Model Patience and Empathy

Unfortunately, there will be times when your employees can’t give customers exactly what they want. However, that doesn’t mean they have to say no without first looking for a compromise of some sort.

Help your employees learn to practice patience and empathy. Teach them phrases such as, “Let me ask my manager about this and see if there’s something we can do.” Even if it’s just a few minutes of conversation, taking the time with a customer to establish some rapport can make it more palatable for the customer if their request ultimately can’t be fulfilled.

But there’s a catch: In order for empathy to be effective, it must be genuine. So improving customer service in organizational behavior starts with you. It’s important for you to model the appropriate behavior in your dealings with your employees (i.e., show them the same level of patience and empathy you expect them to show customers). It’s also critical that you place the right employees in customer service roles. Not all personalities are suited to customer interaction.