The dictionary definition of empathy is the action of understanding, being sensitive, and genuinely experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others. In this context of Customer service, it is putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, identifying their problems and trying to solve while acknowledging their pains too.
Again, being empathetic refers to being emotionally understanding and sensitive to another person’s feelings by imagining oneself in their position.
Jonathan Okon works as a pump attendant in a petrol station. One fateful, busy Monday morning, a stranded 55-year public servant drives into the fuel station and walks towards his pump, looking hopelessly distressed and claims he has an issue with his credit card and needs some fuel that will take him to his bank so as to fix the problem. He asked the pump attendant to fill up his fuel tank (at the middle of fuel hike), pleaded that he will come back to pay up as soon as his faulty credit card’s issue is solved. The pump attendant granted him that unprecedented request.
On getting to the bank to rectify his credit card issues, he was also given a receptive treatment. After narrating his l ordeal to the customer service desk section, he was attended to immediately and on time. He quickly went back to the fuel station to pay up for the fuel he bought.
The 56-yearold man redeemed his promise and still gave the pump attendant some money for his kind gesture and drive away.
That was empathy that played in the above scenario between the fuel pump attend and the 56-year old public servant.
Empathy makes you to listen to the customer’s problem, understand where he is coming from, and offer a remedy without bushing him portrayed intense empathy.
These are empathy skills for Customer Service and they are as follows:
- Listen attentively to customers: Be a good listener and try to repeat what the customer says to assure them that you are listening and that you understand their concerns or pains
- Smile often: It’s an easy reception for any customer that needs assistance.
- Make a customer’s problem your problem: Find a solution collectively.
- Allow them to ‘get it all out’
- Be respectful to customer.
- See it through their eyes and feel their concerns as you wear their shoes with them.
- Understand their priorities.
- Show your customers or clients that you care
Importance of empathy to customer services
- It improves the quality of customer service
Empathy improves the quality of customers/clients’ service by helping to create good and long-lasting connections between the customer and business owners. For example, when you treat your customers with empathy, say as a friend, you are making the customers feel appreciated, welcomed and valued.
Again, a consumer develops a more welcoming image of the entire business, of course this kind act will enhance the customer’s loyalty to the business. All credit goes to empathetic nature shown to the customer by the service provider or the business owner. Empathetic support can turn a dissatisfied or sad customers into more patient and cooperative unpaid influencer for the service providers, companies or business owners.
Improve the Quality of Customer Service
When you work as a customer service relationship manager or representative, the job itself is demanding and intense, especially when a company’s success and reputation are dependent on the quality of customer service they offer. For example, companies like MTN, a telecommunication service company, the key thing there is to treat each and every customer well and make their visit memorably cherished and valued. They have competitions and wouldn’t want to treat their customers badly Poor customer services are not encouraged. On the other hand, remember the slogan that ” customers are always right. ” Let them always be assured of best services including being empathetic towards them. For it improves the quality of customer services.
- Using empathy in Customer Service
Emotion is one of the main contributors to a customer’s perception of a business. They are ingrained in people’s memories and influence a customer’s decision-making process even in the future. Empathy is one way of forging a more robust connection to earn a customer’s trust and achieve better business results. Customer support should portray empathy in both actions and responses. Using an empathetic tone will help in understanding the customer’s concerns.
Joy runs an online organic body product shop. She accidentally delivered an incorrect order to one of her loyal and highly esteemed customers. According to the client, the order was a glowing product for dark skinned she ordered the previous day. The order arrived on time but it was not what she ordered but the problem was that she delivered her the product for the light skinned, a lightening complexion product but she’s dark skinned. She was meant to travel with it. With deep anger she called Joy to complain about the incorrect order. Joy had to plead with her, calmed her pained emotions by using empathetic tone to say she was sorry and that it wasn’t intentional. She further unstoppably begged and pleaded with her that she’s so sorry for being the cause of her reschedule her travel date due to the incorrect delivery sent to her.
Joy compensated her by not allowing her to pay for the second deliver charges and promised to deliver it the next day unfailingly.
For empathy in customer service relationship, it is very wrong and unprofessional to talk in a tone that is not polite to customer or client.
Why is empathy important in customer service?
Having empathy as seen above can improve your customer service skills because their wants and needs. are anticipated. When a customer calls regarding an issue, their frustration or emotional state will make you give them a listening ear. By letting them tell you all the details before responding, you can show them you value what they have to say.
All in all, customer empathy creates or encourages friendly relationship between business owners, companies and customers. This relationship makes the customers’ needs to be easily identified, managed issues better. It enhances customer satisfaction, builds loyalty and turns customers to advocate.
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