What is customer empathy?
Customer empathy is simply putting yourself in your customerโs shoes to understand what they are going through. The language that we use has a huge impact on the customerโs perspective of the company. Empathetic communication in customer service makes the customer feel like you understand their problem as well as feelings.
What is empathy?
โEmpathy is the ability to share someone elseโs feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that personโs situation.โ
Types of empathy:
Compassionate empathy
This type of empathy is one that actually moves us to take an action.
Having compassionate empathy can change the direction of communication, especially when dealing with really frustrated, upset customers. It can literally change the customerโs mood immediately. If you understand the issue and are also willing to take action to help improve the situation, the customer will be calmer and appreciative.
Emotional empathy
Emotional empathy is when we are not only able to understand the feelings of the other person but also can relate to them. Itโs basically when you try to connect to the similar feeling that youโve experienced.
Cognitive empathy
Cognitive empathy is when you can recognize the feelings of others. As a result, you can improve your daily communication. The customer representativeโs ability to recognize customersโ feelings and perhaps even a way of thinking has more impact than the technical knowledge the agent can offer. A lot of times the customer just wants to hear that you understand them and you are sorry.
How do you express empathy in customer service?
Being a customer service representative can be a difficult job at times. If you are struggling to express customer empathy in a professional and not overly emotional way, here are a few tips that will help you navigate each situation with an empathetic approach.
1. Active listening
Active listening is a crucial aspect that helps you determine the issue the customer is experiencing. It clearly goes without saying. But it is much more than that. A lot of times, the customer is so frustrated that he/she needs to let the frustration out on someone. By any means, let them. The customer will call down and wait for your response. Do not interrupt the customer, let them talk. When the customer is done let them know how you feel about the issue. Try to put yourself in the same shoes. Sometimes the customer needs to hear that you are honestly sorry for the trouble theyโve experienced.
Customer Service Empathy Statements:
โ I canโt even imagine what you went through.โ
โ Sir/Madam, I understand your frustration, Iโd probably react in the same way.โ
โ I am truly sorry for this inconvenience that youโve experienced.โ
Moreover, active listening helps you summarize the issue. As a result, you can paraphrase it to your customer. This technique will not only help you with navigating the issue but at the same time, the customer feels heard and understood. For instance, you can say to the customer; โLet me see if I have this right..Did I miss anything?โ.
2. Ask questions
Asking proper questions is the way to solve the customer inquiry, but it also shows that youโre trying to help them resolve the issue. As a result, the customer is less likely to be dismissive.
3. Figure out the customerโs tone of voice
Each customer experience is different. Therefore, there is no one way to go about this. Therefore, mirroring the customerโs tone of voice can help you calmly navigate the problem.
4. Do not make assumptions
Never assume that the customer has already done something. The customer representative should try to determine the problem with the questions. When you assume the customer has already done something it can take twice as much time to solve even a simple issue. Moreover, sentences such as: โYouโve probably already done this, so..โ, can be degrading if the customer did not perform such an action.
5. If the customer is right, tell them
There is no point in hiding the truth or going around it. Honesty is the best policy. If your company has failed on some level or made a mistake and the customer is confronting you about it, let the customer know that he/she is right. Donโt be dismissive. For instance, โYou are absolutely right sir/madam..โ. More importantly, do not forget to follow up with the action that you are going to take to either fix or prevent the issue from happening next time.
How can LiveAgent help your agents with customer service empathy?
LiveAgent is a help desk solution that has many features to help your company provide stellar support. It is software that allows your agents to respond to customer inquiries from one interface. For instance, Email, Social Media, Live Chat, Forum, Calls, etc. As a result, it helps your representatives provide efficient and effective support to the customers.
Customer service representatives need to possess skills from 2 categories, soft skills, and technical skills. Technical skills can be taught, however, soft skills are pretty hard to learn. But there is definitely a way to help your agents utilize certain customer empathy statements. Here are some features that can help your customer service;
Video call
It can be really difficult to express an emotion or to correctly word sentences if you canโt see the person. Thus, LiveAgent gives your customers the ability to video call your agents. This not only helps you solve the customerโs issue sooner but also helps you decode the customerโs mood and emotions from their face and overall body language.
If you would like to learn more, read LiveAgent โ Video Call.
Canned responses
Canned responses are basically pre-made answers. Being able to respond fast and in a correct way can transform your service. You can create the perfect responses/ empathy statements in LiveAgent and personalize them in chat.
If you want to know more, read LiveAgent โ Canned responses.
LiveAgent has more than 170 features. If you would like to learn more, read LiveAgent โ Features or simply schedule a free demo with us.
Ready to give it a try?
Improve your customer service immediately with LiveAgent. Simply create a free account and gain the benefits.
Frequently asked questions
What is customer empathy?
Customer empathy is simply putting yourself in your customerโs shoes to understand what they are going through.
How do you express empathy in customer service?
If you are struggling to express customer empathy in a professional and not overly emotional way, make sure to actively listen, ask questions, do not make assumptions, and if the customer is right, tell them.
What are the 3 types of empathy?
The first type of empathy is compassion. This type of empathy is one that actually moves us to take an action. The second type is emotional empathy, which means that you can understand, but most importantly, relate to the feelings. The third type of empathy is cognitive, which recognizes the feelings of others.
A customer representative is an employee who interacts with customers on behalf of a company. They handle various inquiries, complaints and act as the voice of the company. Many companies use customer service software to provide support. To become a customer representative, communication skills are important along with soft and technical skills. Training is essential and involves shadowing seniors agents and learning on the go. After completing training, learning continues with on-the-job experiences and potential new training.
Customer relationship is paramount for business success, with good customer relationships leading to benefits such as customer retention, satisfaction, brand awareness, and competitive advantage. Effective communication and personalization of customer experience, even on multiple platforms, are key to building and improving customer relationships. Customer service software can aid in managing customer inquiries and engagement on various platforms, while customer interaction management software enables businesses to collect data and improve customer interactions. Effective customer service communication, which can be achieved through live chat communication tools such as canned responses, names, emojis, and auto-translation, can help retain customers and promote brand loyalty. Companies must ensure they have well-trained staff with the right communication skills to quickly resolve customer complaints. Help desk software is also an effective solution for managing customer communication across various platforms.
The article discusses the importance of customer service and how it can be achieved through understanding the client, building an emotional bond, collecting feedback, developing employees, and automating tasks. It also provides related resources and information about the LiveAgent platform. The article ends with a message about the website's use of cookies.
What is Customer Communication?
Customer communication, which involves exchanging information between a business and a client, is crucial for effective customer service. There are different platforms for customer communication such as email, phone, and live chat. It is essential to have well-trained sales teams with the right communication skills to quickly resolve customer complaints. Effective customer service communication can help retain customers and promote brand loyalty. However, live chat communication can be challenging to get right, and businesses need to avoid common mistakes to meet customer demands. Implementing tips such as the use of names, emojis, canned responses, and live chat auto-translation among others can help improve customer satisfaction. Help desk software can also be an effective solution for managing customer communication across various platforms.
