5 Things You Should Never Say to Your Customers
What product managers and their teams communicate to customers has direct consequences for customer trust, product perception, and commercial outcomes. Some phrases — however well-intentioned — reliably damage the relationship or create problems that are harder to fix than whatever problem prompted the statement in the first place.
These five are the ones that product managers should actively ensure never come from their team — in customer calls, in marketing copy, in support interactions, or in any other customer-facing communication.
1. Committing to a Specific Release Date for an Uncertain Feature
“That feature will be available on March 15th” — said about something that isn’t nearly that certain — sets up a customer disappointment that could have been avoided with honest, directional communication.
Customers understand that product development involves uncertainty. What they don’t forgive easily is being misled — being given specific commitments that turn out to be incorrect. The damage to trust from a broken date commitment is disproportionate to the damage from honest uncertainty framing.
Instead say: “That’s on our roadmap for Q1, but I don’t want to give you a specific date I can’t stand behind. I’ll update you as we get closer and the timeline becomes clearer.”
2. “Your Request Is on Our Roadmap”
Said to satisfy a customer who has asked about a specific feature, this phrase creates an expectation that the customer will hold the vendor to. When the feature doesn’t appear — or appears in a form the customer didn’t expect — “it was on the roadmap” feels like a broken promise.
Instead say: “We’re aware of that need and it’s something we’re evaluating. I don’t want to overcommit on timing, but I’ll make sure you hear from us when we have more clarity on when or whether we’ll address it.”
3. “That’s Not Something We Support”
Said alone, without any constructive path forward, this phrase leaves customers with nothing — no solution, no workaround, no next step, no sense that the company cares about solving their problem.
Instead say: “We don’t currently support that directly. Here’s what we do support that might address your underlying need — [alternative approach]. I’d also like to understand more about why you need this, because it helps us understand what to build next.”
4. “That’s a Great Idea — We’ll Definitely Build That”
Customer enthusiasm for their own feature ideas is real and genuine, and it’s tempting to match it with enthusiastic commitment. But committing to building a specific feature — especially without evaluating it against the full product strategy — creates expectations that may not be met.
Instead say: “That’s really interesting — can you tell me more about the specific workflow challenge you’re trying to solve? I want to make sure I understand the problem well before I say anything about what we might build.”
5. “We’re Working on It”
Said without specificity, this phrase communicates almost nothing useful. Working on it for how long? What stage is it at? When will you know more?
Instead say: “We’re actively investigating that issue / building that capability / making that change. I’ll give you an update by [specific date] with more concrete information about timeline and what to expect.”
Key Takeaways
The phrases to avoid share a common characteristic: they prioritize the short-term comfort of the conversation over the long-term health of the customer relationship. The replacements share a different characteristic: they’re honest about uncertainty while providing enough specificity and constructive direction to maintain trust. Customers who experience this kind of honest, thoughtful communication consistently rate their relationship with the vendor more positively than those who receive vague promises that don’t materialize.