Did you know 90% of Americans say customer service determines whether or not they will do business with a company? Despite this reality, it can still be challenging to find employees committed to serving the customer. 

You need to provide the right feedback to employees during annual performance reviews. This feedback can help employees navigate customer situations even provide better service. The fact is this constructive feedback is important to improve the company’s bottom line.

To kick off the annual review of an employee and aid in the development of a business, check out these useful performance review phrases about customer service. I share examples that applaud strong performance and provide helpful guidance for underperformance in this area. 

Positive Performance Review Phrases for Customer Service

Boost the confidence of your employees with these positive performance review phrases.

  • The company appreciates your eloquent way of addressing the customer’s problem. You always put the customer first and take time to understand their situation. 
  • To be able to see through the confused eyes of a troubled customer is commendable. Knowing exactly how to shed light on their concerns and guide them through the solution is beyond impressive.
  • You have set an example of what a competent customer service representative should be. You have proven to the customers how worthy we are of their trust and the company has been truly grateful to have you.
  • The team has been extremely motivated to be productive, thanks to your inspiring customer service performance. You have shown them how rewarding it is to keep customers coming back to our business despite our shortcomings.

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  • The extra miles Anna has been going to ensure customer satisfaction are admirable.
  • Customers have been enjoying the top-of-the-line customer service experience, thanks to its dedication of John.
  • A huge chunk of this business’ success goes to the unrivaled hard work of Kate who has been hands-on in taking care of our customers.
  • John has unlocked the secret to effective communication and his performance has skyrocketed the sales of our business.
  • The team appreciated how targeted you are in solving the problems of the customers.
  • The feedback you have gathered from customers shows how committed you are to providing them with the best customer service experience.

Negative Performance Review Phrases for Customer Service

Managers rating subordinates.

Have you been disappointed with the performance of someone from your team? Here are some phrases you can use to provide constructive feedback. 

  • The team understands that John is still yet new to the industry but we, nevertheless, expect him to deliver the bare minimum of his customer service performance. So far, he has been struggling to do so.
  • Serena seems to be easily overwhelmed in the process of building rapport with the customers. She tends to spend unnecessary time talking to customers about anything but their problems. 
  • Elena has yet to cope with customer service’s emotional and mental demands. She is having difficulty addressing the customers’ concerns without losing patience with them.
  • Melanie’s teammates have been reluctant in collaborating with her because of her intimidating behavior and her aloof personality. Though we respect her personal space, she still has to make an effort to get along with everybody at work. 

Joe’s responses to the customers have not helped address their concerns. His lack of empathy only pushes them away from the solution they are looking for.

  • Anna could still improve her time management. Her tardiness has been compromising the quality of her performance as she had to cope with the quota even with the time she lost earlier.
  • Unfortunately, Emma’s behavior in customer service has been disappointing. She doesn’t have enough creativity to improvise solutions when the prior method doesn’t work and she also could not refrain from being too emotional. 
  • Seven’s energy in talking to customers has not been engaging at all. He tends to be easily overwhelmed with their temper and could not focus on bringing them the best solution when that occurs.

Marilyn has a hard time coping with the pace of customer service. The business receives a generous number of complaints and inquiries from her line alone but she acts like she’s not having a busy day at work.

  • Jason is a good speaker but sometimes, he struggles to either find solutions to the customer’s problems or guide them through the process of solving their concerns.
  • Anna’s sense of creativity has not been too helpful in delivering the bare minimum of her performance. She tends to talk beyond the script and spends so much time building rapport more than solving their problem.
  • Ella has been passive in manifesting the feedback she receives from both customers and the team. Though she has taken notes of some points of improvement, she still hasn’t changed her old behavior.

Performance Review Phrases for Call Center Employees

Keep your call center agents improving each day on the phones. Here are some phrases you can use for performance reviews. 

  • Carl is a detail-oriented and results-driven agent who is dedicated to providing a satisfying customer service experience. 
  • Justine’s eloquence in delivering the script is commendable. Customers have been pleased with his problem-solving skills.
  • Diane is amazing at managing the temper of the complainants. Her soothing and gentle voice helped them calm down before they proceeded to discuss how to resolve their concerns. 
  • Kyle knows how to optimize her time to increase her productivity in the workplace. She has been conscious of her Average Handle Time and does her best to wrap the call as soon as possible without comprising the quality of her performance. 

Anna’s behavior reflects her understanding of the values of the call center. Her integrity has born fruitful results that significantly contributed to the success of our company.

  • James knows how to handle a customer’s concern. Though they often demand a supervisor call, he can manage their emotions and meet their expectations seamlessly.
  • Diane demonstrates effective leadership in the workplace. She has been bringing out the best in everyone on the team and helps cultivate a conducive environment for them to become productive. She has the potential to become a supervisor someday.

