Looking to use AI in customer service? There’s one vital ingredient it lacks, and that’s empathy: the ability to understand emotions and respond appropriately. This can lead to already-frustrated or angry customers becoming even angrier and more frustrated. If you’ve ever tried talking to a bot and ended up insulting it in every way you deem possible, you’ll know what we’re talking about.
Of course, chatbots and AI have their place, but if you want to gain a reputation for taking good care of your customers, it should always be easy for them to talk to another human being. When they do, the person representing your company should exercise empathy. Apart from dealing with the issue at hand, customers want your representatives to understand how they feel and respond appropriately.
This is more difficult than it sounds. For example, there are nuances like understanding the difference between empathy and sympathy in customer service. The former means understanding their feelings while the latter means showing pity or sorrow and can all-too-easily come across as patronising.
How to Show Empathy in Customer Service
Listen well
The first, and perhaps most important, element of empathy in customer service is active listening. Customers contact helplines because they want to express, not only an issue, but how they feel about it. The cues that tell you how they feel are there – if you’re listening well. They may be in the emotive words they use or their tone of voice.
Understand their feelings
Don’t be formulaic. Just trotting out handy phrases is no substitute for understanding a customer’s perspective. Think carefully about what they’re experiencing and how you’d feel if you were in their shoes.
Validate
Once you’ve gained understanding, it’s important to validate your customers’ emotions. You don’t need to eat humble pie, but you can demonstrate that you empathise. “I can see that would be frustrating,” for example, acknowledges the customer’s feelings and shows you’re on their side. Validating empathy responses in customer service include statements beginning with phrases like:
- I understand…
- I appreciate…
- I can see that…
- That must be…
Adopt the appropriate tone
It’s not just what you say that matters. How you say it conveys a message too. A warm tone of voice differs from a dismissive one. You may be battling fatigue, or you may secretly think that your customer is overreacting, so there will be times when you need to be a good actor!
Personalise your responses
Many customer service centres fall short when it comes to personalisation. While scripts can be helpful, operators must use emotional intelligence to know when to use them and when to diverge from them. And even if the script is perfect as it stands, the operator should know how to deliver it so that it sounds personalised.
This brings us back to the first point, listening. If all you did was cherry pick a few words so that you could access the relevant script, there’s a good chance that your lack of attention will be noticed. Always adjust your responses to specifically address all the points your customer raised.
Follow through
Empathy doesn’t end when your customer puts down the phone. You will have made promises and showing you care means following through. After ensuring that the necessary steps to address a customer’s complaint or enquiry have been taken, contact them to discover whether their issue is now satisfactorily addressed.
The Importance of Empathy in Customer Service
There are many business leaders who have weighed in with their take on the importance of empathetic customer service, but this one from Teddy Roosevelt resonates with us.
“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Profound words aside, empathy in customer service has several very real, very tangible benefits.
- Enhanced customer experiences
- Building trust and rapport
- Building customer loyalty
- Promoting a positive business reputation
- Differentiating your brand from its competitors
- Learning more about what customers really want
Every business has one thing in common with its competitors: it exists thanks to its customers. By listening to customers and understanding their experiences, you enhance your competitive position. Could empathy in customer service be the key to a thriving business? It can certainly contribute!
Rising to the Challenge: Here’s How We Do It
At RSVP, we’re able to maintain a laser focus on customer service because it’s our core business. Representing major brands is a position of trust, and our customers know they can rely on us to represent them well.
Here’s our recipe for success. Our call centre teams consist of real-life actors. We’ve chosen actors to represent our clients for reasons that include their ability to empathise, be expressive, and connect with people. An actor can easily step into a brand persona, and since actors must empathise with audiences in order to gain empathy in return, they’re masters of the art.
Although we serve your customers, you’re our real customer, so we ensure that you gain valuable customer experience data and insights. Working closely with your teams, we ensure that your customers are able to feel recognised for what they are: your business’s most valuable asset. Talk to us about your customer service outsourcing needs and make faultless and, above all empathetic, customer service one of your claims to fame.