Active listening in customer service: Tips + examples

Do you ever feel like a company’s customer service doesn’t really care about your problem? That’s how I felt when I called a big corporation for a service refund. 

I explained my issue and was promised a resolution in a week‌ — ‌but it never came. Three callbacks, endless transfers, and zero progress later, I got an email denying my refund.

Experiences like this drive customers to competitors. If you want to retain customers and their revenue, start by making them feel heard. To do that, you need to train your reps in active listening. 

In this guide, you’ll see what that looks like in practice and learn five active listening techniques you can use to improve every interaction.

What is active listening in customer service?

Active listening requires understanding what customers say and why it matters to them. This means resisting the urge to think about your response while a customer is still explaining their problem. 

In contrast, passive listening happens when a rep is only half-engaged, like checking email during a call, and misses key details as a result. This hurts your ability to build trust and provide five-star customer service.  

Let’s take a look at the difference between the two approaches. Say a customer calls about a problem with their order:

Active listening	Passive listening
Customer: When I got my latest order, the product was damaged.	Customer: When I got my last order, the product was damaged.
Rep: Oh no! I’m sorry; that must be very frustrating. Can you tell me more about what happened?	Rep: Okay, what’s your order number?
Customer: The box was crushed, and the item inside broke. I really need a replacement before the weekend for my event.	Customer provides information. Can I get a replacement right away? I really need this before the weekend for —
Rep: I understand you need this before Saturday. Let me check our shipping options to make sure we can get it there in time.What’s your order number?	Rep: Sure. I’ll send a replacement with standard shipping, which takes about 5–7 business days.
Customer provides information	Customer: But I said I need it before the weekend. Can it arrive sooner?
Rep: We can send a replacement today with priority shipping! You’ll receive an email with the tracking link right after this call. Does that work for you?	Rep: I can upgrade to next-day shipping, but there’s an extra fee.
Customer: Yes, thank you!	Customer: Then forget it. Please just issue a refund.
Result: Customer becomes a loyal advocate	Result: Customer leaves for a competitor

Why active listening in customer service is crucial

Although the examples above show opposite ends of the spectrum, the differences in outcomes can have a big impact on your business. 

Here are a few ways that active listening helps with customer support:

• Boosts customer satisfaction. Attentive listening tells customers you care about their problems and aren’t just rushing them off the phone.
• Improve customer retention. Eighty-eight percent of customers say the experience they get is just as important as the product itself. Happier customers are harder for competitors to poach.
• Solves problems faster and more accurately. Listening helps reps understand a customer’s concerns and provide the best solution. This minimizes repeat calls and improves first call resolution.
• Reduces escalation. Escalations often happen because customers feel ignored or dismissed. When reps acknowledge customers’ issues and emotions, it takes the heat out of the situation.
• Uncovers valuable insights. Patterns in conversations can point to new revenue opportunities. They can also reveal operational problems that affect the customer service experience. 
• Reduces operational costs. Listening actively cuts down on callbacks because issues are resolved the first time. It also lets senior team members focus on more complex problems rather than spend extra time handling escalations.

5 core active listening techniques for customer service teams

Want to start seeing the benefits of active listening right away? Try these five practical tactics:

1. Ask clarifying and open-ended questions

Asking “Did everything go okay?” gets you a yes-or-no answer‌  ‌and no context. Instead, try “Can you tell me what happened during your appointment?” Clarifying questions show genuine interest and help uncover details reps might otherwise miss. They also prevent assumptions that can lead to poor follow-ups.

3 practical ways to ask better questions

Here are a few examples of open-ended questions:

• “What steps have you already taken to troubleshoot this?”
• “Can you describe what you did before the app froze?”
• “Can you walk me through what happened when you tried to place your order?”

2. Paraphrase what you heard and mirror customers

Paraphrasing is an active listening technique that catches misunderstandings early. It confirms that the rep understands what they heard and gives the customer a chance to clarify if needed.

Pair this with “mirroring” when speaking to customers. Reps who mirror use similar vocabulary, energy, and tone as the customer to convey a sense of familiarity. Mirroring keeps the conversation flowing and creates a comfortable atmosphere that builds rapport.

3 practical ways to paraphrase and summarize

This is what paraphrasing  looks like in practice:

• “Let me make sure I got everything. Your tech team tried some advanced troubleshooting and thought they fixed the problem. But it started again yesterday. Is that right?”
• “When you say it’s running slowly, help me understand — does it take 30 seconds to load, or more like several minutes?”
• “So the error only happens when multiple users are logged in at the same time? And not when you’re working on your own?”

