McKinsey Classics | July 2023

The case for emotional intelligence in customer service

Today’s seamless, digital omnichannel environment can deliver a satisfying experience of one-click shopping, with nary the need to interact with another living soul. But there are still those crucial moments in the customer journey when the person hits a snag and desperately needs careful attention. Perhaps it’s a plane you’re urgently trying to catch after missing your connecting flight, an expensive article of clothing you’re hoping to return even though the return window has closed (and you’ve lost your receipt), or you’ve reached your limit waiting on hold while trying to sort out your cable bill.

These are what the authors of this McKinsey Quarterly classic call “moments of truth” in customer service—those defining moments when a customer has invested enormous amounts of emotional energy in the outcome. And if handled correctly, these moments can translate into lasting loyalty from the customer and profits for the company.

The driving force behind these successful moments of truth is the emotional intelligence, or EQ, of a company’s frontline staff. As AI technologies continue to proliferate, one might argue that good old-fashioned customer service has no place in today’s shopping experience. “But pure technological solutions,” the authors observe, “can never stoke the emotional connection between employee and customer.” (AI is, in fact, trying to learn from this very connection.)

To learn more about how managers can help foster value-creating EQ in their workers, read our 2006 classic “The ‘moment of truth’ in customer service.”

— Drew Holzfeind, editor, Chicago