- What are Empathy Statements?
- How to Use Empathy Statements
- Examples of Empathy Statements for Customer Service
- Learn More About Best Practices
What will lead to the best ROI for your business?
From introducing new product lines to prioritizing SEO strategies, businesses are always on the hunt for the next big thing to skyrocket their ROI.
Turns out, the answer may be within the company all along: empathy. Showing customers empathetic support may be enough to raise profits by 25-90%, significantly higher returns than promoting a Facebook ad campaign.
Keep reading to learn more about why empathy statements for customer service can make all the difference for your business’s success.
What are Empathy Statements?
Empathy describes the process of viewing another person’s perspective as if you have experienced it yourself. Meanwhile, sympathy is simply the act of feeling sorry for someone else. Empathy statements, then, are ones that come from a place of understanding.
Empathy statements demonstrate that you’re invested in hearing, understanding, and helping others. When it comes to customer success, empathy statements can be one of your most useful tools.
52% of customers have stopped doing business with a company because of one bad support experience. Connecting with your customers through support channels, then, isn’t just a helpful feature – it’s a necessary one.
How to Use Empathy Statements
Empathy is as much how you say as what you say. No matter what phrases you’re using to display empathy, your delivery will be what the customer remembers.
Never speak in an accusatory tone or insinuate that a customer is wrong. Even if a customer did not follow any of your policies, do not invalidate their right to be upset.
Remember to speak in a casual tone. You’re having a conversation. The more approachable and friendly you are, the more willing a customer will be to give you the information you need to solve their problem.
Keep the tone upbeat and professional. Although you want to relate to the customer, you still want to give off the impression that you are there to serve them.
Examples of Empathy Statements for Customer Service
The customer service experience can be broken down into four parts. Each one of these parts will involve different empathy statements to give your customer emotional support.
- Listening and paraphrasing
- Expressing understanding
- Solving the problem
- Offering continued support
Below you can find explanations of each step in the customer support process, as well as examples of empathy statements that you can customize based on your communication style. Although every customer is different, approaching each one using this process will make every customer service experience better.
Listening and Paraphrasing
The first way to display empathy in customer service involves showing the customer that you hear them. Many times, a customer will just need to complain about how they feel. Then, they’ll be willing to hear a solution. Think about using these phrases to assure a customer that you were paying attention.
- If I’m understanding what you said correctly, this may be the problem…
- What I’m hearing you say is…
- It sounds like…
- Based on your experience, your problem seems to be…
- Here’s what appears to be going on…
Notice how all of these phrases place authority in the hands of the customer. When you explain the problem, you are seeking their confirmation. You frame what they tell you in the context of how you understood it, not the objective words they said. This makes customers feel as if they are in control of the narrative and you want to hear the story from their point of view.
Expressing Understanding
The next step of the customer support process involves using empathy phrases to display that you understand where the customer is coming from. Do your best to address the customer as a friend, and think about how you would feel in their shoes. Even if you’re just typing a message through an online support chat, customers will be able to tell if your empathy is authentic. Try out a few of the following phrases to find out which ones come naturally to you.
- You are totally right
- That sounds so frustrating
- I would be upset if I had your experience too
- Anyone would be annoyed in your position
- I understand how much time this has taken up
- That does sound confusing
By validating your customers’ feelings, you are showing them that you value their time and their business. It also makes them more receptive to hearing your suggested solutions.
Solving the Problem
Now it’s time to address the issue that the customer called about in the first place. The key phrases to use during this process should reassure the customer that a solution is underway and inform the customer throughout the process. Consider these phrases when you’re working on a solution for the customer.
- I can fix that
- I’d be happy to help
- I would recommend…
- This will only take a few minutes
- This is how long it will take, and here’s why…
- Here’s what I’m going to do…
- This is the best course of action…
- Let’s try this approach…
While you’re looking to fix a customer’s problem, your priority should be keeping them informed. Keeping customers in the loop is just another way of showing them empathy throughout the support process.
Offering Continued Support
The customer support experience doesn’t end after you’ve solved a customer’s initial problem. Your job is to prove that not only were you happy to assist them, but you also want to continue offering them quality support in the future. Test out some of these phrases after helping a customer.
- I’m sending you a follow-up email
- I’m emailing you with my contact information should you need anything else
- If you have any more questions, you can reach me at…
- I’m here if you are looking for any more information
The end goal is always to make the customer’s life better off after contacting you. If you express a continued desire and willingness to help, customers will look forward to interactions with company members.
Learn More About Best Practices
Using the right empathy statements for customer service is just one of the elements in an effective client-relationship strategy. Learn more about other customer service hints and best practices to communicate with your clients by following us on LinkedIn.
For even more help from our team of experts, get in touch with us via phone at (855) 505-4943, email sales@kixie.com, or schedule your free demo to learn more about our services!