3. Show you’re listening with verbal and non-verbal cues

Cues like nodding, maintaining eye contact, or saying “I see,” show you’re paying attention to the customer’s issue without interrupting their flow. Use them strategically — at natural pauses and in moderation — to avoid interrupting or rushing the customer.

3 practical ways to use cues effectively

Try these verbal and non-verbal cues for customer service interactions across support channels:

1. On phone calls: Use verbal affirmations like: “I see,” “That makes sense,” “I hear you”, or “Right, okay.” 
2. In video calls: Nod when customers mention key pain points and lean forward to show interest when they’re explaining something important. Maintain natural eye contact as if you were talking in person. And don’t slouch or slump — that makes you look bored and disinterested.
3. In chat and email: Show the customer you’re working on the problem by using phrases like: “I see what you mean — let me check on that,” or “Our team is on this. Give me one minute to find the next best step. I’ll message you back right away.” Paraphrasing is also a good active listening technique for these channels.

💡 Pro tip: If it fits your branding, use emojis in text interactions. The right emoji can compensate for a lack of body language. Just be careful not to overuse them — that can look unprofessional or like you’re making light of the problem.

4. Let customers finish their thoughts without interrupting

Interrupting gives the impression that a rep just wants to get through a call. It can feel dismissive or convey a sense of superiority instead of a desire to help.

You also never know when someone might share the most important detail. For example, why something’s urgent or additional context they initially forgot to mention. If you interrupt them, you end up working with incomplete information.

3 practical ways to avoid interrupting

Use these techniques to help you slow down and stop interrupting:

1. Pause before responding: Count to two after the customer stops talking. They might have more to say and just stopped to think or catch their breath. 
2. If you have to interrupt: Wait for a natural pause in the customer’s explanation. Then ask permission to interject: “Can I pause you there for a quick clarification?”
3. Take notes instead of interrupting: Jot down any follow-up questions that pop up as the customer is speaking. You can use your notes to zero in on the most important points after they finish — instead of cutting them off in the middle of a thought.

5. Respond with empathy and acknowledgment

Expressing empathy shows concern, care, and compassion for the customer’s situation. It creates a sense of closeness so customers feel like they’re talking to a real person rather than a distant, faceless rep. This can ease tensions and make customers more receptive to solutions.

3 practical ways to respond with empathy

This is what it looks like for reps to use empathy in customer service:

1. “I completely understand your concern here. If I were in your position, I’d want this handled immediately, too.”
2. “That sounds incredibly frustrating. You shouldn’t have to deal with this on top of everything else you’re managing. How can I make this right for you today?”
3. “Oh wow, a one-day turnaround for that project is really urgent. I understand that you want to make a great impression on this client. Let me find the fastest way to resolve this so you can get back to work.”

How active listening works across different channels

Active listening looks different depending on where you communicate with customers. Let’s look at a few ways to provide the best experience on every service channel:

Phone calls: Focus on vocal cues and pacing

As mentioned earlier, customers need verbal affirmations like “I see” or “Yep, that makes sense” to know that reps are listening during a call. 

You should also pay close attention to what customers repeat or emphasize. Repetition shows what they’re most concerned about. This is usually the core of the problem  and what reps really need to solve. 

For example, a customer may call about a mistake with an order. They keep saying they need the item to meet an urgent deadline. This means the rep should send the right item as quickly as possible instead of offering a refund or credit.

To avoid being distracted by note-taking, you can use call recording and transcription tools. On Quo, formerly OpenPhone, you also get AI call summaries so you can review key points quickly. 

💡 Pro tip: Active listening isn’t just for real-time conversations. It works for asynchronous interactions as well. When you pick up a ticket or call from another team member, start by reviewing the call summaries and transcripts. This gets you up to speed and lets you offer more personalized service. You can say, “I see that Marcus already tried troubleshooting this with you,” so the customer doesn’t have to repeat themselves. On Quo, team members can share numbers so everyone has visibility over conversations.

Video calls: Combine verbal and visual engagement

Video calls give you more ways to show you’re listening than phone calls alone. Take advantage of body language and facial expressions here. Nod when they share key details, lean forward to show interest, and maintain natural eye contact. Turn off self-view so you stay focused on the customer, not yourself.

Customers send non-verbal cues, too. For example, fidgeting or looking away could be a sign that they’re getting anxious and want a faster solution. It could also mean they’re not convinced your solution is the right one.

