Emotional Intelligence and Customer Service

Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill in customer service, encompassing the ability to recognise, assess, and positively manage one’s own emotions and those of others. While empathy is helpful in understanding customers, emotions can often run high in service interactions. That’s why developing strong emotional intelligence skills is essential for customer service professionals.

Self-awareness plays a vital role in all areas of customer service. One’s actions, word choice, and tone can significantly impact interactions with customers. For instance, a customer service representative might become impatient with people who are slow to understand, potentially lacking the self-awareness to recognise their own frustration when having to repeat information.

Emotional intelligence comprises several key components:

• Self-awareness – Understanding one’s own feelings

• Managing emotions – Maintaining composure despite fear or anger

• Empathy – Recognising others’ feelings without explicit communication

• Social skills – Handling emotions in relationships with others

When faced with difficult or rude customers, it’s important to remember that there are often underlying reasons for their behaviour. Especially during challenging times, when everyone is grappling with their own fears and difficulties, it’s impossible to know the specific stressors affecting the person on the other end of the interaction.

While conversations can take many turns, it’s up to the service professional to control their response. The primary goal should be to listen and understand, rather than react. Staying calm, breathing deeply, and focusing on one’s thoughts can help manage reactions to customers’ emotions.

An often-overlooked aspect of customer service is acknowledging the inconvenience or upset experienced by the customer. Simple phrases like “Oh no! That must have been upsetting for you” or “We can do better than that for you” can validate the customer’s feelings without necessarily admitting fault.

Ultimately, maintaining a balance between understanding one’s own emotions and responding successfully to others is key to providing excellent customer service. By honing these emotional intelligence skills, customer service professionals can better serve their customers and create more positive interactions.