Of course, we know that everybody is wrong sometimes, including customers. But in business, in order to win repeat custom and positive word-of-mouth publicity, we try to make the customer feel valued and encourage a positive future relationship. The language we use when communicating with customers should therefore reflect this attitude.

Here are three principles to make your communication more positive and more successful.

A. The 'you' principle
Make your customer the most important person in your communication. Aim at satisfying his/her needs, rather than those of the organziation.
B. The positive principle
By avoiding negative language, you can avoid negative feelings. By using positive language, you can encourage positive feelings.
C. The courtesy principle
Show that you appreciate your customers by using please and thank you, etc.

Here are some examples of sentences that have been improved using one of the three principles mentioned above. But which principle has been used in each case? Choose the right one from the drop down menus.