{"id":12450,"date":"2019-03-29T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/?p=12450"},"modified":"2024-03-05T08:55:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T14:55:40","slug":"the-secret-to-great-customer-service-empathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/the-secret-to-great-customer-service-empathy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret to Great Customer Service: Empathy"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the one skill that everybody in customer support must have? Whether you\u2019ve been on the phone with a customer service representative or work in customer service yourself, empathy should be high on your list!<\/p>\n

Empathy is putting yourself in others\u2019 shoes and seeing a problem from their point of view, and in customer service it\u2019s a helpful way to keep customer service interactions positive.\u00a0 Empathy doesn\u2019t mean that you have to totally agree with your customer, but being understanding of their stress and listening can make the difference between a customer service failure and a customer service success.<\/p>\n

First and Foremost, Listen Carefully and Repeat What You\u2019re Hearing in Your Own Words
\n<\/strong>One of the biggest reasons that customers want to have an empathetic customer service interaction is that they want to be understood. Listening and paraphrasing what you\u2019ve heard can help them feel heard and can help ensure that you create a solution that actually addresses their need.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re listening, pay close attention to the things that they aren\u2019t saying, too. Details like tone and body language can help tell you what emotions are at play in the interaction. Mentioning those emotions\u2014saying \u201cI understand this is stressful for you,\u201d for example\u2014can also do a lot to show that you have heard and understood the way that the customer\u2019s need has impacted them.<\/p>\n

Stay Respectful
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s easy for things to get heated when your customers are upset or under stress, but it\u2019s essential to keep in mind how you would like to be treated if you had a similar customer concern. Stay as calm as you are able and express respect for your customers to keep them feeling important. You might even find that this respect helps diffuse the situation.<\/p>\n

Make Customers a Part of the Solution
\n<\/strong>Does it sound like your customer is stressed because they aren\u2019t in control? Make sure that they are able to play a part in the solution. For example, giving your customer two to three options to choose from can help them feel like they have an active role in the solution.<\/p>\n

Finish By Showing That You Care
\n<\/strong>Studies have shown that\u00a0people judge an experience based on the intense moments at its end<\/a>. While you might not always be able to get them exactly the solution they were hoping for, you can always show that you care and help them walk away with a positive feeling about the experience. If their concern is still an issue, make sure to reiterate that you understand how they are impacted by that concern. If there\u2019s a clear next step, remind them of it before you finish the conversation.<\/p>\n

Is empathy a central part of how you approach a customer service interaction? How do you put empathy to work in your business? We\u2019d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the one skill that everybody in customer support must have? Whether you\u2019ve been on the phone with a customer service representative or work in customer service yourself, empathy should be high on your list! Empathy is putting yourself in others\u2019 shoes and seeing a problem from their point of view, and in customer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marketing","category-misc","category-news","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12450"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14012,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12450\/revisions\/14012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}