How to Handle Emojis in Customer Service

Should we use emojis in customer service? Many of us use them in our everyday life and so do our customers.

Here we look at the right and wrong ways to use emojis in the contact centre.

What Is an Emoji?

Emojis, also known as “emoticons”, are visual tools that help to convey an emotion. They are often sent as small icons or digital images that assist the reader in better understanding the tone of an interaction.

Some examples of emojis that you may be familiar with are shown below.

What You First Need to Consider

Before advising the team on when is best to use emojis in business emails, live chat and even letters, there are two points to consider, according to Neil Martin, Creative Director at The First Word.

Neil says: “You’ve got to think about your customers, what do they want? You’ve got to think about your brand, is it right for your brand?”

While some brands may have an identity that they would like to uphold or a customer base with a particular view on emojis, most organisations will have customers with opposing views on the topic. So, it’s good to have a flexible approach.

Reflect How the Customer Uses Emojis

One flexible approach is to use emojis as the customer does, as in this case you are aware that the customer is comfortable in using them.

As Neil Martin says: “My view on it is that if your customers are using them, it’s good to use them back, particularly in positive scenarios where something good has happened. This is because if you don’t, you might end up seeming a little bit cold.”

Christine Knott

Using emojis in this way allows the advisor to demonstrate commonality with the customer, a key to building rapport in any kind of communication, as Christine Knott, the former Managing Director at Beyond the Box, tells us.

Christine says: “The definition of rapport is a feeling of commonality; people like people who are like themselves. So, the key to building rapport is in demonstrating commonality and mirroring certain customer behaviours.”

With this in mind, mirroring the customer’s use of emojis can be a good tool for demonstrating commonality, something that’s harder to do on written channels than when using the phone. This is due to it being more difficult to match the customer’s tone and because there may not be the immediate response that you would expect on the phone.

For more advice from Christine about building better customer conversations, read our article: Best Tips, Phrases and Words to Use for Building Rapport

But Avoid Too Many Emojis When Something Bad Has Happened

Although choosing to use emojis may seem like quite a simple decision, there are many things to consider. For example, will the customer understand which emotion your choice of emoji conveys? This can happen when you go beyond smiley and unsmiling emojis.

Neil Martin

Neil Martin also points out: “If you are in a serious conversation or something bad has happened, I’d avoid emojis. While using one unhappy emoji can help to convey empathy, don’t overuse them otherwise it’s like over-apologising – eventually it loses all meaning and may even begin to frustrate the customer.”

A single unhappy emoji can be useful to visually express your empathy. In written communication, it is much harder to communicate with an empathetic tone, so careful use of emojis can be a helpful tool.

Take the following interactions as an example and consider which example best conveys empathy:

Example 1

Customer – I preferred my old deal, I’m finding this so inconvenient.
Advisor – I’m sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused you…

Example 2

Customer – I preferred my old deal, I’m finding this so inconvenient.
Advisor – I’m sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused you ☹ …

The second example feels “softer” and more human. It is a good example of how emojis can visually communicate empathy, which is otherwise tricky to do in written communication.

However, remember – as Neil said – to avoid overusing them, otherwise you risk sounding inauthentic.

In negative circumstances, it’s also important to only go as far as an empathetic unsmiley face as shown above. An eye roll emoji or a “sick face” emoji could be really inappropriate.

Even in positive circumstances, overusing emojis can be called into question. While it may feel natural to an advisor, as it’s how they would communicate with a friend, some will consider it unprofessional.

Don’t Open the Conversation With an Emoji

To avoid seeming unprofessional, let’s go back to Neil’s principle of reflecting back the customer’s use of emojis; we want to use them how the customer sees best fit.

When we open the conversation, we likely do not know how the customer sees best fit, so it’s best not to start with an emoji, unless it really goes against your brand image.

If they refer to themselves by their first name, use their first name. If the customer uses a smiley emoji, give them one  back.

Caroline Cooper

Remember that every customer is different, so start by being polite and friendly and go from there.

As Caroline Cooper, a Trainer and Consultant at Naturally Loyal, says: “Let the customer lead, just like you would when using their name. If they refer to themselves by their first name, use their first name. If the customer uses a smiley emoji, give them one back.”

The Top Ten Emojis to Use in Customer Service

Some emojis are more appropriate to use than others when providing customer service. So, here’s a set of ten emojis that can help to improve a customer interaction, if used wisely.

Author: Robyn Coppell
Reviewed by: Megan Jones