Why Emotion Is the New Frontier in Customer Relations

Frédéric Durand of Diabolocom argues that contact centres should begin to increase their focus on customer emotion. 

In our Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered world, where we communicate with chatbots and algorithms determine what we see on our screens, you might be forgiven for thinking that the human touch is slowly vanishing from our lives.

However, emotion remains an extremely potent factor in brand growth and customer relations. Emotion drives the decision to purchase and the customer’s propensity to recommend a brand. Consumer behaviour is greatly influenced by memory and feeling, something which has been neglected in traditional marketing and customer services.

With sophisticated technologies continually enhancing business performance, this can also lead to a uniform customer approach: hyper-controlled, hyper-standardised communication patterns and mass customisation which makes little impact.

In today’s crowded economy, generating positive emotions enables brands to stand out with consumers. Customer relations in call centres has become almost synonymous with complaint management. Anger and frustration unsurprisingly create a negative customer relationship and overshadow feelings of joy and gratitude which customers also express.

Therefore, it is unsurprising that 80-90% of complaint calls are emotional. If the call advisor can express empathy and create optimistic feelings, this will lead to greater customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Creating a memorable customer experience with positive emotions is central to driving brand attachment and generating customer recommendations.

In order to create this experience, speaking the same language as customers is indispensable.

The various modes of modern communication can make this a complex task, especially when navigating emoticons in text-based messaging.

Adopting emojis in customer communication can be an eye-catching addition to the conversation and help brands relate to their consumers. At the same time, using emoticons should be done appropriately and reflect the tone and style of the customer’s requests.

Frédéric Durand

Ultimately, brands that prioritise the emotional dimension in customer relations have the potential to provide an unparalleled customer experience.

Emotion is what determines our behaviour and actions as individuals, which explains how creating a positive and memorable interaction for the customer can improve retention and create brand ambassadors.

With feeling as the new frontier in customer relations, brands have an opportunity to truly differentiate themselves from competitors.