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

被引:29
作者
Clark, Colin Mackinnon [1 ]
Murfett, Ulrike Marianne [2 ]
Rogers, Priscilla S. [3 ]
Ang, Soon [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ New S Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
[2] Nanyang Technol Univ, Nanyang Business Sch, Singapore 639798, Singapore
[3] Univ Michigan, Ross Sch Business, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
关键词
empathy; empathic communication; call center communication; customer service; genre analysis; dyadic communication; COMMUNICATION; QUALITY; IMPACT; SCALE; GENRE;
D O I
10.1177/1050651912468887
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
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.
引用
收藏
页码:123 / 153
页数:31
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