The moment Jasmin realised that she'd got empathy all wrong...
Jasmin was always empathic when with her friends but she stopped short of emphasising with difficult customers.
Until she learned the reason why....
Like many others, Jasmin thought that in order to empathise with a customer, you have to like or agree with them. This couldn't be further from the truth!
Empathy simply means trying to understand where they are coming from and seeing things from their perspective. It is not about giving in to demands or agreeing with everything they say – rather, it is about establishing a connection and showing that you care.
When done correctly, empathy can be a powerful tool for diffusing difficult situations and building rapport. It can also help you to understand your customers better, which in turn can make it easier to resolve their issues.
Jasmin reflected on her conversations and emails with some recent problem customers and realised that her lack of empathy towards them had made things worse.
Things were going to be different from now on!
