Three ways to address an unusual request from one of your customers.

1. Sorry, we can’t help, you can try over there.

2. We are sorry, we have tried and checked our policies, we can’t help. You can try over there.

3. We are sorry, it’s not perfect, but it should work. No need to pay for this, come back later and we might have a better, more permanent solution.

They are not so different from each other, in fact they stand on a continuum. And it is certainly possible to emphatize with each one of them.

But whether you go for 1, 2 or 3 makes a huge difference in the experience you shape for your customer and the relationship you are building with them.