A Home Run

When you manage to combine technical knowhow with empathy, you know you’ve hit a home run. A home run with customers anyway.

Customers are looking for both when they reach out for help with a product. Not only do they want you to know what you are talking about, but they want you to be respectful as you present the information. You may think you’re being truthful to a customer in a direct and transparent way, but if they feel that you are being condescending or patronizing, they won’t be satisfied with the level of service. The same is true if you are kind but don’t know what you are talking about. A customer needs both.

A local business put this concept into action with its help desk. The employees stationed there knew the products inside and out (or they were willing to flag down more knowledgeable coworkers to learn from). But they also were very considerate to the customers who might be feeling stressed out.  

They seemed to understand what their customers might be feeling, not just the problem they were having. Empathy, for a business, is incredibly valuable.