5 More Annoying Contact Center Phrases Customers (And You) Hate to Hear

The words contact center agents choose can completely change how a customer perceives an interaction. Sometimes the underlying situation cannot be changed immediately, but a more transparent, confident, and helpful response can prevent additional frustration. Here are five contact center phrases customers may dislike hearing — and better ways agents can communicate the same situation.

• Why Language Matters in Customer Service
• 1. “Your Call Is Very Important to Us, Please Hold”
• 2. “I Am Going to Put You on Hold”
• 3. “That Is the Manufacturer’s or Distributor’s Responsibility”
• 4. “I Believe” or “I Think”
• 5. “You Called the Wrong Department”
• Turn Better Language Into a QA and Training Practice

Why Language Matters in Customer Service

There are many phrases that can negatively affect the Customer Experience. Customers can become frustrated when the language they hear suggests that the company does not care about their problem, is unwilling to help, or does not know how to provide a solution.

In many situations, two agents may need to communicate exactly the same information but create very different customer reactions simply because of the words they choose.

Good customer service communication should demonstrate:

• Ownership
• Empathy
• Confidence
• Transparency
• Willingness to help
• Clear next steps

This article builds on CCSI's companion article, 8 Horrifying Phrases You Never Want To Hear In Your Call Center, with five additional examples and more useful alternatives.

1. “Your Call Is Very Important to Us, Please Hold”

Customers have heard this recorded message countless times. The words themselves are not necessarily the problem. The frustration begins when customers repeatedly hear that their call is “very important” while remaining in a long queue without useful information about when someone will help them.

When what the customer hears does not match what they are experiencing, the message can begin to sound impersonal or insincere.

Contact centers should focus on the underlying reasons customers are waiting, including:

• Agent capacity
• Forecasting accuracy
• Workforce Management
• Unexpected call-volume spikes
• Routing
• Average interaction complexity
• Self-service availability

When a wait cannot be avoided, useful information is generally better than repeatedly playing the same generic reassurance.

Better Approach

“Thank you for your patience. Our team is assisting other customers, and we’ll connect you with the next available representative.”

Organizations that regularly struggle with insufficient capacity may also need to evaluate their overall Customer Service staffing strategy and whether additional agent resources are required during peak periods.

2. “I Am Going to Put You on Hold”

Sometimes placing a customer on hold is necessary. The problem is not always the hold itself; it is placing someone on hold without explaining what is happening or why.

Customers may feel as though the interaction has stopped and their time is being wasted.

Instead, agents should briefly explain what they need to do and, when practical, ask permission before placing the customer on hold.

Better Approach

“Let me verify that information for you. May I place you on a brief hold while I check?”

This small change tells the customer that the agent is actively working toward a solution rather than simply making them wait.

Agents can also avoid unnecessary holds when they have strong product knowledge, accurate customer information, and easy access to internal resources. CCSI's article on improving agent product and service knowledge explores several ways to strengthen those capabilities.

3. “That Is the Manufacturer’s or Distributor’s Responsibility”

A customer generally contacts the company they purchased from because that is the organization they know and trust to help them.

There will certainly be situations where another manufacturer, distributor, service provider, financial institution, or business partner ultimately needs to resolve the problem.

However, simply telling the customer that the problem belongs to someone else can sound like the company is trying to avoid responsibility.

Whenever possible, the agent should help move the customer closer to the solution.

Better Approach

“The manufacturer will need to complete that part of the process, but let me help you with the information you’ll need to contact them.”

Or, when company procedures allow:

“We can help you by contacting the manufacturer and determining the next step.”

This demonstrates ownership even when the complete resolution requires another organization.

Ownership is also an important part of recovering from difficult interactions. CCSI's guide on managing bad Customer Service experiences discusses listening, responding quickly, escalation, service recovery, and follow-up.

4. “I Believe” or “I Think”

Phrases such as “I think” or “I believe” are not inherently wrong, but they can become a problem when an agent uses them to provide information that should be accurate and certain.

For example, customers do not want to hear:

“I think your payment will probably be processed tomorrow.”

The customer needs accurate information, not a guess.

Agents should never invent an answer simply because they feel pressure to respond immediately. When they are uncertain, it is more professional to acknowledge that they need to verify the information.

Better Approach

“Let me verify that for you so I can give you the correct information.”

