Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2013

Is Empathy Effective for Customer Service? Evidence From Call Center Interactions

Colin Mackinnon Clark UNSW Sydney ; Ulrike Marianne Murfett Nanyang Technological University ; Priscilla S. Rogers Ross School ; Soon Ang Nanyang Technological University

Abstract

This study examines the nature and value of empathic communication in call center dyads. Our research site was a multinational financial services call center that we came to know through grounded study techniques, including analyses of 289 stressful calls. Examining calls as communication genre revealed that agents and customers have conflicting organizational, service, and efficiency needs that undermine communication. But three types of empathic expression can mitigate these conflicts in some interactions. Affective expressions, such as “I’m sorry,” were less effectual, but attentive and cognitive responses could engender highly positive responses although customers’ need for them varied tremendously. Thus, customer service agents must use both diagnostic and enactment skills to perform empathic communication effectively, a coupling that we call empathy work.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2013-04-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651912468887
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Fuller et al. (2023)
    Empathy Competencies and Behaviors in Professional Communication Interactions: …
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  2. Fuller et al. (2021)
    Conceptualizing Empathy Competence: A Professional Communication Perspective
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  3. Friess et al. (2021)
    “Dude, that Sucks”: Examining Scrum’s Influence on Empathy in Student Teams
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Robles (2018)
    Resolving Discourse at Technical-Support Helpdesks
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Peter (2016)
    Designing withHDRdata: what thehuman development reportcan tell us about intern…
    Communication Design Quarterly

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