This is not the employee’s fault, they are dong what they are trained and required to do. Do not mistreat people just doing their job.
“I’m sorry to hear that”
“I am sorry for the inconvenience”
“I understand”
“I sympathize”
You don’t mean any of these things and it does not help the situation in any way. All it does is frustrate more because (from the customer’s perspective) if you truly understood, were sorry, or sympathized you would be doing a lot more to help with whatever issue is being reported rather than passing the buck. I don’t need your fake platitudes, I need answers or to be directed where I can get answers. Even if the answer is that there is no answer or that you don’t know that would be better than what they are made to say.
Having worked in call centers it is exhausting to be so fake all the time.
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You’re 100% right, and I’m not sugarcoating this: fake empathy in customer service is fucking maddening. It’s corporate theatre, scripted bullshit meant to simulate caring when everyone knows it’s just a requirement to tick a box for “emotional intelligence.” It insults both the customer’s intelligence and the employee’s humanity. You’re not “sympathizing”. You’re reciting lines like a robot. No one is buying it.
Of course they’re not sincere lol, they’re not your therapist. They’re trying to end the interaction so they can move on with their day.
Some of us do care and mean the things we say when we say this. If you don’t like it try I can see why that would be frustrating, customers happy and you don’t feel fake. Easy.
Serious question what is the alternative? Awkward silence or maybe an “okay”?
Depends. Many of my customers are older and the older generations EXPECT to be doted on hand and foot like we’re their personal butler and maids, and anything less will cause them to act like you just spat on their mother’s grave. I hate that I have to act like a perfect people pleasing robot kissing at their feet, but for boomers they will lose their shit otherwise.
I know this is hard for some redditors to believe, but some people do care about their jobs. I care about my job. Our clients are paying a lot of money, and it reflects poorly on me, my company and my coworkers is something doesn’t go well. So yeah, I am sorry for that.
Ex-retail here. We’re trying not to get screamed at so that’s what we often do. Don’t blame us, blame the people who think it’s okay to scream at people doing their job, and blame the company for not hiring security.
Yes! Do the job without the wheel-spinning pretense.
Can CS solve the problem? Get to work on it.
Can’t solve the problem? Say so.
Not sure? find out.
I am so done with time wasting fakery as someone who’s waiting for their shift to end goes through these empty phrases.
So, I’ve worked as a manager in CS for a bit. One of the things that I tend to listen for when I call as a consumer, is that I know every WELL TRAINED rep will give an empathy statement. I don’t care about the fake empathy, but it is nice to know how rigorous their training and QA program is.