Customer service is tricky. Customer service reps have to be careful of what they say and how they say it, this is especially true while talking to customers on the phone. A few misunderstood words can cause a customer to misread the situation and get upset over what you intended to be a positive interaction.

Here are some common phrases that are often the cause of a good call gone bad.

No Problem – I hear people say this all the time, and I know they mean yes. But ‘no problem’ still implies that the customer is creating a problem. Instead try ‘I’d be happy to’ ‘My pleasure’ or simply ‘Yes’.

Are you sure – Customers are often wrong. So what! Calling them on it will only make a bad situation worse. Saying something like this is better. ‘Can you walk me through that one more time so we can take care of what went wrong?’

No – Why would you ever just shut a customer down like that? Now they are on the defensive, and you have to win them back. Instead, keep things in a positive light. Say ‘That’s a really interesting question. What I can do is…’

Can you hold please – A little finesse please! Just because you said please doesn’t mean you’ve asked nicely. Rephrase your request to ‘Are you able to hold for a moment’? or ‘One moment please’

You HAVE to – Your customer doesn’t have to do anything! Think about it, when someone tells you to do something it makes you want to dig in your heels and rebel. Oddly the phrase ‘What you’ll need to do’ is much more palatable.

I don’t know – Stating the fact that you don’t know isn’t helpful, the customer will likely be polite, but will secretly be wishing to talk to someone who does know what to do for them. If you don’t know the answer to your customer’s question, state ‘that’s a really good question: Let me check and find out.’

Just calm down – Is there ever a situation where this phrase actually works? In fact, I don’t ever remember hearing about a customer thanking a service rep for pointing out that they’re acting like a raving lunatic. Telling someone to calm down is a sure-fire way to take them from merely ticked off to absolutely irate. Just let them vent, then solve their issue. If they want to talk to somebody else that’s fine, but never tell them to calm down.