Youve received one of these proliferating offers for cheap money offered by your charge card issuer, and you want to find out how much youre really going to pay in interest and balance transfer fees.

So, you phone the number on the back of the card, and finally, after deftly negotiating the phone tree like a monkey, youre speaking with a human being.

She announces herself, asks how she can help you, and you mention you have a question.

Ok, she replies, in a flat tone of voice.

You feel as if youve interrupted her. Shes not there for you, shes in this call only for herself.

But she hasnt overtly insulted you, or said shes unwilling or unable to help, but thats the distinct impression you got from her reply.

With a simple, neutral word, she made you feel unwelcome, and definitely uncomfortable.

This shouldnt happen, should it? But it does, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of times a day. Careless reps, that are allowed to casually script their own conversations, alienate customers without knowing it, and their trainers, monitors, and managers dont detect their flaws.

There is a better way.

Customer service, technical support, and other help desk entities should adopt call paths for assuring that reps sound ready, willing, and able to help those who call in.

One of the best lines, one that I have refined for this purpose, is what I call, The Promise of Help.

After a client mentions what she wants, or asks a question, reps are trained to say:

Sure, Ill be happy to help you with that. This is to be said right away.

It signals that the rep is right on the mark, poised and prepared to help, and in the right mood to help. It says, youre going to get the answer you need, and Im going to enjoy giving it to you.

I live for this stuff!

This line has been tested and proven in tens of millions of calls. It delights customers while putting them at ease. And it elevates the standard of customer care in one simple sentence.

In a word, its a gem.

In future articles, Ill discuss the voice inflections that should accompany this line, and other elements of the customer service call path.