Empathy And Empathy: The Value Of Customer Service

A lot of people think customer service is about fixing things and solving problems. That’s not the whole story. The real goal of customer service is to provide a positive experience that people associate with your company. Solving a customer’s problem often achieves this, but that’s not always within the control of a service rep. Some cases get escalated, and others were never really product problems to begin with.

The Value of Empathy
What is true 100% of the time, however, is that when a customer reaches out for service, she wants to be heard and feel like the person on the other end of the conversation truly understands what she’s going through. Customer service can’t always deliver solutions, but it can always deliver empathy. The impact of customer emotions cannot be ignored. Remember that customers who contact support have tried everything else themselves already. As a live service rep, you are their last hope before they give up—maybe on

There are a number of differences, and they all stem from the presence of empathy. Roughly 80% of the time, service reps don’t even ask for a customer’s name. That’s an easy way to say, “I don’t care about you or your problem.”

Great service—the kind where a service rep exudes personality, makes helpful suggestions beyond your initial question, and celebrates your success with you—happens because the rep actually cares about the outcome. She knows what you’re going through and understands the impact the problem is having on your day. Empathy from the rep aligns her with the customer’s pain, so she’s motivated to do all she can to ease it.

By putting yourself in the shoes of a customer, you also get context that helps you do your job: “I know how painful it can be in a meeting and realize halfway through that there’s an error in the report. Did you export it as a PDF the night before or pull it up fresh on your mobile