Emotional Intelligence in Customer Experience

What Does Emotional Intelligence Entail?

According to the Economic Times, “emotional intelligence refers to the capability of a person to manage and control their emotions and possess the ability to control the emotions of others as well. In other words, they can influence the emotions of other people also.” Emotional intelligence has three main elements – awareness, regulation, and empathy. This blog will dive into more detail of the three main elements and show how to apply them during customer interactions.

Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important?

The above three elements are strong qualities that a business owner needs to have within themselves to have a smooth experience with their customers. Having a strong sense of emotional intelligence will help build a stable relationship with customers. It will also keep them coming back for more. You want your customers to stay loyal to your brand for as long as possible. This means learning how to deal with all kinds of customers, including the ones that overreact to situations of concern.

Awareness, Regulation, and Empathy

When it comes to dealing with customers, it’s important to hone the three main skills of emotional intelligence – awareness, regulation, and empathy. These three skills will help you retain your customers for as long as possible.

Awareness

There is no denying that some customers are just impossible to please. In the context of customer experience, awareness is all about perceiving customer emotions. The best way to do this is to build a personal connection with your customers by communicating with them. Customers are more likely to share negative experiences rather than positive ones. According to Indeed, “the customer perception process occurs when customers interact with your brand, products or services.” This process involves three stages – sensing, organizing, and reacting. To put it simply, customers use sensory behavior, organize their thoughts, and make a final decision. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to try to perceive how they feel about your business and its products.

Regulation

Emotions are unpredictable. It’s important to remember that customers are human beings who deserve to feel and let out their emotions. At first, you will feel surprised and overwhelmed. In these situations, the key is to hold your own and not let your emotions get the best of you. According to Salesforce, you need to ask yourself the question, “Can you listen to a complaint and react without responding emotionally?” Dealing with emotional customers comes with the job. It’s up to you to not let your emotions get the best of you and instead, have patience with your customers and practice active listening.

Empathy

We all have good days and bad days. According to FreshDesk, “customers need to know that you do understand how they feel through words, tone of voice, body language, and other cues depending on how the conversation is happening.” The ability to empathize is an essential quality to have if you want to have an exemplary customer experience. Customers are the lifesavers of the business world. Put yourself in the customers’ shoes. They appreciate it when you try to have a personal relationship with them. If they need to vent, let them. You never know what you might discover in terms of their expectations for your brand and its products. 

Gauging Emotional Intelligence with Customer Experience

Customers need to be reassured that you care. PxidaCX is the perfect tool for you to emphasize that. By gathering their valuable feedback and taking action on it, PxidaCX proves to your customers that you want to improve their experience with your business. By addressing their needs based on their experiences and feedback, your business can continue to grow and retain loyal customers. Sign up for a free trial to see how PxidaCX can make a difference for your business today!