empathy | Customer Service Solutions, Inc.

Home  /  See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26  /  empathy

When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26


Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving. When we Read more

Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26


We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency. Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side Read more

See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26


That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next. But in the life Read more

Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

Reciprocate the Thanks - 5/19/26


Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience. The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied Read more

•••••

See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26

Posted on July 7, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next.

But in the life of the customer, they have a journey, often an ongoing one with your organization.  So, it helps to understand their perspective, so that you can deliver a better experience, foster a stronger relationship.

Need and Awareness

Let’s start very high-level.  Their journey usually begins with them identifying a need or issue to be addressed, followed by their creating an awareness of your product or your service, or their need reminds them of having heard of your service.

Research and Purchase

Then, they conduct research on the service, or they make an inquiry.  They want to learn more.  That’s when the sales and customer service kick in, and it can lead to an acquisition or a purchase.  This is what most people think of when they think of that customer transaction.

Receipt and Evaluation

Then they receive the product or the service that you deliver.  They are experiencing that product or service and every process/person/policy associated with its delivery, and they’re forming opinions.  They’re going through an evaluation process.

Support…or Not

Then they need support, they need guidance, they need questions answered or issues resolved, and they have to determine or research how to make that happen.

They get that support…or not.  They get that answer from your team…or elsewhere.

Word-of-Mouth and Repurchase

Finally, they decide what that word-of-mouth is going to be.  Will they talk you up positively, be indifferent and not mention your organization at all, or complain to their friends and co-workers?

And that word of mouth – formed from their opinions and experiences – could lead to the potential repurchase of your product.

Understand where you are in this journey, but realize everything that comes before and everything that comes after.  The nature of your encounter with the customer is going to be framed by what happened before, and the experience that the customer and your co-workers have down the road is going to be framed based on the customer’s encounter with you.

See the customer’s journey from their perspective.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


Use the Customer’s Words – 4/21/26

Posted on April 21, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The customer is describing a problem on what they call their “computer.” They mentioned that the “screen” doesn’t “move from one page to the other.” They say that the “website’s name is typed at the top,” and it says sample.com with a “line, and then it says ‘home’ after the line.”

They noted how they’re clicking on “the screen,” but the page doesn’t change.  They try to go “backwards” by clicking the “arrow pointing left,” and nothing happens.

This is a customer calling a technology help desk, and they’re using their words to describe their problem.

Oftentimes, customer service professionals are so knowledgeable about their products and services, their policies and processes, that they carry on a conversation with a customer, responding with terms common to the employee without realizing the audience.

We will talk about devices, monitors, URLs.  We will reference browsers and tabs, icons and more technical terms.  But if we hear the customer using certain terms – even if they are not the technical term WE use – we need to realize something.  If we want to add clarity and bring information to the customer in a manner of speaking that they understand, it’s often best to use THEIR words.

I’m not suggesting that we condescend or talk down to the customer.  I’m saying that the goal is for us to understand each other, and it’s more likely if we – the professional – change on the fly to use terms they’re familiar with than if we try to make them technical experts.  We’ve been trained for years on our technical terminology, so we can’t expect the customer to learn our wording in the matter of a 3-minute conversation.

To enhance the tone of the conversation and create some clarity for the customer at the same time, use their words.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


Affirming the Customer with Empathy – 4/14/26

Posted on April 14, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We’ve spoken and written about empathy for the 20+ years of these customer service tips, noting empathy as the most important quality any individual can have if they want to be great at customer service.  We’ve shared that – in order to serve our customers most effectively – it’s vital to have a desire to convey understanding of the other person – what is unique about them and their situation.

And usually when we discuss phrasing that conveys empathy, it relates to your sharing statements like “I can see how ABC can be frustrating” or “I can understand how XYZ could be upsetting.”  You are intellectually conveying an understanding of their feelings, of their position in the matter.

When they share their story, their situation, their challenging emotions, there are other ways you can convey – even more concisely and more simply – some empathy:

“That makes total sense” or “Definitely understandable” or “I get it” or “I understand.”

You’re saying these things with a nodding of the head, with a manner of speaking and a tone of voice that convey warmth and patience.

Even the most simple of “Yes, Sir” and “Yes, Ma’am” in response to those customer comments affirms them, offers empathy.

In these concise examples of empathy, without much being conveyed in your words specifically about their situation, you have to be more conscious of your body language, tone, and focus.  Those communication tools take on greater importance in ensuring you’re conveying affirmation of the person, even if you’re not necessarily agreeing with any points that may be unfounded or untrue. 

When you’re trying to deliver great customer service, empathy is a must, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so specific, so wordy in every communication.  Sometimes brevity is a beautiful thing.

Convey empathy with a few sincere words balanced by a tone and focus to fit the situation.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 15 16   Next »