The other day I called my bank’s customer support line to get some help with my online account. While talking me through the solution, the support rep said, “Just for giggles, try…” and then proceeded to tell me to try something obvious that I had already tried.
I was miffed. If I were in the mood for “giggles,” I would have called my 10-year-old niece – not customer support. Sure, maybe he was just trying to lighten up the situation. But it had exactly the opposite effect, because he made me feel like he wasn’t taking my problem seriously.
I called him on it. “Excuse me, but did you just say, ‘Just for giggles’? Why would you say that?”
“Um, it’s just something people say…?” he replied.
“Well, not where I live. This isn’t funny.” I left it at that. Hopefully, he’ll take note, and wipe that phrase out of his support vocabulary.
Of course, you never know when something you say is going to bother someone. And if you remove all idiomatic phrases from your speech, you’re going to sound like a robot instead of a human, which will also tick people off. Still, a little self-censorship and empathy can go a long way toward increasing customer satisfaction.
Not sure about what NOT to say? Calvin Sun’s 10+ Phrases That Can Be Irritating or Offensive might give you some ideas.
