Empathy is always important, especially in a customer-facing role. But simply feeling empathetic for your customers isn’t enough; you must also know how to express that empathy through your actions. Empathy statements for customer service plays a key role in making customers feel heard and valued.
When you use empathy in customer service, you show you care about your customers. In my experience, empathy statements help you establish a strong rapport with customers and can lead to the ultimate customer experience.
In this article, we explore the definition of empathy and how it supports the customer service experience. We’ll also share empathy statements to use in various scenarios, and a free template to craft your own empathy statement. Let’s get started!
Understanding empathy in customer service
To train and coach our teams to use empathy, we must understand what it is and why it matters.
Empathy involves understanding another person’s perspective and feeling their emotions. By recognizing what another is going through, we can better relate to them and establish meaningful connections.
While it might seem like empathy is a given in customer-facing roles, research indicates this isn’t always the case. Only 35 percent of consumers feel understood by companies, highlighting the increasing need for empathy in customer service.
Building an emotional connection with customers creates trust and lays the foundation for long-term relationships with your business. Empathy transforms reassuring words into meaningful actions. By embracing empathy, your team can cultivate genuine, personalized solutions that resonate with your customers.
Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to craft a tailored empathy statement for your customers. You can create your own empathy statement using the following template.
Step 1. Acknowledge the customer’s emotion
Begin by validating the customer’s feelings. For example, ‘I can imagine how [emotion] this must be for you.’
Step 2. Express apology or understanding
Depending on the situation, either apologize or demonstrate you understand their concern. For instance, ‘I’m very sorry you’ve had to deal with this issue,’ or ‘I understand why you feel that way.’
Step 3. Show support and offer a solution
Whether or not you can resolve the matter quickly, express your commitment to finding a solution. You might say, ‘Let’s work together to find a solution,’ or ‘We can fix this issue by [resolution].’
Step 4. Reaffirm your commitment to satisfaction
If you can’t fix the issue immediately, you can conclude by reinforcing your commitment to the customer’s satisfaction. For example, ‘We appreciate your business and will make sure this is taken care of promptly.’
A complete empathy statement may sound something like this: ‘I can imagine how upsetting this must be for you. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this issue. Let’s work together to find a solution.’
Tailoring your empathy statements this way helps ensure they are both sincere and effective, building stronger customer relationships.
List of 35 empathy statements for customer service
Effective customer service relies on empathetic communication and building genuine connections.
If you’re looking for ready-to-use empathy statements, this comprehensive list is categorized by specific scenarios to support customer interactions.
General empathy statements
- “I understand why you feel this way, and I’m here to help.”
- “I’m committed to resolving this for you.”
- “I can imagine how frustrating this must be.”
- “Thank you for your patience while we work through this.”
- “I appreciate you bringing this to our attention.”
- “I understand how important this is to you, and I’m here to assist.”
- “I see where you’re coming from and want to help.”
- “I’m here to ensure we resolve this quickly.”
- “Your experience matters to us, and we’re here to support you.”
- “I can imagine how inconvenient this has been for you.”
Empathy statements for apologizing
- “I’m very sorry you’re dealing with this. Let’s get it resolved immediately.”
- “I sincerely apologize for the oversight. I’ll fix this right away.”
- “I’m sorry for the delay and appreciate your patience as we find a solution.”
- “I apologize for any confusion this has caused.”
- “I’m deeply sorry for the inconvenience you’ve experienced and am committed to making it right.”
- “I understand how frustrating this must be, and I’m very sorry for the trouble.”
Empathy statements for active listening
- “Can you tell me more about [specific issue] so I can better understand?”
- “If I understand correctly, you’re experiencing [issue]. Is that accurate?”
- “Thank you for sharing your perspective. It helps me understand your experience better.”
- “That’s a great question. Let me look into that further for you.”
- “I want to ensure I understand all the details. Please continue.”
- “It sounds like you’re feeling [emotion]. Is that right?”
- “I’ll take notes to ensure I address all your concerns.”
Empathy statements for offering solutions
- “I want to find the best solution. Let’s explore our options.”
