“No problem” vs “you’re welcome”

radcen said:

"Thank you." "You're welcome."

"Thank you." "No problem."

Thoughts? What's your preference? Does on of them annoy you or feel inconsiderate?

“No problem” vs “you’re welcome”

Customer Service Experts Say 'No Problem' Is A Big Customer Service Problem--Here's Why

"No problem": Yes, it's a BIG problem

Why do some people say “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome” when someone thanks them?

This has been becoming a minor pet-peeve of mine for a couple years now. Here's my issue: When I say "thank you" to someone I am expressing my appreciation for whatever it is they did that benefited me. When a person responds with "no problem" it comes off as them being dismissive of my appreciation (and, by extension, me) as not important enough or valid enough to be acknowledged.

Now, I know that that's probably almost always not how they mean it, but I'm sorry, words do matter.

Note for the "Who cares?" crowd: The thread is clearly titled. If you came in it's because you were interested. Get over yourself.

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Im fine with either acknowledgement

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radcen said:

"Thank you." "You're welcome."

"Thank you." "No problem."

Thoughts? What's your preference? Does on of them annoy you or feel inconsiderate?

“No problem” vs “you’re welcome”

Customer Service Experts Say 'No Problem' Is A Big Customer Service Problem--Here's Why

"No problem": Yes, it's a BIG problem

Why do some people say “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome” when someone thanks them?

This has been becoming a minor pet-peeve of mine for a couple years now. Here's my issue: When I say "thank you" to someone I am expressing my appreciation for whatever it is they did that benefited me. When a person responds with "no problem" it comes off as them being dismissive of my appreciation (and, by extension, me) as not important enough or valid enough to be acknowledged.

Now, I know that that's probably almost always not how they mean it, but I'm sorry, words do matter.

Note for the "Who cares?" crowd: The thread is clearly titled. If you came in it's because you were interested. Get over yourself.

Click to expand...

It's been at least ten years since "No problem" became a pseudo-synonym for "You're welcome."

But I decided to give up when people began using "impact" as a verb. I just laugh when I hear somebody soberly say, "Yes, this has severely impacted our organization." They obviously don't understand what they're actually saying.
:lamo

Interesting discussion. You are right and it is better to say "You're Welcome". I guess that I felt that a more nonchalant response would let the person know that they did not put me out of my way or that I was not glad to do something when the reality is that I appreciated the opportunity to provide assistance. We spend time trying to be helpful because we like the feeling we get when we help others. Will try to do better in the future. There is a skill in accepting gratitude, IMHO.

radcen said:

Some courtesy is perfunctory. Do we really need to thank the server every single time they bring a drink refill?

Certainly is polite and doesn't hurt, but is it necessary?

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I unfailingly do. I figure I'm balancing out those who don't say thank you at all because, well, that's what servers are paid to do.

radcen said:

Generally, younger generations know what is meant by older generations. Not always the other way around. Why risk alienating a portion of your customer base?

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I think that's a bit presumptuous, even if it were generally the case. I'm not saying people in customer service shouldn't choose their words appropriately for the situation (to be honest, as we all should all the time), I just think the idea that a particular phase should be completely eradicated from their professional vocabulary is an over-reaction, especially when a lot of these interactions will be between two people for whom the phrase "No problem" is, well, no problem while "You're welcome" might sound artificial or forced.

It think this is part of the wider issue of "scripted" customer interaction, where staff are required to speak a precise set of words in any given circumstance, like the classic "Have a nice day" (I don't know if that fake phrase is mocked in the US as much as it is here in the UK). I mean, the basis of this is that different people will read different things from the same phrases so why no empower your staff in tailoring their conversation with customers to each customer.

Of course, that would require a little trust, respect and investment in staff and not just treating them as another piece of equipment.

I don't see the big deal with "no problem". I view it as someone accepting my thanks, and essentially stating that they would do it again. I definitely don't see the negative in it.

If you know what is being communicated then it's no problem.

HonestJoe said:

I think that's a bit presumptuous, even if it were generally the case. I'm not saying people in customer service shouldn't choose their words appropriately for the situation (to be honest, as we all should all the time), I just think the idea that a particular phase should be completely eradicated from their professional vocabulary is an over-reaction, especially when a lot of these interactions will be between two people for whom the phrase "No problem" is, well, no problem while "You're welcome" might sound artificial or forced.

It think this is part of the wider issue of "scripted" customer interaction, where staff are required to speak a precise set of words in any given circumstance, like the classic "Have a nice day" (I don't know if that fake phrase is mocked in the US as much as it is here in the UK). I mean, the basis of this is that different people will read different things from the same phrases so why no empower your staff in tailoring their conversation with customers to each customer.

Of course, that would require a little trust, respect and investment in staff and not just treating them as another piece of equipment.

Click to expand...

There's a chain steakhouse that, at least here locally but I suspect corporate-wide, always asks the customers if their food is "perfect". Everything is framed "perfect".

The people in our group mock it because nothing is perfect. It's absurd. (We only mock it to each other, not to the servers.)

Jredbaron96 said:

Millennials say "No problem" because it's our assumption that lending a helping hand is expected and a given, and to show our assistance wasn't a burden for us (even if it was), and that anyone would do the same if they were in the same situation.

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That's exactly how I take it.

holbritter said:

I'll take a "no problem" over silence after saying Thank you. And when that happens, I loudly say "you're welcome" to myself

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Confession: I'm guilty of saying nothing sometimes. More times than not however I say "my pleasure".