Why “Soft Skills” Is Misleading

Jeannie Walters 0:00

You know what I'm tired of? When things like empathy and compassion and understanding and judgment are referred to as soft skills. Soft skills. And we say things out loud, like, yes, we need to deliver incredible customer experiences. We need to make sure that people feel heard and valued. And then we completely invest in training around process and tools. And we kind of forget the other stuff.

Training Tools While People Quit

Jeannie Walters 0:34

And then we look around after a while and say, wow, weird. We're losing so many people. We're losing both customers and employees. We can't seem to keep them. But we've invested all this time and energy in their training. But if they're not prepared, if we're not lifting them up in the moments when they absolutely need empathy and compassion and understanding and judgment, then we are basically letting them, letting them be beat up because none of us have the same amount of empathy at the end of the day that we do in the beginning. It is a finite resource. So what that means is we have to help people who not only work directly with customers, but who impact the customer experience by what they do in everyday work. I've heard so many people, so many leaders say to me, I don't understand what's happening. We have such a retention problem. And then you go talk to the employees and they say things like, Yeah, they all they care about is the paperwork. All they care about is me filling out the report. But what takes up my time is solving things for customers, for fellow employees, for my colleagues. So if we don't give these quote unquote soft skills the respect and the attention and the investment they deserve, then of course we're going to have problems with retention. Of course we're going to see customers leave and employees who serve them leave because we're not investing in the things that actually they care about.

Deloitte Data On Onboarding Spend

Jeannie Walters 2:18

There's a recent data point that I wanted to share with you. It's from a report from Deloitte about property and casualty insurance. And one of the things that really stood out to me is that there's this onboarding spend misallocation. So new adjusters, so these are the people who are evaluating claims and doing the very, very important work in property and casualty insurance, the people we rely on when things go wrong. New adjusters cost roughly $8,000 to $10,000 in year one training, meaning we hire them, we get them in the door, and then just their training in the first year is $8,000 to $10,000 on average. But nearly all of it goes to compliance and systems, not the judgment, empathy, and communication skills that actually differentiate performance. So when you look at who is doing well, who is keeping the customer, who is making sure that the people they serve during that intense emotional claims experience are actually staying customers and renewing. Those claims adjusters, they are showcasing the very things we're talking about. They are showing good judgment, they are sharing compassion, they are showing empathy, and customers feel that. And that's why they stay. But if we're investing all this money in year one training just about compliance and systems, we are missing opportunities to train and invest in what truly matters to customers.

Compliance Matters And So Does Compassion

Jeannie Walters 3:56

Now, I am not saying compliance and systems are not important. They absolutely are. We have to be compliant. And if you're in a regulated industry, you know exactly what I'm talking about. However, we also need to make sure that the people who are showing up in an incredibly emotional and crisis moment for the customer, in the moment that they feel like they paid for all those years, we better make sure that those people are showing up with compassion and empathy and understanding and judgment. And beyond that, as leaders, we need to make sure that everything that happens is consistent.

Inconsistent Service Erodes Brand Trust

Jeannie Walters 4:37

Because if I send adjuster one, who's a grouch and also makes totally different decisions than adjuster two, who is delightful, that inconsistency actually erodes trust with the brand. So when we are talking about onboarding and training and the incredible things that every single person in your organization does, if we are not thinking about these quote-unquote soft skills, then we are missing opportunities to not only deliver to the customer, but also to make the workplace a better place to be.

The Real Cost Of Attrition

Jeannie Walters 5:14

Now, remember how I said that year one training takes $8,000 to $10,000 for one adjuster? Another data point of note average attrition among claims professionals is around 20%. And each departure takes roughly, you ready for this, six years of institutional experience with it. Six years. So this is not just about getting it right for customers, it's about getting it right for your organization. And as you've heard me say before, every single person in your organization contributes to the customer experience. So this isn't just about your customer-facing employees. This is about sharing everywhere and among everyone who you are no matter what.

Everyone Shapes The Customer Experience

Jeannie Walters 6:05

If you make a promise to show empathy, if you make a promise to be compassionate, if you make a promise to make our people feel valued, then you have to show up with these skills. They are not soft skills, they are incredibly important in today's world and for the future.

How We Help Leaders Build Empathy

Jeannie Walters 6:25

So if you are looking for some help, if you need some ideas around how do we do this, because empathy can feel a little abstract, reach out to us. This is what we do. We help leaders like you actually lead with real business strategy and real actions and behaviors that support not only that business strategy, but what customers actually want from you. That's how you make customer experience a winning business strategy. So I hope we'll hear from you and let us know how we can help you. Until next time, thanks for everything you do, and don't forget, you can always ask me a question. Askjeannie.vip. See you

Join CXI Membership And Get The Book

Jeannie Walters 7:13

next time. If you're ready to turn insights into action, join CXI Membership, our community for customer experience investigators just like you. Get the tools, support, and inspiration to move from ideas to true impact. And don't miss my book, Experience is Everything: Making Every Moment Count in the Age of Customer Expectations. Available wherever you order books. Until next time, keep asking questions, keep improving, and keep leading with experience.