Why Customer Empathy is the Key to a Loyal Customer Base

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Customer empathy is more important than personalisation. It sounds outrageous when said out loud but let’s explore this more. For your personalisation strategy to be effective, your customer needs to know that you value and understand them. That is what customer empathy is all about.

What is Customer Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes, walk a mile in them to understand their needs, motivations, and pain points. 

Customer empathy is the ability to cultivate and harness the same depth of understanding for your customers. Customers today have a number of choices, when it comes to brands they shop with; what makes them choose one over the other? They want to be associated with a brand that truly “gets them.” 

The key is to see them as more than just customers; it is to see them as people. Ask yourself how you can add value to their lives. Ask yourself:

• Who is my customer?
• What matters to them?
• What are the pain points and challenges they face in their lives every day? How can your product help them solve those?

Truly understand where they’re coming from, what drives them, and how you fit into their lives.The better you get at doing this, your communication gets better, customer satisfaction increases and your bottom line get healthier.

Why Is Customer Empathy So Important Today?

Most of the time, we become to engrossed in the campaign that we lose sight of one critical aspect. Successful engagement isn’t just about the brand campaign, it’s about the customer. 

Brand leaders know and understand this, but it’s not an easy philosophy to imbibe. Today’s customer is interested in engaging with a brand that they know cares enough to truly make a difference. Join this  thought-provoking panel discussion on the impact of empathy on business success and the wider world to understand how you can instill empathy in your brand.. 

What Difference Would Customer Empathy Make?

Empathy creates life-changing experiences

A deep level of understanding of your customer helps you give them exactly what they want and what they’re looking for. This ensures that they’re satisfied, content and happy, making them form a habit of buying from you. Caring about your customer and empathising with them creates  loyal customers and increases lifetime value. It also helps you earn their trust and turn them into champions for your brand.

Empathy drives successful product innovation

Being empathetic makes you not only care for your customer but also take partial ownership in solving their issues. When you understand your customers’ motivations, it helps you think along the lines of what makes their lives easier and what will make them happier.

Empathy helps you predict and personalise better

Empathy helps you understand your customers so well that you’re almost inside their heads. Understand their feelings and motivations, thereby predicting what messaging will work, what time they will respond, and what product recommendations to send them.

Stellar customer experiences aren’t just important they’re the backbone of a successful business. While creating outstanding customer experiences takes a lot of hard work, it results in a very loyal customer base. However, it takes only one bad experience to unravel this work you’ve put in.

Mastering the art of customer empathy ensures you consistently deliver a great experience, thereby keeping your customers happy throughout multiple journeys they will have without you throughout multiple purchases. Ready to learn more about how you can better empathise with your customer? Join our empathy experts from The Hunger Project, GSK, T Mobile, OYO Vacation Homes, Fourfive and Tulip Share on 19th January!