Workforce Management Featured Article
Choose Your Words Wisely for Optimal CX
Masaru Emoto several years ago suggested that words and music can affect the formation of snowflakes.
Snowflakes in environments with classical music were beautiful and even, he said. When more aggressive and less melodic music was played, it created snowflakes that were less visually pleasing, he opined.
The idea was that emotional energy and vibrations can change the physical structure of water.
Emoto was a best selling author and a doctor of alternative medicine. But he was not a scientist. And multiple scientists have criticized Emoto’s work as uncontrolled and unrealistic.
That said, the popularity of his books encouraged dialog about how sounds – especially words and tone – can impact everything from child rearing to interpersonal relations and marketing.
This conversation, in my opinion, makes perfect sense.
Words matter. So businesses and individuals need to consider their word choices and sentiment when interacting with customers and prospects. They should use positive words, even if they can’t always deliver exactly what someone requests.
Positive words and caring sentiment can defuse uncomfortable conversations with angry callers. They can show prospects that are considering becoming customers that the business cares about their concerns and interests. And it can cause someone who is thinking about dropping his or her subscription to reconsider.
To ensure their agents use positive words and phrases during customer interactions, businesses should carefully create scripts with all that in mind.
An agent could simply tell a caller that a desired product has been discontinued. But wouldn’t it be better for the caller and the business if that agent instead briefly explained the product is not available, and then quickly followed up with an even better alternative?
Nice sounds may not form the prettiest snowflakes. (Or maybe they do. I’m no scientist.) But they can most certainly help businesses put their best face forward.
Edited by Maurice Nagle