Emphasizing Empathy as a Cornerstone of the Customer Experience

A Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Report, sponsored by UserTesting

While all companies strive to be customer-centric, few have managed to be truly successful in this area. In research conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, nearly three-quarters (71.6%) of businesses said that they ‘understand what it feels like to be one of our customers’ yet only around one-third (35%) of consumers surveyed agreed somewhat or strongly that companies understand them. This presents a gap between companies and the customers they serve and is an area of opportunity that business leaders should actively address.

This report explores the role of empathy in delivering a better customer experience, the reasons why many companies continue to over-index on data rather than facilitating human connections and provides recommendations on how business leaders can bring more customer empathy into decisions that impact the customer experience.