Customer service with empathy

Why do many customers feel cheated during their post-sell engagements with customer service departments? Why do many leading brands fail to achieve their projected loyalty even though they carry some great market competitive features? In the ambit of customer service, the one aspect that makes or breaks the long-term loyalty of customers largely depends upon how the service reps engage with customers to provide them unique personal solutions. A customer buys a product with great expectations that if in future the product requires necessary service he or she should avail it with unconditional support, although a rider or two can be well managed.

What makes a customer extremely unsatisfied is the gross uncaring attitude of the customer service department, which in all probability facilitates a resolution process in a more mechanical manner. Though the resolution technically addresses the issues of the customer, the human psychological bonding with the product receives a letdown. Here the company fails to leverage the long-term loyalty factor that most satisfied customers believe could be a pivot to the repeat business of the company.

What really prevents companies alike to strike a concordance with customers is the overuse of statistical parameters by managers to showcase the senior management that our maths are right; we are well ahead of our competitors. But that's not an absolute corollary. A management preview of a quality report has really nothing to do with the quality that customers desire. Each customer has a specific reason to be satisfied for the same technical issue. Here what differentiates great customer service from better customer service is the empathy of service reps. No one denies the fact that certain statistical parameters cannot be overlooked, but simultaneously, we must not forget the broader service angle.

An empathetic rep has great persuasive skills. While addressing the issues of the customer, an intelligent rep can garner a slew of critical information which in turn can be used to enhance the satisfaction level of other customers as well. This opens up an arena for innovative service delivery. Companies need to bring in this culture in their customer service departments. However, many service providers rarely open up to a shift in the cultural paradigm. And that becomes a dangerous proposition for long term strategy.

Why only few customer service providers have achieved the laurels of exemplary customer service is an indication of specifics they not only follow but they transform them into an organizational culture that transcends from batch to batch uninterruptedly.