{"id":1325,"date":"2022-12-28T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stephenfbrown.com\/?p=1325"},"modified":"2022-12-28T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T13:00:00","slug":"5-magic-words-to-get-customer-support-to-do-your-bidding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/28\/5-magic-words-to-get-customer-support-to-do-your-bidding\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Magic Words to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">How to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I CAN\u2019T DOWNLOAD THIS!!! I\u2019VE TRIED 3 TIMES AND IT\u2019S NOT WORKING YOU DICKHEAD FIX THIS OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!&nbsp; <\/em>(support request received this morning)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have a support desk in your business? Then you know how difficult some folks can be when they want what they want NOW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like maybe your customers are having a contest on to see who can use the most exclamation marks. <em>(For every exclamation mark beyond the first one in any message, my estimation of that person\u2019s IQ drops by about 5 points. And I\u2019m not alone in this assessment, either.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harsh but true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Name calling? Don\u2019t get me started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this isn\u2019t for marketers running support desks so much as it\u2019s for everyone who has ever written a support ticket, email and so forth seeking help from customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know when we\u2019re having a problem (I can\u2019t find the link! This isn\u2019t working for me! It won\u2019t load!) We want help and we want it now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s why we\u2019re sometime rude (we don\u2019t mean to be!) and we even SHOUT AT THE ANONYMOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON BECAUSE WE\u2019RE SO FRUSTRATED!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being shouted at is not fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yes, if there is ANYONE on the planet reading this who still doesn\u2019t understand that a full sentence or paragraph of all caps is shouting, well, now you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine walking up to the customer service desk at your local store and SCREAMING at the clerk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you really think you\u2019re going to get the best service that way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do it in a restaurant and I can about guarantee people in the kitchen will be dropping your food on the floor (whoopsie!) or spitting into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No one wants to be yelled at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/stephenfbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport-1024x456.jpg\" alt=\"customer support\" class=\"wp-image-1326 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/stephenfbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport-1024x456.jpg\" alt=\"customer support\" class=\"wp-image-1326 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport-1024x456.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport-300x134.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport-768x342.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/customersupport.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So how then do we get the best customer service possible when we\u2019re frustrated, annoyed, having a bad day and so forth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By taking the advice every good mother gives to her children \u2013 be polite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though you are writing an email or filling out a support ticket, you are talking to a real life human being with emotions, challenges and difficulties of their own. This person wants to help you. They want you to have a good outcome. But most of all they want to be treated with respect and politeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Respect for others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s something we seem to be losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s too easy for trolls to scream at each other on the internet. And sadly, trolls beget trolls, until we are all yelling and no one is listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve had my moments when I was so frustrated, I could have spit bullets. Here\u2019s how I contact customer service when that happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I write what\u2019s on my mind but I do NOT send it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I take a few breaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I read what I wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I feel shocked and horrified by my own words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I delete the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then I write it again, using words like \u201cplease\u201d and \u201cthank you\u201d and \u201cI really appreciate your help with this\u201d and then \u201cthank you\u201d again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it works like magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve found that people will bend over backwards to help me get what I want when I use this tone in my support requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those six magic words are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Please <\/strong>\u2013 Please help me with this<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Thank you<\/strong> \u2013 thank you so much for your assistance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>I appreciate<\/strong> \u2013 I appreciate your product, your support, your help, your insight, your\u2026 Just let the person know you appreciate them and their efforts, even if it\u2019s not going as smoothly as you would like.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s that support request I received this morning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I CAN\u2019T DOWNLOAD THIS!!! I\u2019VE TRIED 3 TIMES AND IT\u2019S NOT WORKING YOU DICKHEAD FIX THIS OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how the support request might have been written:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi, this is Ann Ralphie, I purchased XYZ product and I need your help, please. I\u2019m having trouble downloading. Here\u2019s what I did (tell them what you did so they can help you spot the problem). I really appreciate your blog, I enjoy your insights and I can\u2019t wait to read the book when I get it downloaded. Thank you so very much for your help in this. Kindest, Ann Ralphie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which one do you think will get a better response?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When dealing with product support I follow a simple formula which always seems to get positive results. First, I state what product I am seeking help with and the date it was purchased. I attach a text copy of my PayPal receipt and tell them about it. That makes it easy for them to know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, I calmly explain the problem I\u2019m having.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final step is two very important words, \u201cPlease advise,\u201d followed by my name. Being polite and providing the support agent with all the information they need makes for a quick solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding I CAN\u2019T DOWNLOAD THIS!!! I\u2019VE TRIED 3 TIMES AND IT\u2019S NOT WORKING YOU DICKHEAD FIX THIS OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!&nbsp; (support request received this morning) Do you have a support desk in your business? Then you know how difficult some folks can be when they want what they &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/28\/5-magic-words-to-get-customer-support-to-do-your-bidding\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">5 Magic Words to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding<\/span>Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","slim_seo":{"title":"5 Magic Words to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding - Stephen Brown&#039;s Blog","description":"How to Get Customer Support to Do Your Bidding I CAN\u2019T DOWNLOAD THIS!!! I\u2019VE TRIED 3 TIMES AND IT\u2019S NOT WORKING YOU DICKHEAD FIX THIS OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!&nbsp; (su"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[318,457,465],"class_list":["post-1325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-everything-else","tag-customer-support","tag-get-customer-support-to-do-your-bidding","tag-getting-good-customer-support"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenbrownsblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}