This month’s edition of ‘The Happy Client’ looks at the part empathy plays in creating strong and lasting business relationships.
Empathy is “the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that understanding to guide your actions.” (Roman Krznaric, Empathy: Why It Matters and How To Get It)
We may have been conditioned to believe that emotions have no place in business but I believe that practising empathy is fundamentally important. Read on for some examples drawn from my own recent experiences…
We’re currently going through the process of moving – stressful enough in itself but add major surgery into the equation and I’m finding myself with rather a lot on my plate.
We instructed a law firm through our estate agent as the none of the local firms we wanted to use had capacity. There were a couple of minor details which irked me early on (a cut-and-paste engagement letter which had left in irrelevant info and unclear comms about what we needed to pay, and when) but it was a personal interaction which annoyed me more. My surgery meant we were delayed, by a few days, responding to an email from our solicitor. When my husband replied and explained, their follow-up message didn’t say, ‘Sorry to hear that’ or ‘I hope Anna’s recovering well’, it just went straight into the business at hand.
Now, I’m not a particularly sensitive person, but I do think a little empathy – responding at a human-to-human level wouldn’t have gone amiss. When we move, we’ll need to get our wills in order (yes, I know we should have done that already), but I can assure you, we won’t be giving the work to that firm – a lost opportunity for them!
Another example is Sky, much maligned for not rewarding loyalty and offering new customers better deals than those available to existing users, but whose customer service is impeccable. We recently had an issue with our broadband and they were easy to get hold of, showed empathy – understanding the frustration we felt, and then swiftly set about fixing the problem.
This is a prime example of how clients may be willing to forgive certain foibles and pay a premium if they know they’re receiving a good service, are being listened to and feeling heard.
Empathy is what helps you connect with clients on a human level – meeting them where they are – making them feel respected and appreciated. This is the crucial driver of long-term relationships where ongoing collaboration and mutual understanding can secure repeat business and drive referrals.
I know, from all the conversations I have with clients, how important that personal connection is. And although in some professions (lawyers and accountants, I’m looking at you!), you may think your level of technical competence is the thing clients value the most – all too often that is a given, and what clients really want is to work with people who understand their needs and demonstrate empathy. It really does go a long way!
I hope you have a great summer, ‘The Happy Client’ will be back in August with a quarterly round-up and some fresh new content in September!