Burnout is considered one of the most frequent effects felt by customer support consultants. It is in fact so common that it completely overshadows empathy fatigue — something that is just as serious as burning out.
The good news is that, just like with burning out, overcoming empathy fatigue is easy. Here is a guide we at SupportYourApp use to deal with it.
In this article, we'll cover:
What Is Empathy Fatigue?
It is a state, where people are so often exposed to other people’s issues, they simply stop caring and only get more exhausted with every ticket and request.
How Does SupportYourApp Deal With It?
Taking It Personally Is Not an Option
This is one of the first things we teach our new team members during onboarding. We tell them, “This is not about you. It is about the issue you need to resolve to make a customer happy”.
It is no secret — support teams face a lot of frustrated customers and a lot of challenging conversations. Some issues cannot be resolved quickly. Some issues require escalation. Some questions cannot be answered at all. Every single one of these can become a reason for anger and frustration from customers’ side. Their negative reaction, in turn, can become a reason not only for support consultants experiencing empathy fatigue, but for leaving the industry altogether.
What’s the solution here? Not taking anything personally… apart from praise for a job well done, of course. If a customer gets angry, their anger is not directed towards our support consultants, but rather towards the situation itself.
This skill and attitude are not easy to develop. But it is vital for those who want to build their career in the customer service and support industry in general, and at SupportYourApp in particular. Understanding that customers’ negative emotions and reactions are not aimed at any particular person is one of the best ways to avoid empathy fatigue.
Listening Actively Is the Biggest Helper
One of support teams’ main tasks is listening and doing it actively. And we do not mean listening with more gusto, but rather listening to the tone of conversations and the meaning behind the words rather than to the words themselves. It is one of the quickest and surest ways to connect with customers, even if they are frustrated or angry.
There are several ways to develop the active listening skill:
- Mindfully focusing on the purpose of every communication
- Using encouraging language and phrases such as “I hear you” and “I understand you”
- Using positive language. For example, “It will take [this many] hours to resolve your ticket”, not “We cannot resolve your ticket at this time”
- Refraining from judgment and asking the questions that can help establish connection
In everyday processes of a support team, active listening is one of the core skills. It gets even more vital when consultants start experiencing empathy fatigue, as it helps establish real human connection. This can help them focus on a human behind a ticket and not on an issue itself.
Pausing and Teamwork Hold the Secret
It is a fact that taking breaks makes professionals more productive than working 9 to 5 non-stop. It is even more so when experiencing empathy fatigue.
Breaks are nothing if not an opportunity to reset one’s brain and take one’s mind off of a difficult conversation or a frustrated customer. Of course, effective breaks become impossible without a team that works like a well-oiled machine and teammates that go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
When taking breaks, it is important to ensure uninterrupted service provision. This way, every team member can take 15 or 20 minutes off at a time without worrying they will miss a ticket or a call.
It is a deep belief here at SupportYourApp, that everyone has the right to enjoy a cup of midday coffee or a short and lively conversation with teammates without having to worry about their job. So, those who start to feel tired can easily take some time off, pause, and come back to their tasks with a clear mind.
Cherishing and Celebrating Yourself
As was already said, there is only one thing that can and absolutely should be taken personally — success and praise. They can warm support teams’ hearts and motivate them to be even better. Combined with active listening and frequent relaxing breaks, celebrating every resolved ticket (especially difficult and demanding ones) can become the best remedy from empathy fatigue in support teams.
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Anna started out in financial markets, diving into daily research on bonds and stocks. A passionate reader with a love for historical literature and international cuisine, she’s now all about mastering customer communication. She writes in-depth about customer support, backed by extensive research, and has become an expert on the topic.
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