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When you sit at the front lines of a customer service job, you encounter lots of different situations. You have to help customers with problems, calm them down if they’re angry, escalate problems to relevant departments, collect feedback, and more. It's a tall order, but fortunately there are handy customer service phrases and words that can help.
These phrases will likely affect how customers respond to you, and can often diffuse even the trickiest situations. Some have almost magical powers—they can evoke emotions, convey empathy, and help you show customers that you understand and care about their problems.
To help you out, we've compiled a list of 35 magical words and phrases to help customer support teams in their day-to-day work.
35 Magic customer service words and phrases to use today
Save these phrases to stay prepared for different situations.
For when they first get in touch
When a customer initiates an interaction with you, make sure you start off on the right foot. Greet them properly and ask them how they are, before thanking them for bringing their problem to your attention.
- How are you today? In customer service, being polite is critical. Sometimes just asking someone how they're doing is enough to convey empathy and show you care.
- How can I help you today? If a customer hasn't made why they're contacting you clear, use this simple phrase to politely initiate the interaction.
- Thanks for reaching out to us. Make your customer feel comfortable contacting you off the bat. When you start the conversation off with a welcoming message that conveys gratitude, you set the tone for the rest of the discussion.
- Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Show your customers that you're grateful when they come forward with a problem they're having with your product or service.
- Thanks for giving us a chance to make things right. When a customer is unhappy with your product or service, they could feel angry and tempted to leave you a negative review. When they reach out to you directly, thanking them goes a long way—it shows that you respect their feelings, that you understand that your business has let them down, and that you're willing to find a solution.
- Thank you for your feedback. If a customer contacts you with feedback—good or bad—don't forget to thank them for it. If it's positive feedback, then you'll want to convey your gratitude and appreciate their kind words, and if it's negative feedback, it's good to own up to the problem and appreciate the customer’s insight.
For when you’re investigating their problem
After your first interaction with the customer, you’ll want to make them feel comfortable, which you can do by conveying your willingness to help or empathizing with their situation. The following phrases can help you out here.
- It's my pleasure. Simple phrases like this show customers how you're happy to assist them and make them feel more comfortable with the interaction. The last thing you'll want to do is make a customer think that you feel inconvenienced by them.
- Let me check that for you now. If you need to look something up or coordinate with a team member, use this phrase to let customers know that you're on the case.
- I'm happy to help. Say it and mean it. Reassure your customers that you have the ability and willingness to resolve their issue. (PS: Here are some “happy to help” email templates you can use.)
- I'd love to help you out. When you’re dealing with a customer who seems nice and energetic, match their energy with a phrase like this.
- I can definitely help you with that. For when a customer reaches out to you and shares the details of a specific problem they're having.
- I completely understand. An empathy statement like this lets the customer know that you're paying attention and that you empathize with their situation.
- I see where you're coming from. While this phrase has a similar effect as the one above, it’s particularly helpful when your customer has provided a certain level of detail about their issue.
- That must be frustrating. When you specifically mention the emotion that your customer is probably feeling, it shows real empathy.
- You're right, this shouldn't have happened. Use this phrase when you need to convey that your company realizes the mistake and is committed to providing an improved customer experience.
- Sorry you had to experience that. When a customer has a poor experience with your company, it's a good idea to acknowledge the situation and apologize for it.
- I can understand how confusing that must be. Just like you would acknowledge a customer's frustration, you can also show empathy for their confusion.
- I'd feel the same way. Using this phrase is another great way to convey empathy for a specific experience.
- Sorry for your poor experience. There are lots of different ways to apologize for a bad experience—and sometimes the simplest words can do the trick, provided you follow up with a way of making amends.
- This isn't the experience we wanted for you. This is one of the best customer service phrases to use when your customer has had a particularly poor interaction. It demonstrates that you hold your business up to higher standards than what your customer experienced.
- I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with {problem}. When a customer shares a very specific issue, try customizing your apology to make it more personal.
- I really appreciate your patience. Instead of saying "sorry for the {problem}", you can use positive words in your support conversations to convey your appreciation.
For when you’re in the resolution phase
Solving someone’s problem? You might need to ask them for some time, speak to a colleague, or make sure they’re happy with the outcome. These phrases are designed to help you while you’re actually resolving an issue.
- Let me check that I've got this right. For when you need to make sure that you've really understood your customer's problem.
- So, if I've understood correctly... This customer service phrase is very similar to the option above.
- Our team is working to solve your problem. Solving some problems may be beyond your scope—you might need another team to take care of them, or someone more senior. Let the customer know that your team is working on it.
- Please allow us to make this right for you. These are the right words to use when your customer is frustrated with a problem and expects a quick resolution. Sometimes solutions take time to implement.
- To show how sorry we are, we'd like to offer you... When a customer feels really let down, a great idea is to compensate them with a voucher, a refund, a reward, or something similar.
- Would you prefer {outcome 1} or {outcome 2}? Sometimes, you might be able to offer your customer multiple possible resolutions. Use this phrase to ask them which outcome they would prefer.
- Would you like me to connect you with a specialist? When your customer has a problem that you can't help them with, use this phrase to escalate their case—and to convey that your business is taking it seriously.
- Let me know if that works for you? Try using this phrase when you want to make sure that your customer will be happy with the outcome you have in mind.
For when it’s time to sign off
Time to part ways? Give your customers a proper goodbye by making sure they’re happy before thanking them and wishing them well. Signing off in a positive way can improve your customer’s experience and encourage them to keep coming back to your business.
- You've been really helpful. Was your customer particularly cooperative in explaining their problem? Let them know how much you appreciate their help.
- Thank you for cooperating! Sign off on a positive note by acknowledging how cooperative your customer has been.
- I really appreciate your feedback and insight today. This is a good customer service phrase to use when you want to convey gratitude.
- Can I help you with anything else? Not sure if your customer is ready to sign off yet? Make sure they're satisfied with the outcome before you close the case.
- Have a great day! For when you want to keep it simple.
Save your customer service phrases with Magical
When you're working in customer service, using the right customer service phrases can help you navigate different situations. It's always a good idea to be prepared.
If you're a customer service agent, saving magic phrases (like the ones on our list) on the Magical app can help you save time and be more prepared for your everyday work. The free Magical Chrome extension lets you save and customize as many customer service phrases as you want, so you can summon them whenever you need to. (Yep, it works like magic! 🪄)
Just save your text shortcuts with customizable variables, and type "//" wherever you're working to use your saved phrases. And the best part is that Magical is free to use. Go ahead and add Magical to Chrome to start saving time today.
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