No matter the question a customer asks, yes or no is not an answer. It’s not the first word they want to hear, it’s everything after that matters.

When a customer asks if you have a warranty, yes isn’t what they to hear but, the terms of the warranty, how long it is effective, what it covers, what it doesn’t cover and more. Yes is an empty answer, it doesn’t help your customer. It doesn’t provide information.

If yes isn’t an answer, NO is even less an answer. If a customer asks for something you can’t provide NO is nothing more than an introduction to the real answer. The real answer is an alternative, a suggestion, an explanation of your policy or a recommendation.

Yes or No aren’t answers. They are shortcuts. Delivered by themselves they tell your customer they don’t matter. They say you’re not engaged, indifferent, and apathetic to their needs. We have customers because we meet their needs. Whether the answer is “Yes” or “No”, without the rest it just doesn’t matter.