Great customer service starts with 7 letters

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(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY There is no shortage of advice, opinion, theory and technology around the practice of customer service. Some of it good, much of it not. But none of it -- none of it -- will result in a truly exceptional customer service environment if it isn't built around one simple word: Empathy.

No matter what procedures, processes, people or tools you put in place, empathy -- the ability to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties -- is a quality without which superior customer service simply can't exist.

If you Google "customer service best practices," it returns about 13 million results. Tack the word "empathy" onto the same search and the results drop by 95%, to 700,000. By no means a scientific study or conclusion, but I think telling.

Customer service empathy can be boiled down to five simple questions:

With these five questions and the right attitude, you need little else to be a customer service superstar. They cannot be replaced with a 700-page handbook or multi-million dollar CRM system.

Empathy is often ignored or lost when companies start to get excessively clever and complex. Things like NIA (Next Issue Avoidance), ASA (Average Speed of Answer), KPI (Key Performance Indicators), and any number of other acronyms and metrics dehumanize a very human interaction. Articles, white papers and corporate guidelines often read like satire to anyone who is truly passionate about customers. They are full of buzz terms and grandiose technical language, focused very much on operational performance and "ROI," and very rarely focused on the person around whom all of this complexity revolves. It's akin to having a conversation about someone who's standing in the room but ignoring the fact that she's there.

Companies get so caught up in their systems and investments that they lose sight of the fact that genuine empathy can obviate the need for much of it, or at a minimum certainly simplify it. "Eyes on the prize," as it were.

I expect to get the usual flack from the people who work hard in these highly structured, analytical environments and think that my approach to service is quaint and unrealistic. That's OK. Their jobs -- and entire departments, businesses and industries -- revolve around systematizing service, I understand that. And of course I realize that in all areas of business there need to be steps, measurements, and controls in place (and the bigger the organization the more may be needed). But today's customer service standard-bearers have proven that process should only be built on a basic, human-focused foundation, and when it comes to serving humans, empathy is the best place to start.

[cp102]

I so agree with you!! Years ago when I was in retail I tried telling my bosses we should be treating our customers like Mom and Pop stores do. Our customers should feel like this was their neighborhood store. It was a win-win situation. Customers would get to know us and we would get to know them . I was told sell don't waste time on talking, etc. I did my own thing when I could I asked how they were doing, if they looked tired did they need water, a chair, etc. How could I help them and I meant it. I had many return customers because I truly cared. I was also talked and warned by my bosses I finally quit. I realized if I couldn't be a human bring and treat people that way then I didn't want that job. Whats wrong with businesses is they look at the bottom line..they forget the human equation.

[DCenFrance]

Sure, it's hard not to agree. However, how do you affect an organisation of 128000 employees, multiple levels of customer support, different quality organizations for sales, corporate, country and development departments?

[hessmj]

There's no question that larger companies have bigger challenges when it comes to this. Of course, the number of companies with 100,000 or more employees is relatively rare relative to the overall business population, but still, there are large and complex companies, with thousands or tens of thousands of people, that do manage to excel at empathetic service. Look at Apple, Zappos, Nordstron, Southwest Airlines, UPS, Amazon and others that consistently make the "best service" lists and you'll see that it is possible to be both big and great. And the reasons they are great are two core elements that go hand-in-hand: hiring and culture. Thanks for commenting.

[ambrking]

Empathy is vital in customer service. This should never be taken for granted.

[ScottHeitland]

Bravo, Michael - a CEO that truly understands and appreciates the emotional dynamic of the customer experience!

Although I can't recall who said it (Maya Angelou perhaps?), I am reminded of the quote "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel."

Like your article suggests, it is easy for companies to get so caught up in the KPIs, numbers, data, etc., that the real quality of the interaction with the customer gets buried, lost or even ignored.

Of course, there is more to loyalty than just the emotional component. It is also a function of how easy the company is to do business with, and the company has to satisfy the customer's practical needs with the product or service. But the emotional element is critical. It's a key component of what you refer to as the "human-focused foundation."

Thanks for sharing this article.

Scott Heitland
www.pretiumsolutions.com

[hessmj]

Scott, thanks so much for the kind words and the great quote. Hopefully as the world becomes increasingly competitive, and as service increasingly becomes the key differentiator, there will be a bit of an "awakening." Then again, no one has ever accused me of being an optimist.

[ShepHyken]

Sometimes customer service is more than just being nice. Sometimes it's really feeling for the customer. Take a walk in the customer's shoes. What's it feel like? Having "empathy" is a great way to get there.

[k.anderson100]

"Empathy is often ignored or lost when companies start to get excessively clever and complex." I completely agree. It's the same reason canned answers should be very lightly used, if used at all.

[hessmj]

Canned answers are *horrible.* There is nothing that says "you're just another nameless, faceless person dealing with our business." They are one of the enemies of empathy. Thanks so much for your comment.

[omnibus66]

How about when you attempt to talk to someone about a problem you are having, either with a product or a service, and all you get is a mindless series of "press 2 for . ." which eventually solves nothing and leaves you completely frustrated and angry. Whatever happened to real customer service where a real person (not in India) answered and actually had some knowledge of your situation?

Answer: It's cheaper to not provide real customer service.

[hessmj]

I'm with you. The thing is, companies that do this are short-sighted. They save money (or think they do) in the short term, but risk losing in the long term by either losing customers or not winning loyalty and new business. The great service companies don't use any of those tools and win customers for life. Thanks for commenting