When it comes to resolving customer service issues within your company, do you ever think: “Am I treating the symptoms as well as curing the cause?”
What I’m getting at is this—sometimes our customers want us to do more than just provide our regular service, and actually understand how they are feeling before, during and after the transaction. Inject your customer service interactions with some empathy.
Empathy is the ability to acknowledge, understand, and respond appropriately to your customer’s emotional state. It is the capability to imagine what it might be like to be in the customer’s position. To look at it another way, companies that truly care for their customers and show empathy are generally more profitable than those that don’t, and they have better customer retention. In effect, building your customer relations by using empathy is worth the time and energy that you put into it.Here are some points to consider when adding empathy to your everyday customer interactions.
The Difference between Empathy and Sympathy
Most people are more familiar with the term “sympathy”, rather than “empathy”. In fact, many use both words interchangeably. Though similar, the two have different meanings. This is demonstrated below:Sympathy is when you identify and take on the customer’s emotions. Example: “I am really angry about those ads too!
“Empathy is when you acknowledge and affirm the customer’s emotional state.
Example: “I understand why you are angry about how those ads turned out.”Remember, your customers don’t want you to feel sorry for them. They just want to know that your company understands why they feel the way they do.
Using Empathy with Irate Customers
Empathy is crucial when dealing with customers who are upset or angry. Expressing empathy to an upset person produces an outlet for their emotion, enabling the agitated person to think more logically.
As I previously mentioned, a good rule of thumb is to try and visualize the situation from the customer’s perspective. Never try to cut them off or urge them to calm down. Instead, listen carefully.If someone is angry or upset, it is because that person feels slighted in some way. Your job is to let the customer vent, and to listen attentively in order to understand the source of that frustration. When you do that, you send a powerful, unspoken message that says you do care about their experience.
Some phrases that display empathy and understanding towards the upset customer are as follows:
“That’s awful. Please let me help you with that.”
“I’d be upset too, if that happened to me.”
“That is really frustrating. I understand how you feel.”
A word of caution: Be aware of your tone and demeanor at all times! If empathetic statements are not delivered with sincerity, the customer may think you’re mocking them. The situation could become even worse than if you said nothing at all!
How to Use Empathy When Solving the Issue
So you’ve empathized with the customer, and now it’s time to fix the problem. You should not stop using empathy just because you have calmed the customer down—you must also use it when resolving the actual issue.Imagine for a moment that the customer is upset about a possible overcharge by your company. It would be bad practice to assume that the customer is wrong, or that the overcharge is the result of an error within their bank. While either of these scenarios could be the cause, under no circumstances should you ever mention that to your customer!The empathetic thing to do would be to assure the customer that your company will do something about the overcharge, whether it involves investigating it or transferring them to someone who can better solve the problem.
Here are some fantastic examples of empathetic phrases you can use when resolving the customer’s issue:
“I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. My name is _______, and I will personally investigate this for you so that we can correct this situation.”“We will investigate this for you immediately.”
“Let me transfer your call to someone who can give you a better answer.”
Improve Your Customer Rapport With Empathy!
Empathizing is easy to do, once you know how. You can express empathy to create the rapport that you seek with your customers. Even at times when you are dealing with a customer who is frustrating you, you must convey your most professional, respectful demeanor, and empathize with the customer. Not only will your customer retention improve, but your company’s reputation will be better for it as well!
| About The Author: Nicki Flouton is the Customer Service Manager for Multiple Stream Media, an online advertising network helping small businesses gain visitors to their websites, and acquire new clients the inexpensive way. For your free and non-obligatory consultation please visit – http://www.rent-a-list.com |
