I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service. If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone. To talk to what’s unique about them. To convey your knowledge of their situation or your ability to comprehend the emotions they must be feeling.
But how do you phrase your empathy to the customer in particular situations? Here are three quick examples for you to consider and put into practice:
Acknowledging Inconvenience During a Refund Process: A customer requests a refund and expresses annoyance about the delay in processing. The employee could say: “I understand how inconvenient this delay must be for you. Your time is valuable, and I’ll prioritize making this process as smooth as possible moving forward.”
Understanding Frustration with a Delayed Order: A customer calls upset about a late order. In addition to providing the tracking information, the employee could respond: “I can understand how frustrating it must be to wait for something you were expecting on time. Let me look into this right away and see how we can resolve it for you.”
Calming a Customer Facing Technical Issues: A customer is struggling to navigate an online portal and expresses irritation. The employee could say: “I know how stressful it can be when technology doesn’t work the way we expect. I’m here to guide you through this step-by-step so we can get it sorted out together.”
These examples show how empathy can involve acknowledging, understanding, and calming someone. And every example has empathy, followed by a transition to the next step.
To be empathetic with the customer and also convey that understanding of them and their situation, add these everyday examples to your empathy toolkit.
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