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Working the drive-thru showed me the real difference a simple 'thank you' makes
For about two weeks, I started saying 'thank you for your patience' to every car that had to wait more than 30 seconds. Before that, people were mostly quiet or looked annoyed. After, I got way more smiles and 'no problem, thanks' back. It cost me nothing and changed the whole vibe of the shift. Has anyone else tried a small phrase that flipped a bad customer interaction?
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betty_price146mo ago
My buddy worked at a call center and started telling angry people, "I hear how frustrating this is, let me fix it." He said it cut the yelling in half right away. People just needed to know he was actually listening before he even tried to solve the problem. That one sentence made his whole job less awful. It's crazy how a few honest words can stop a fight before it starts.
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sandra3746mo ago
Oh, that's such a good point. I worked retail and just saying "I'm so sorry about the wait, I'll be right with you" instead of nothing changed everything. People just want to feel seen, you know? It stops them from getting mad before they even start.
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gracet226mo ago
Totally agree, and @sandra374 is right about people needing to feel seen. It's like a magic trick with words. My friend in a busy coffee shop started saying "I've got your order right here, just finishing up the latte art for you" during rushes instead of just "it'll be a minute." People stopped tapping their phones and actually looked happy to wait. They went from being an order number to a person getting a special drink. That tiny detail flipped the script completely.
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