While we may not be able to do that, here’s what we can do.

Sometimes you can’t honor a customer’s request. The way you deflect their question matters. Instead of serving the customer a cold hard “no,” offer a different solution instead.

Here are different examples of how to turn a no into a yes: 

If they are frustrated about policies for delivery:

“I know it can be tricky to make sure that someone is home when the item is going to be delivered, especially when shipping windows can be so large. We actually have a few ways around that, though. You can read a bit more in our documentation here…”

If you run out of something they ordered: 

“We’re so sorry for the mishap over here—we ran out of [item] and we’re not sure when we’ll get more in stock. But, we just got in some brand new [items] that are really similar (and in my opinion even better!). Can I send you one of those instead? 

If shipping is taking longer than expected: 

“While I can’t expedite the process now that the item is in transit, (I wish I could!) I can rush a new item if your order doesn’t get to you within two business days.”

7. We really appreciate your insight/feedback/thoughts.

Part of good customer service is identifying root issues and solving them before others experience them. When your customers share feedback, it gives you a chance to identify areas of improvement.

That’s powerful because customers who speak up are likely not alone in their experience. And, because your customers essentially QA your shop on a daily basis, their feedback is worth its weight in gold. Any time you receive feedback, good or bad, you should really thank the customer for taking the time to share.

Additionally, you should always proactively ask customers for feedback. It may prompt someone to share something you didn’t even know was an issue.

8. Thanks so much for your patience.

Writing or calling into customer support takes time, and it’s not something that customers should have to do in the first place. Take a minute to thank them for their patience, especially if they’ve had to wait for a response from you. It shows that you have respect for their time and want to find them a solution as quickly as possible.

9. Reach out again any time. We’d love to help. Our hours are …

There’s something really personal about a good sign-off that wishes customers well and invites them to reach out again should they need anything.

While this might seem like a straightforward and simple thing to do, the pivotal moments in support are defined by the thoughtfulness and sincerity of the gesture—there’s no need to overcomplicate what works. 

By thanking your customers and inviting them to reach out again if they have trouble, you show the customer that:

• You care about what they have to say and their thoughts on your brand and product
• You understand that the issue they had was because of your product and not something that they did
• You will continue to solve the issue if this response doesn’t do the trick
• You value their continued patronage and support

In addition to extending customers the invitation to reach out again, you should add a sincere “Have a great rest of your week!” It’s a small detail, but it shows the customer you care about how their week is going. 

It also creates a connection between you and the customer, which can encourage them to come to you if they need anything else—and not just write a bad review or bash you on social media.

For example: 

After product or shipping feedback:

“Thanks so much again for letting us know your thoughts on this. Please reach out if anything else comes up, but otherwise, have a great rest of your day.”

After you’ve found a solution to their issue:

“I’m glad that helped! Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, but otherwise, enjoy the rest of your week.”

After an issue using your shopping cart:

“I’m so happy that it’s working as expected now. Let us know if you run into any other trouble, but otherwise, have an excellent week.”

10. Thank you for being our customer

Keep in mind that your customer could have shopped with anyone, but they chose you. 

The customer service team is in a great position to show gratitude to customers by thanking them for their business. This simple gesture shows them that you appreciate them and fosters loyal behavior. Remember to thank your customers only after you have resolved their issue. Otherwise, you may come across as insensitive. An authentic thank you comes with the right context.