1. Diagnosis

Agent is demonstrating a lack of empathy with the customer, missing key cues about customer's underlying motivation for the call.

2. Behaviour Observations

What you might see or hear that points to this pattern.

• Agent seems happy to progress the conversation when it is very likely they have not understood the customer.
• The agent's questions are more about getting to some solution rather than trying to understand the issue.
• Agent expends effort telling the customer how much work they have done on their behalf.

3. Session Objective

Often a lack of empathy stems from a fear in the agent of being found out as not understanding enough about the institution. The main objective is to let the agent realise they have this fear and then to realise that it is ok not to know everything and they have more time and options than they think in the moment.

4. Session Tactics

How to prepare for and structure the 45-minute call review.

Step 1: Get the agent in touch with the physical feelings they are experiencing when they are not being empathetic. Step 2: Play a part of the call where the customer is being expressive and stop just before the agent displays a lack of empathy. Discuss options. Step 3: Play a part where the customer explains a complex problem. Discuss 3 types of clarification questions: 1) Request for repetition 2) Sequencing — the order of events 3) Perspective — ask questions to clarify the customer's perspective.

5. GROW Experiments

Experiments the coachee might choose to try. These are offers, not prescriptions — the coachee selects what feels right for them.

Behaviour Tags