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"Have a Nice Day"
By Nancy Friedman, Telephone Doctor
May 2005
How
many times a day do you think "Have a nice day," is said to someone?
How many times has the phrase been said to you in one day?
I'm often asked if "Have a nice day" can be said too many times?
The
answer is "yes." If you're
saying it to the same person over and over, that might get annoying.
However, for the average person, hearing a genuine "Have a nice day,"
can be a good thing to hear – "genuine" being the key word.
For
example, the other day I was in a video store and where I rented several videos.
The person who was waiting on me did so in complete silence.
Complete silence that is, until she handed me my change.
Then, she told the cash register to "Have a nice day."
That's right. She spoke
directly to the cash register and told "it" to have a nice day.
Yeah, I thought she was strange, too.
Not
long before that, I had a young man at another store tell the floor to have a
nice day. More recently, when I was
at a fast food chain, the lady who handed me the meal looked off in space and
told someone out there to "Have a nice day."
Now,
some can profess that they were doing the right thing.
Almost. Sure, the words were
there, but the meaning and sincerity sure weren't.
If you're telling the cash register or the floor to have a nice day,
you're not doing any good. Try
looking into the customer's eyes and saying it.
It'll mean so much more. And
oh, by the way, saying "Have a nice day" doesn't count unless you're
smiling.
There's
also the phone call that ends with the same phrase.
Because it's impossible to say that phrase while looking into the
caller's eyes directly, it needs to be said with more conviction.
Yes, that good old smile still needs to be there, too.
Don't
forget, there are many other ways to end a conversation besides saying, "Have
a nice day." Here are just a few
examples:
"Thanks
for calling."
"I
enjoyed talking with you."
"Good
to hear from you."
"Enjoy
your day."
"Have
a beautiful day."
Remember,
there are many synonyms for good. You
don't need to be stuck on that one word. People
like to do business with individuals who are polite and more importantly,
friendly. It's that simple.
A way you can be extra nice is to look people in the eye when you're
talking with them. Smile and make it
meaningful. On the phone, give the
caller your full attention. Even
though you've heard the problem or the question 1,000 times, that one person
is most probably going through it for the first time.
Thanks
for listening. Make it a great day!
Nancy
Friedman is President of Telephone Doctor, a customer service training company
in St. Louis, MO. To receive a free
subscription to the Telephone Doctor Newsletter, The Friendly Voice, email Press@telephonedoctor.com
or call 314-291-1012
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