Technology and empathy are not mutually exclusive in customer service. In fact, they can work together to enhance the quality, efficiency, and satisfaction of your interactions with customers. In this article, you will learn how to combine technology and empathy to deliver excellent customer service in different scenarios and channels.
Technology can help you provide faster, more convenient, and more personalized service to your customers. For example, you can use chatbots, self-service portals, CRM systems, and analytics tools to automate, streamline, and optimize your processes. However, technology alone is not enough to create loyal and happy customers. You also need empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy can help you build rapport, trust, and loyalty with your customers, as well as handle difficult situations with compassion and professionalism.
In addition, empathy can help you understand the existential, social, and emotional needs of your customers, which are the primary drivers of why they are requesting service. Showing empathy will assure your customers that you are trying to take their perspective and that you care about their needs. Empathy will be especially important when there is no simple or immediate functional solution to your customer's problem, or when you have to softly decline their request because it is out of your service scope.
Phone calls are still one of the most common and preferred channels for customer service. To deliver excellent customer service on the phone, you need to use technology and empathy in a balanced way. Technology can help you improve the quality and efficiency of your phone calls by providing you with relevant information, scripts, and feedback. For example, you can use a CRM system to access the customer's history, preferences, and issues, and use a call recording software to monitor and evaluate your performance. Empathy can help you communicate effectively and respectfully with your customers on the phone by using active listening, positive language, and emotional intelligence. For example, you can use open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and affirmations to show interest and understanding, and use a friendly and confident tone to convey warmth and competence.
When it comes to striking the right tone of voice, it is important to understand that the nonverbal signals in our voice are more than 5x as important as the word choice when expressing emotions or attitudes. For example, we are typically very sensitive to whether a "sorry" or "thank you" sounds authentic or forced. Therefore, simply employing empathic language is not enough; it may even have the opposite effect if the sound is inconsistent with the words. This is one of the reasons why today's voicebots or phonebots using speech synthesis are often perceived as lacking empathy, regardless of how well the prompts are scripted.
Emails are another popular and convenient channel for customer service. To deliver excellent customer service in emails, you need to use technology and empathy in a complementary way. Technology can help you create and send professional and personalized emails to your customers by using templates, automation, and segmentation. For example, you can use an email marketing software to design and customize your emails, and use a customer feedback software to send surveys and collect responses. Empathy can help you write clear and courteous emails that address your customers' needs and expectations. For example, you can use a subject line that summarizes the purpose of your email, use a salutation and a signature that show respect and appreciation, and use a polite and empathetic tone that expresses empathy and sincerity.
Chat is a fast and convenient channel for customer service that allows you to interact with your customers in real time. To deliver excellent customer service in chat, you need to use technology and empathy in a smart way. Technology can help you provide quick and accurate answers to your customers by using chatbots, artificial intelligence, and knowledge bases. For example, you can use a chatbot to handle simple and repetitive queries, and use an AI-powered system to suggest relevant solutions and resources. Empathy can help you create a positive and humanized experience for your customers in chat by using emoticons, emojis, and gifs. For example, you can use a smiley face to show friendliness and enthusiasm, a thumbs up to show agreement and support, and a gif to show humor and personality.
Social media is a powerful and influential channel for customer service that allows you to reach and engage with your customers on various platforms. To deliver excellent customer service on social media, you need to use technology and empathy in a strategic way. Technology can help you monitor and manage your social media presence by using tools, platforms, and metrics. For example, you can use a social media management software to schedule and post your content, and use a social media analytics software to measure and improve your performance. Empathy can help you build and maintain your brand reputation and relationship with your customers on social media by using tone, voice, and style. For example, you can use a consistent and authentic tone that reflects your brand personality and values, use a friendly and informal voice that matches your audience's preferences and expectations, and use a visual and engaging style that captures your audience's attention and emotions.
Technology and empathy are not static or fixed skills. They are dynamic and evolving skills that require constant learning and improvement. To improve your technology and empathy skills, you need to adopt a growth mindset and seek feedback and opportunities. For example, you can take online courses, webinars, or podcasts to learn new technologies and tools that can enhance your customer service. You can also read blogs, books, or articles to learn new empathy techniques and best practices that can improve your customer service. Moreover, you can ask for feedback from your customers, colleagues, or managers to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and set goals and action plans to address them. Additionally, you can seek opportunities to practice your technology and empathy skills in different scenarios and channels, and learn from your successes and failures.
At the end of the day, empathy should go both ways. Businesses also need their customers to show some empathy, for example when unexpected circumstances negatively affect the quality of a business's product offering or performance. In such situations, so long as they are temporary and singular, it may be advisable for businesses to show vulnerability and appeal to empathy rather than trying to distract from the failure. Mutual empathy will create a bond of loyalty that can endure challenging phases.