18 Empathy Statements That Help Improve

Customer-Agent Rapport
Here are 18 empathy statements that can help build customer to agent rapport.

Empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy is the ability to walk a mile in someone elses shoes
while sympathy is feeling the same feelings as the customer and agreeing with them. A person feels
sympathy but shares empathy.

What is an empathy statement?

Empathy statements are short phrases that help you establish a connection with the person you are talking to.
They show that the other person is your sole focus and that you are taking personal responsibility for them in
this conversation.

They help create trust and mutual understanding.

What should be included?

Personal Pronouns

The words I and you are essential in an empathy statement, as will be highlighted later.

When you use personal pronouns (and especially I rather than a more corporate we) the listener
understands that you are personally involved and interested in them as an individual. They feel that you
understand their situation and that you want to help them as a priority.

Active Verbs

Compare: This will be resolved by our team with: I will ask our team to resolve this.

The first version is anonymous, lacking personality and has no underlying responsibility, whilst the second
makes you believe that there is a real person actively working to fix an issue, and who might physically
chase the team until it is done.

So, replace passive verbs with active verbs, which add a sense of immediacy.

Authenticity

Be genuine, honest and be yourself. Reading standard phrases without being authentic creates resentment
and can increase anger. It is more important to be natural, calm and positive than to get the exact phrasing
correct.

Authenticity means using a natural tone, and less formal ways of speaking.

Use thanks instead of thank you; hi instead of hello; enjoy the rest of your day instead of good
bye. Use contractions/short forms of verbs: youre, cant, hes, dont, etc.

Empathy statements Assessing the situation

1. Is there anything I can do for you today, big or small?

Assuring the customer of your desire to resolve their complaint should allow them to recognise your care
and understanding for the individuals problems.

2. Can you tell me a little more about it, please?

Establishing that you want to extract as much information as possible from the customer indicates your
attentiveness and curiosity in the matter at hand. However, you must be careful that advisors are being
respectful when using this line!

Clarifying the situation

Once your advisor has all such information at their fingertips, the situation
must next be clarified to ensure that your frontline worker and their
customer are both on the same page. Here, empathy statements are vital so
that the customer does not get frustrated at having to repeat themselves.
These two remarks will allow the agent to avoid this.

3. I want to make sure that I really have an understanding of what youre telling me. Im hearing
that

Expressing the desire to listen deeply to the customer, by giving them the opportunity to correct your
understanding of their query, reinforces the customeradvisor connection.

4. When I am done, if I have got something wrong, I would appreciate it if you would correct me, if
that is ok?

Involving the customer in the process of clarifying and solving their enquiry allows them to feel encouraged
as to its progress and does not leave them stuck in the middle.

Reassuring the customer

When the advisor has a full understanding of the matter at hand, that individual should make the process of
what happens next clear to the customer. This involves reassuring the customer that the company is striving
to resolve their issue and further building customeradvisor rapport. The three empathy statements below
demonstrate how to do so.

5. Thank you very much for alerting us about this

Highlighting that your company appreciates feedback, whilst alluding to the notion that youd like to act on
it, demonstrates your will to relieve them of any future hassle.

6. We will help you get this issue resolved

Reaffirming the intention for a quick and appropriate resolution again builds rapport. But the use of the word
we also indicates that it is a team effort and that you are prioritising the matter.

7. Youre absolutely correct, Sir/Madam

Tip As well using respectful, compassionate and attentive language to empathise with the customer,
reassuring noises can also serve for same purpose. Pure silence on the
agents part can cause the customer to feel helpless, so agents should use such noises to assure the client of
their focus and understanding.

Providing a sense of immediacy

Whist reassuring the customer of their enquirys importance to the business, it is also important for advisors
to provide them with a sense of immediacy. In order to minimise customer frustration at spending too long
on the phone, your agents should use the five statements below to alleviate such feeling on behalf of the
client and demonstrate a caring approach.

8. I appreciate you bringing this to our attention, so that we can deal with this immediately

Recognising the urgency of the query and assuring the client that they were right to contact the advisor
allows the customer to believe that all their efforts are valued by your company.

9. I can see where the problem is, Sir/Madam

Conveying the advisors experience in handling calls of this nature provides the customer with a strong
indication of the ability of the call centre professional to find a swift solution to the query.

10. What Im currently doing to help you is

Your taking control of the situation allows the customer to feel as if the problem has been lifted from
them, and by phrasing the statement in this way, you are personalising the matter and making the customer
feel special.

11. This should be fixed by the end of the weekend, Mr Smith

Providing a close, but realistic, timeframe for when a customer query can be answered, if it cannot be solved
immediately, should again take responsibility away from the customer and allow them to relax.

Making a commitment

As well as reassuring the customer and providing them with a sense of immediacy, making a commitment to
them helps to comfort customers with the knowledge that their issue is being treated. The following three
phrases present ways in which you can make such a commitment.

12. I will contact you as soon as we have had an update

Making a commitment such as this and then following it up should help you to establish a basis of trust
between the company and the customer, which helps in forming a long-standing relationship.

13. We will work to resolve the problem. You just enjoy your (birthday/holidays/Christmas break,
etc.), and I will be in touch shortly

Acknowledging a customers personal holidays and future plans allows your advisor to add a personal touch
to the interaction, and basing your actions around a customers schedule demonstrates an empathetic
approach.
14. Do let us know if you have any further questions, Mr Smith

Encouraging future contact helps to show your companys commitment to strengthening your relationship
with the customer and fosters the progression of the customeragent rapport.

Maintaining strong customer relations

After the process has run its course, there is a chance that the customer will not be completely impressed by
the answers that they have received. In such a situation, building an empathetic atmosphere is key to
maintaining strong customer relations. The two examples below will help to quell such issues and rebuild
customer faith in your businesss processes.

15. We always value customers who are keen to give us their feedback. I will be sure to pass on what
you have told me to our managerial team

Exhibiting that you are proactive when receiving criticism and that your advisors are in constant
communication with their superiors helps to assure aggrieved customers that the right procedures are in
place to handle their complaints.

16. I have experienced a similar problem recently, so I understand what you are saying. Let me see
what I can do to help you out

Drawing on their own experiences singles the advisor out from the company that the customer feels
aggravated by. Then, by signalling that the problem has now gone, the advisor has demonstrated that a
solution is available.

Closing the call

Now that the call is coming to a close, agents must still maintain a respectful tone and maintain their
empathetic attitude so that customers feel comfortable voicing more concerns and stay satisfied with the
service received. The next two statements are crucial in signing off with a customer and staying empathetic.

17. Is there anything else that I can help you with today, Mr Smith?

Demonstrating that there are no time limits in the job description of your agents, this phrase illustrates that
there are not company constraints on providing great customer service.

18. Your satisfaction means everything to us. Have we covered everything that you wanted to discuss
today?

Reminding customers of the businesss ever-willing support for them helps to conclude with a sustained
empathetic approach, and the use of the word us summarises the collaborative culture on which empathy
is based.