Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s condition from their perspective. Affective empathy has the capability to sense someone else’s emotions and respond in an appropriate manner. 

Cognitive empathy is the capacity to notice and understand someone else’s emotions. This element is what enables us to take another person’s perspective and examine it. 

When it comes to customer service, we can display empathy when we mirror a caller’s mood, acknowledge their problem and provide a solution compassionately. 

It’s thought that every customer hates automated phone menus. What about an automated phone menu that works well? People don’t hate automated phone menus; they hate having to identify themselves multiple times. They don’t want to listen to a list of irrelevant options or be shouting a phrase through the phone.  It’s often not the t technology that annoys people. Updating the structure of an IVR menu could add that extra element of empathy to the entire system.  Alternatively, you could use a virtual phone service from eVoice and be ready to take calls at any time. 

For example, the first option could be “Press 1 if you are experiencing issues and want to speak with a customer service operator”. This will let the caller know you understand their point of view. A caller that listens to five options before the one they need, or speaking to a real person, will not feel any empathy on behalf of the customer service.  You need to identify and study what a caller is trying to do, what are they trying to accomplish? Anticipate their needs by using knowledge from previous experience and borrow their language to create a positive conversation. 

Nobody like introducing themselves to the same person over and over. So, why should a customer have to do it? Customers don’t want to repeat information they have already shared with the company multiple times. What’s the answer? A higher standard of customer data and better access to this customer data. 

Having all the customer data in one place means customer service personnel don’t have to switch between multiple channels and waste the customers time. Creating a personalised response is something that gets overlooked. Giving a personalised response to a customer will help turn a frustrating situation around. 

Scripts and vocabulary 

Depending on your business, your system will be programmed into technology or people. One example is the customer service script. There is a reason that managers tend to lean towards scripts. They will often provide compliance in sensitive situations, accelerate agent training and increase team productivity. 

Having said this, companies that opt for scripts can see some backlash. Customers want a personalised response and can be disappointed when they receive a bland scripted response. Additionally, making agents follow a checklist of questions may increase talk time. Letting your phone operators go off-script, even just a little bit, allows them to sort the issue faster and build rapport with the caller. 

Is there a way that a company can get the perfect balance between standardisation and off-script improvisation? There needs to be a more significant focus on scenarios compared to scripts. Teach principles instead of procedures and treat customers as people, not numbers.  

2018 is the year you need to evaluate your customers service and see where you can improve. These tips are straightforward and easy to implement, you can start right now.