Empathy in Service Design
You know what they say - people may not remember what you say or do, but they remember how you make them feel.
Across all customer touch points, Customer Support hinges on this feel factor the most. When customers contact support, they are almost likely frustrated, anxious or confused. How an agent handles the situation can make or break the experience.
Today, I was fortunate enough to receive the most brilliant support service. This has inspired me to reflect on the role empathy plays in Service Design.
Let me share what happened.
A Tangled Ecosystem
I had been dreading this chore for months: resolving a seemingly straight-forward issue with a foreign financial institute.
What should have taken minutes became a maze of security barriers - bouncing me across telephone support, online banking, and mobile banking platforms.
By the time I reached a live agent on the phone (through a fluke on their IVR), I was already mentally drained. When the agent asked for a verification number, I could not think straight . What number? Which paper? Where should I look? I could feel my blood pressure rising, flustered and overwhelmed.
A Calming Effect
The agent’s tone made all the difference.
Keeping his voice steady and encouraging, he repeated his questions without an ounce of impatience. No judgement, no rush.
I instantly felt better.
I calmed down.
I checked and found what was needed.
Empathy, delivered.
In User’s Language
A number of things needed to be done.
For each item, the agent walked me through the steps - patiently in layman’s language.
No jargon. No assumptions.
As the agent meeting me where I was, I felt respected as a peer.
Complexity with Compassion
Then it came to the most complicated part: setting up internet banking and mobile banking.
Complicated?
Yes, please believe me. This bank’s mobile-first design is painfully unintuitive. You cannot use the app without a texted code. But you cannot get the code until your number is on file — which you can only do online or at the branch. And desktop and mobile registration? Completely separate.
I confessed I could not make sense of it - with much embarrassment.
That’s when the agent told me:
“It took me six months to fully understand how this system works — and a lot of practice to explain it clearly to customers.”
His sharing immediately made me feel less incompetent.
Empathy in action.
Empathy, Designed
What I experienced was beyond just good customer service.
It was a masterclass in empathetic support — delivered by someone who understood the emotional journey as well as the technical one.
This agent didn’t just resolve my issues; he made me feel seen.
That 30 minutes had revived my trust in this bank. If this interaction is representative of their support unit, then it tells me that this organization knows how to hire, train, and retain good people.
HR and training belong to the internal side of Service Design, but their impact can be felt right at the front line, shaping how customer feel long after a single interaction.