Live chat and email: Over-communicate understanding in writing

Text removes most of the nuance from communication. You can’t rely on tone of voice or body language — or evaluate how customers are using them. So you need to be very clear in your messages. For example:

• Use detailed summaries to demonstrate understanding. “I see you need an emergency appointment today because your AC stopped working. And you have guests arriving tonight. Let me check our technician availability right now. We’ll get someone to you as soon as possible.”
• Acknowledge their message immediately. Even if you can’t give an answer right away, say something like, “We’ve received your message. We’re working on it now.” This shows customers you’re actively engaged with the issue — instead of leaving them wondering when they’ll get a solution.
• Mirror the customer’s exact words when discussing the problem. This proves you read carefully and aren’t giving generic responses. For example, if they need a same-day appointment: “You mentioned you’re available between 2:00 and 4:00 PM today. Let me find someone who can work within that window.”

6 ways to improve your team’s active listening skills

Help your reps improve their communication skills  with these customer service techniques:

1. Use role-playing exercises. Schedule weekly 15-minute sessions where reps take turns playing the “difficult customer.” This will help your team get better at responding to complaints.
2. Try a “yes, and…” exercise. Pair teammates up to improvise on different customer scenarios and learn how to handle the unexpected.

3. Shadow the best listeners. Assign new team members to sit in on live conversations with senior customer service representatives. Debrief afterward to discuss what the experienced rep did well. 
4. Review great examples of active listening with your team. Use call recordings to demonstrate successful active listening and identify opportunities for improvement.
5. Acknowledge and celebrate your best listeners. During team meetings, share wins that resulted from active listening. Recognizing top reps encourages the rest of the team to develop their skills.
6. Make good listening skills a criteria on your customer service scorecard. This shows reps where to focus so they can provide the best customer experience. 

💡Pro tip: Tools like Quo’s AI call tags make measuring improvements easier. It automatically categorizes conversations by sentiment and keywords. Then you can track how many calls each rep handles broken down by positive vs negative sentiment. Use those patterns as part of your customer service coaching.

2 real-life examples of practicing active listening in customer service

Seeing active listening in action can help you put it into practice. Check out these two companies getting great results from using active listening in customer service.

1. Boomerang Tags

Boomerang Tags makes durable pet collar tags. The company has a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot, in part thanks to their great customer service.

Here’s what Boomerang’s customers say:

• “Great customer service. I emailed them for guidance on which tag style to order for a ‘pet alert tag’ I wanted to put on my key ring. They didn’t laugh at the idea. They gave solid advice on the style of tag to choose, pointing out that tags designed to withstand the wear and tear on a pet’s collar would have no problem with life on a keyring.” —  Trustpilot
  
• “The customer care is second to none. They take the time to pay attention to their work. Dog tags may seem like a small thing, but it’s the care and quality that makes me come back again and again.” — Trustpilot

2. Crutchfield

Crutchfield sells a wide range of electronics for home and auto. A 4.8-star Trustpilot rating reflects the time the company’s reps take to listen to customers and help them solve their problems.

You can see what their customer service strategy looks like from some of their top reviews:

• “Ordered a cable modem and could not get it hooked up to the internet provider. I called Crutchfield. They hooked me up to Nolan (network guy). We were on the phone for at least 1 hour trying to get it to work. Nothing worked. He put in a for a new one to be shipped out and told me to call him back once I received the new one. … They are the best in customer service and will help with anything.” – Trustpilot
  
• “About 6 months ago, I bought a used truck. A few weeks ago, it had what I thought was a busted speaker. I order[ed] replacement speakers to fit the truck. The speakers … picked up engine noise that was severely bad. I contacted customer service to help me troubleshoot. I was able to speak with Leon, and he was amazing. He told me of several things to check and even texted me in between helping other customers. We went back and forth most of the morning and finally resolved the issue.” – Trustpilot

Quo: Your solution for active listening in customer service

Using active listening in customer service sets your business apart. When reps are attentive, they solve problems faster, and customers are more satisfied with the solutions they get. This satisfaction translates directly into stronger customer loyalty and repeat business.

Quo supports your customer service team with effective communication  with tools like:

• Call recording. Give customers your full attention instead of bouncing back and forth to take notes. You can go back to recordings to get any details you might have missed.
  
• Call transcripts and AI call summaries. Review important points so you can provide fast, personalized service every time.
  
• AI call tagging. Automatically label conversations by topic, sentiment, or intent. This makes it easy to spot emotional cues that reps can use to guide their responses in future calls.

Start a seven-day free trial of Quo today to see these features in action.

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