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The Delicate Balance: Empathy and Objectivity in Customer Problem-Solving

Staying positive while solving customer problems is a big ask that requires a delicate balance of emotional intelligence and analytical thinking.

During the discovery phase, empathy for the customer's situation is crucial - understanding deeply the customer's problem and finding something within yourself that resonates with their experience.

The phrase "fall in love with the customer's problem" often echoes through business corridors. While this concept holds truth, it requires careful navigation. Through discovery, you might find that the perceived problem lacks significant depth of customer pain.

Sometimes, customers aren't taking action or showing the behavior you'd expect from someone facing a crucial problem. The issue might affect only a tiny segment of your customer base, or perhaps it's not the most pressing concern for the business to address. You might even uncover that the solution isn't feasible or viable for your organization.

That's why there is what we can refer to as "strategic empathy" - understanding deeply enough to uncover customer pain points but maintaining enough emotional distance to let the evidence guide your decisions.

Once you've gathered all the relevant information, it's time to step back and become a scientist. It means:

  • Experimenting and being willing to fail
  • Testing critical assumptions
  • Iterating based on evidence
  • Analyzing data and insights while stripping away emotional attachments

When you become too emotionally attached to a customer problem, having the ability to maintain objectivity becomes challenging. This bias can hinder your ability to pivot or halt efforts when necessary. The key is to remain even-keeled and balance empathy with evidence, no matter what.

This approach between emotional connection and analytical thinking is the only way to make solid, informed decisions and ensure you and your team can navigate the complex waters of customer problem-solving while staying true to your mission of delivering real, measurable value.i

This approach between emotional connection and analytical thinking is the only way to make solid, informed decisions and ensure you and your team can navigate the complex waters of customer problem-solving while staying true to your mission of delivering real, measurable value.

Written By: Pam Krengel