- “I apologize for the inconvenience. Here’s the plan to resolve the issue.”
- “I understand this is challenging. Let’s work together to make things right.”
- “I can see how this situation affects you, and I’ll do everything I can to resolve it quickly.”
- “Let’s tackle this issue and find a solution that meets your needs.”
- “Thank you for your patience. Here’s what we can do next.”
Empathy statements for follow-up
- “I’m checking in to see if the solution is working for you.”
- “I’m following up to see if there’s anything else I can assist with.”
- “I’m reaching out to ensure your concern has been addressed. How are things now?”
- “I wanted to follow up on the solution we provided. Let me know if you need additional support.”
- “I’m following up to make sure everything has been resolved to your satisfaction.”
- “I hope everything is going smoothly. How do you feel about the solution?”
Empathy statements are a powerful tool for elevating the customer service experience. By knowing how to show empathy in customer service, you foster an emotional connection and build lasting trust.
How to use empathy statements effectively
How you express empathy is just as important as the words you choose. A calm, positive tone, authentic delivery, and appropriate timing are key to conveying genuine concern and understanding. Empathy statements should be clear and compassionate and never feel forced or dismissive.
Even when using similar empathy statements, each customer interaction should be unique. Personalize your approach by addressing the customer by name and including relevant details about their situation. Timing is also crucial – empathy should flow naturally within the conversation, never feeling scripted or disruptive.
Ultimately, your communication skills – including your tone, delivery, personalization, and timing – are essential in demonstrating true empathy in customer service.
Examples of empathy statements in customer service scenarios
Before incorporating empathy statements into your interactions, let’s explore some common scenarios where they can be particularly effective.
Each of the following examples of empathy statements in customer service outlines the customer issue and how to address it.
Example 1: Handling an angry customer
Scenario: A customer calls, upset about a delayed order that was supposed to arrive days ago.
Customer service response:
- Acknowledge the emotion: “I can hear how upsetting this delay has been for you.”
- Express apology or understanding: “I completely understand why you’re frustrated, and I’m very sorry your order didn’t arrive as expected.”
- Show support and offer a solution: “Let me look into this right away. I’ll check the status of your order and work on getting it to you as quickly as possible.”
- Reaffirm commitment to satisfaction: “Your satisfaction is our priority, and I’ll make sure this delay is addressed immediately.”
Example 2: Addressing a technical issue
Scenario: A customer is experiencing frustration because the software is not working correctly, impacting their ability to complete tasks.
Customer service response:
- Acknowledge the emotion: “I can imagine how frustrating these technical issues are, especially when you have important tasks to complete.”
- Express apology or understanding: “I understand how critical it is to find a quick solution, and I’m here to support you.”
- Show support and offer a solution: “Let’s walk through some troubleshooting steps together. If we can’t resolve it now, I’ll escalate the issue to our technical team immediately.”
- Reaffirm commitment to satisfaction: “We’ll do everything we can to fix this quickly so you can get back to using the software without any issues.”
Example 3: Resolving a billing problem
Scenario: A customer contacts support because they were overcharged on their recent bill.
Customer service response:
- Acknowledge the emotion: “I understand how concerning it must be to see an overcharge on your bill.”
- Express apology or understanding: “I’m very sorry for the mistake. We want to ensure your bill is accurate.”
- Show support and offer a solution: “Let’s review your bill together, and I’ll correct the charges immediately.”
- Reaffirm commitment to satisfaction: “We value your trust and will make sure this is resolved and doesn’t happen again.”
You can easily tailor the above scenarios to suit your specific industry and meet your customers’ unique needs.
Conclusion: Incorporate empathy statements in your customer service
Positive customer interactions go beyond simply feeling empathy; they require effective communication and action to build trust. Using empathy statements in customer service is a powerful way to address concerns and strengthen relationships.
Above, we examined the importance of empathy and provided advice on how to show empathy in customer service. In my experience, practice makes perfect. The more you use empathy statements, the more natural they will come to you. We now encourage you to integrate these empathy statements in customer service and tailor them to fit your business’s unique needs.
