As more contact centers increase their reliance on artificial intelligence (AI), businesses that choose to use AI to improve the quality of human-driven customer support stand to gain the biggest competitive advantage.
And that’s for one simple reason: while AI has a long list of benefits, it could be counterproductive when used ineffectively or without a human touch. Especially with customers who have different needs or require tailored support to address their business requirements.
As an example, 64% of chatbot users report issues with AI bots, citing them as incapable of answering their questions and misunderstanding their intent, reports a Retail Customer Experience.com article by Tomer Azenkot, “AI overload: The good, the bad, and the ugly impact on customer experience”.
This has likely happened to a lot of us. When we don’t get what we need from automated support, customers often ask for human representatives who find themselves tasked with customers frustrated by poor AI-driven customer service experiences. In these situations, emotional intelligence and the human touch tend to make all the difference.
The EQ Tool
To mitigate these experiences, businesses need to ensure the AI they use can effectively handle basic customer requests and train their human contact center teams to address customers’ concerns appropriately when called upon.
In these situations, AI can serve as effective co-pilots, serving up analyses, insights, and recommendations to support sales teams in real time.
In my experience, quality support comes down to having a high emotional quotient (EQ). EQ is a metric that represents a person’s ability to deploy emotional intelligence in various situations appropriately. And it can be the secret tool that great teams use to retain customers long term and build their loyalty.
Having built a career in sales, I’ve seen this play out in real time. High-EQ sales and service reps who understand and empathize with customers are crucial to building trust and forging long-lasting relationships.
EQ in Practice
Two of the most important elements of a high-EQ customer interaction are a clear perception of the customer’s need, and an understanding of how that customer feels in the given moment.
For instance, if an upset customer calls to request product support, but the rep fails to assess the degree to which that customer is upset, that would be an example of a low-EQ interaction.
In my experience, quality support comes down to having a high emotional quotient (EQ).
Without a shared, baseline understanding of the customer’s emotional state, that rep will have a tougher time addressing the issue while the customer is more likely to leave the interaction disappointed.
High-EQ customer interactions are also fundamental for driving new sales. A recent study by Emblaze, in partnership with Florida State University’s Sales Institute, found that:
- When sales teams applied emotional intelligence during calls, it doubled the buyer’s perception of how well the meeting went and increased the chances of a follow-up meeting by 39%.
- On average, salespeople with high emotional intelligence are also 17% more likely to hit their quota, produce 9% higher profitsand have a 12% higher likelihood of winning deals.
EQ Development Strategies
While it’s true that high-EQ interactions may be harder to achieve over the phone, video, or text chat than in-person, proper tools and training can help bridge this gap.
When this is the case, reps can use the following approaches to improve their EQ for customer conversations.
1. Gather company and market knowledge
Research shows that 89% of business buyers are more likely to buy when sellers show they understand the buyers’ goals. In my experience, this same sentiment also applies to virtual contact center teams.
When reps have sufficient knowledge of their company’s procedures, they can offer faster, more relevant support that better aligns to the customers’ reasons for engaging.
This knowledge includes knowing the order of operations for handling specific requests and who to direct calls to when the customers aren’t connected to the right people. For B2B specifically, reps should also understand the customers’ industries to center their support within the context of the marketplace.
Those reps with naturally high EQ can also adapt their conversations to the customers’ needs and concerns in real time. Instead of reciting a generic script, top reps can facilitate inviting conversations that are relevant to both the markets and the customers’ desired outcomes.
2. Practice needs discovery assessment techniques
Leading with empathy during the sales support process can help customers feel comfortable sharing more details:
- What’s compelling them to seek a solution to their issue?
- What’s at stake?
- How will the right (or wrong) choice affect them?
Active listening and asking insightful needs discovery questions can demonstrate commitment to delivering the best solution: and determine how to best help the customer. In addition, validating and repeating a customer’s thoughts back to them is very effective to help prevent miscommunication during the conversation.
3. Learn effective objection handling
Those reps with high EQ bring patience and understanding to assess and resolve customer concerns. Instead of immediately pivoting objections to different topics, these reps use customers’ objections as opportunities to dig deeper for solutions. When customers object, high-EQ reps see it as an opportunity to collaborate on solutions.
4. Demonstrate product knowledge
Quality contact center interactions also create the opportunity to make new sales. But for this to be feasible, reps need to have a thorough understanding of their company’s products and services.
For example, a customer might mention that their salespeople struggle to close in a virtual sales room. If the representative has enough product knowledge, they could outline relevant company product features that help coach salespeople to read the room more effectively, even in a virtual setting.
The most successful organizations will effectively blend AI's efficiency with the irreplaceable emotional intelligence of skilled representatives.
Taking this a step further, the rep could also offer to demo these features, if appropriate and applicable given the customer’s mood and situation. If this is brought up on a service call, the service rep should know to direct the customer to a salesperson who can discuss the product features on a deeper level.
Low-EQ Mistakes to Avoid
Conversely, there are a few low-EQ pitfalls that contact center teams should keep in mind when engaging with customers. For smoother conversations, it’s best to stay away from these issues.
1. “Pushing” the company’s narrative
At the end of the day, most customers are looking to exit any conversation as quickly as possible. Spending too much time discussing company policies or procedures, as opposed to offering direct and relevant support, can be harmful to the customer relationship.
This is especially true if the customers are already frustrated prior to speaking with the representatives. Faster, more empathic support without spending too much time explaining company protocol that’s of little to no interest to the customer is a hallmark of good EQ-driven support.
2. Focusing far too much on product features
Product features are great, but to really win customers over, focus on the business benefits they’ll achieve instead. This is especially true in sales situations, where subconscious emotions drive as many as 95% of all purchases. The trick is to know when to bring up certain features: and when it’s time to redirect the conversations to how the product will improve the customers’ lives.
3. Dominating conversations
When reps dominate conversations, customers can easily lose interest or get distracted. To put this in perspective, top sales reps tend to leave plenty of time for customers to share their goals and concerns on calls, which highlights the importance of conversational balance for high-EQ discussions.
Developing EQ Within Contact Center Teams
The best way to ensure that your sales teams are engaging with customers in effective ways, contact center leaders can provide guidance and coaching to empower them in the long run.
1. Develop and implement an EQ training program
By combining educational training with technology, businesses can emulate common customer scenarios to show how EQ can improve conversations. For this to be effective though, it’s crucial for businesses to resource and support these programs well to reinforce their commitment and build upon learned skills.
2. Analyze customer feedback to benchmark and improve EQ
AI-powered tools can do this by operating alongside reps to read customers’ emotional cues and recommend actions in real time. Managers can use AI-generated meeting summaries to coach reps on the finer points.
3. Reward reps who demonstrate high EQ
Businesses need to demonstrate their commitment to EQ by celebrating related successes. By acknowledging and rewarding high-EQ performers, businesses encourage other reps to actively hone their skills as well.
More Automation Requires More Humanity
As AI’s role in contact centers grows, a human touch will become increasingly vital. The most successful organizations will effectively blend AI’s efficiency with the irreplaceable emotional intelligence of skilled representatives.
By investing in EQ development and using AI to enhance human interactions, businesses can create a powerful synergy that elevates customer experiences (CXs), inspires brand loyalty and drives growth. The future lies not in choosing between AI and human touch, but in artfully combining both to create truly customer-centric operations.