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  • Thalia’s voice is music to the ears of the customers. They are always satisfied with the solution she provides, and despite the issues they’ve encountered with our products, their trust remains in us. 
  • Elena’s call is known as the “ring of opportunity.” Whenever she picks up a call, she provides something valuable to the customer and, as a result, improves our company’s sales performance and customer retention rate.
  • Danilo makes every cold call sound like a freshly-baked opportunity that customers can’t resist biting.

John comes first in my mind when someone looks for a person who has the potential to become a team leader. He doesn’t believe in competition. Rather, he makes sure to help the team provide the best customer service experience to the company’s clients.

  • Kyla’s pleasant voice is therapeutic to the customers. She never complains about her clients’ temper because they appreciate how she makes them feel heard and not alone when they are in the middle of resolving their concerns.
  • Ella represents the core values of the call center. Her behavior is a worthy example of what agents the company needs to become a top player in the country’s BPO industry.
  • Despite being a newbie in the BPO industry, Keah has proven herself an asset to the call center company she works for with her eloquent speaking skills and unparalleled emotional intelligence.

Performance Review Phrases for Internal Customer Service

One-on-one performance evaluation discussion.

Is your team in-charge in taking care of your employees and doing well in giving them the support their name? These phrases will help you review their performance. 

  • The team can be put under so much pressure when the workplace becomes more demanding on seasonal holidays, but Hannah’s impressive performance has taken care of the mental health of the company’s employees.
  • Catherine cares for the working team more than anyone in this company. Her sharp insights regarding their performance have helped them improve significantly from day one.
  • No matter how heavy the discussion can be, Alfonso’s friendly personality has made it rather light and encouraging. His talent in building rapport is admirable and the employees are more motivated to work in his presence. 
  • John is particular with the performance of every employee. He makes sure that all of them meet expectations and achieve goals while working in the company.
  • Employees do not hesitate to come to Ron when they’re having struggles in the company. His wisdom and sense of empathy assure them that they can rely on his guidance when they can barely cope with their performance.
  • Fernan is not just a listener; he acts like a friend who understands the struggles of the employees and does his best to help them get through their challenges.
  • Mandy is a fair judge when it comes to reviewing the performance of the employees. She balances their strengths and weaknesses and helps them realize what they can do to improve their performance.
  • Liza is a goal-oriented employee who treats the goals of the team as if they were her own. She helps the employees overcome their challenges and shortcomings and cheers for them when they show some improvement.
  • Kyle’s teammates have been learning a lot from her work advice. They learned better strategies to communicate with angry customers and became more productive than before.
  • Teresa is reliable not only in addressing the concerns of the customers but also in ensuring that everyone in the team is getting enough technical support to improve their call performance.

Why Is Customer Service So Important In A Business?

Here are just a couple reasons customer service is important to the viability of a small business whether you’re operating a restaurant, call center, or e-commerce website. 

  • Better Sales Performance. The primary factor that drives sales in your business is the trust that customers put in your products or services. While it is inevitable for them to have concerns regarding the transaction, all they need is assurance from the business that they are willing to take care of their problems. If you go an extra mile for them, they will continue to support your business, network, and help increase the average customer value.
  • Improved Business Decisions. Customer service is a good source of feedback. You can collect feedback from front-line workers about the challenges using a product or service. If you take action and implement change based on this feedback, you could improve the customer experience for everyone. 

How Can You Evaluate Customer Service Among Employees?

Customer service agents handling various business industries.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what employees are providing the best customer service. Here are some simple ways to help evaluate performance. 

  • Set career growth objectives that align with company goals. Success can be measured if you are going to define it accordingly. The best way to do this is to sit down with your employees, discuss what your company is trying to achieve within a specific amount of time, then talk about each other’s career expectations. Once you lay down important information, create specific guidelines that will indicate how successful your performance has been. Not only will these deepen their sense of belongingness to your organization, but they will also be motivated to achieve them and see the effect of the results on themselves. 
  • Use Customer Service Performance metrics to measure performance. Based on the objectives and goals you’ve defined for your team, choose appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure the actions they are required to sustain to meet certain expectations. These metrics involve a formula that you can use to quantify the success of your employees.
  • Collect feedback from clients. You can provide a simple online form that asks customers if they’re satisfied with the service received. This data can be collected and used to identify high-performing employees.

There are two core benefits of an organization laser focused on the customer: improved retention and increased average customer value. Customers prefer having transactions with brands that not only serve their demand but also make the experience easy and stress-free.

Your employees are just as important as your customers in your business. Being able to take care of both of them will guarantee you greater success. I hope you found inspiring phrases here for your performance review right here.