Empathy, in a time of stress or decision-making, goes a long way in making someone feel cared for and understood. What if the businesses providing our services, flights, meals, etc, were already thinking about our wants and needs, and laying out options that apply to us. This kind of consumer-focused empathy, driven by user data, is the trait that Genesys’s, CEO Tony Bates, deemed so important that he made it a part of the corporate decision-making process. As Tony describes in this podcast, and in his book, “Empathy In Action,” times have changed in terms of what consumers want and expect from companies that provide services to them.

Main Takeaways

• Experience As a Service: If you think about the customer experience as one of the services that you provide, that creates room to allocate more resources to improving it.  Bates found that priortizing and making space for experience as a service helped them strategize at Genesys about problem-solving in more individualized ways. 
• Data Informs a More Empathetic Customer Experience: As Bates describes, every consumer has unique needs for customer service and interaction. Companies can streamline resources to be there for customers who want more personalized attention and also easily serve customers who are more suited for an automated process on an app or chat experience. Empathetic listening and analysis of data can paint a picture of what a customer wants to experience and how you can help them solve their problems. 
• Empathy in the Decision Making Equation:  A company framework for decision-making that is built on empathy ensures that empathy is actually implemented through the company. Bates is keen on the believe that quantifying the value of empathy with a number makes it easier to equate with traditional business values like efficiency.  

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