Or:

“I don't have that answer confirmed yet, but I can find out for you.”

This preserves credibility while showing the customer that the agent is taking responsibility for finding the answer.

Continuous training is important for reducing these situations. CCSI's bilingual and bicultural agents receive ongoing development in areas that include Customer Experience, communication, active listening, systems and processes, negotiation, and professional call handling.

5. “You Called the Wrong Department”

Customers rarely care about the company's internal organizational structure. From their perspective, they contacted the company because they need help.

Telling someone that they called the wrong department can make the customer feel responsible for understanding an organizational structure they may never have seen.

Sometimes a transfer really is necessary. The important difference is how the agent manages it.

Better Approach

“I can help get you to the right person. Let me connect you with the team that handles this.”

Even better, when the agent has the knowledge and authority to resolve the issue without transferring the customer:

“I’ll help you find the answer.”

This principle connects directly with First Contact Resolution. Unnecessary transfers and repeat contacts increase customer effort while also consuming additional contact center capacity.

Contact centers should therefore examine why customers reach the wrong team in the first place. Possible causes include:

• Confusing IVR menus
• Poor call routing
• Unclear website contact information
• Disconnected departments
• Insufficient agent authority
• Incomplete customer records
• Policies that require unnecessary transfers

Reducing those problems can improve both Customer Experience and operational efficiency.

It's Not Only What Agents Say — It's How They Say It

Contact center communication should not become a rigid script where agents simply replace one phrase with another.

Tone, context, listening, empathy, confidence, and the ability to understand what the customer actually needs are equally important.

For example, telling agents never to say “I don't know” does not mean they should pretend to know something they do not. The objective is to move from uncertainty to ownership:

Instead of: “I don't know.”

Try: “I don't have that information yet, but let me find it for you.”

Instead of: “That's not my department.”

Try: “Let me help get you to the right person.”

Instead of: “You have to wait.”

Try: “Let me verify this information so I can give you an accurate answer.”

The goal is not simply to sound nicer. It is to communicate that the agent understands the customer's concern and is actively moving toward a solution.

The same principle applies from the very beginning of an interaction. A thoughtful call center greeting can establish a professional and human tone before the customer even explains why they are contacting the company.

Turn Better Language Into a QA and Training Practice

Knowing which phrases can frustrate customers is useful, but the next step is turning that knowledge into a repeatable training and Quality Assurance process.

Contact center leaders can use examples from real interactions to coach agents on:

• Taking ownership of customer issues
• Explaining holds and transfers
• Using confident but accurate language
• Demonstrating empathy
• Avoiding blame
• Offering clear next steps
• Reducing unnecessary transfers
• Managing difficult conversations

These behaviors can also become part of the organization's Quality Assurance and Call Monitoring scorecards and coaching process.

CCSI's Quality Assurance specialists evaluate customer interactions, agent performance, process compliance, and opportunities for coaching and continuous service improvement.

AI Can Help Identify Communication Patterns at Scale

Modern contact centers can also use AI-assisted Quality Assurance to analyze larger volumes of customer interactions and identify recurring language, sentiment, compliance issues, and coaching opportunities.

CCSI's AI-powered QA & Compliance Agents can complement traditional quality monitoring by helping organizations analyze interactions at scale while human supervisors and QA professionals provide context, coaching, and judgment.

Better Conversations Start With Better-Prepared Agents

Agents are more likely to communicate confidently when they have the training, product knowledge, customer information, technology, and authority needed to help.

That means communication quality is not only an agent issue. It is also influenced by:

• Training
• Leadership
• Knowledge management
• Technology
• Company policies
• Agent empowerment
• Quality Assurance
• Company culture

A supportive contact center culture gives employees the training, feedback, recognition, and support they need to develop stronger communication skills over time.

The goal should not be to make every agent sound exactly the same. It should be to give employees the skills and resources necessary to communicate naturally while consistently representing the client's brand and Customer Experience standards.

Strengthen Your Customer Service Team With CCSI

Historical note: This article was originally published in 2018 with five examples of phrases that can negatively affect Customer Experience. All five original examples have been preserved. The article has been updated to place greater emphasis on transparency, ownership, First Contact Resolution, agent training, Quality Assurance, and the context in which these phrases are used rather than treating individual words as universally prohibited.

Originally published: July 24, 2018
Last reviewed and updated: July 26, 2026