By Nancy Friedman, Customer Service Keynote Speaker, President, Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training

You can imagine as a customer service training company and a communications and customer service expert, we’ve collected an enormous amount of information that drives the public crazy. Not just the omission of please and thank you or the obvious comments that we all find annoying, but words and phrases we have learned from customers that irritate them.

Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training specializes in all 6 touch points of communication. You know them – email, voicemail, snail mail, phone, fax and, yes, face-to-face. Chat is in there too. Ok, so 7.

And through the years our customers and your customers have told us what they like and what really bothers them. What they don’t like. That’s how our DVD, online and onsite programs have become so popular. We bring real answers to real problems. (www.nancyfriedman.com and www.serviceskills.com)

Once a month I’ll share the KOSTLY KOMMENTS. KOMMENTS that are costing you and your company money! And when I say your customers don’t like them, I mean turns them O-F-F A LOT. We help clients like you, reading this right now, improve customer service and communicate better with their customers.

Today’s KOSTLY KUSTOMER KOMMENT:

 “What was your name again?”

Yup. That’s a very frustrating comment for your customer.

Granted, there are many times we don’t hear a name. Don’t understand a name. Customer mumbles the name. Whatever the reason is. But asking, “What was your name again” is a BIG frustration to the customer.

I called a company a while back and my opening statement was, “Hi, my name is Nancy Friedman from St Louis, MO. I lost my wallet and need some help. Do you have time for me now?”

Answer: “What was your name again?”

“It’s still Nancy Friedman,” I said as nicely as I could.

So how should it be done? Glad you asked. Here’s the better way:

“I know you just said your name, and I missed it. My name is Bob, and I’m speaking with . . .?

It’s called ‘fill in the blanks.’

* You tell the truth. “I know you just said your name and I missed it.”

* You introduce yourself again. “My name is Bob.”

* Then use our fill in the blanks technique. “And I’m speaking with . . .?

It works! Good luck.

Nancy