Care, Kindness & Compassion in a Call Centre

When you call customer service, it’s easy to forget there’s an actual person on the other end of the phone.

We don’t always see is the human interactions in a call centre — often with someone who is trying to make sense of a difficult situation just as quickly as it is being explained.

I recently had a conversation with my son, Ethan, who works as a customer service agent at an energy company in the UK. What stood out wasn’t just what he does—but how much of his role is about relationships, not transactions.

“It’s not really about energy…”

When I asked Ethan to describe his job, he didn’t start with tariffs or billing systems.

Instead, he talked about people.

He told me about customers who call because they’ve paid their energy bill but now can’t afford food. In those moments, he can arrange food vouchers. Others are vulnerable to the cold but worried about the cost of heating—he’s able to send out things like electric blankets.

There are also the more sensitive situations, like bereavement cases, where someone has to call up and explain that a loved one has passed away. Ethan helps guide them through what can feel like a confusing and overwhelming process.

Listening to him, it became clear: this isn’t just a technical role. It’s deeply human work.

Building trust—fast

One thing that really struck me is how quickly these interactions unfold.

There’s no long introduction, no time to build rapport slowly. Within minutes, Ethan has to understand what’s going on, tune into how someone is feeling, and figure out how to help.

He shared a story about a woman who had recently had a stroke. While she was in hospital, her partner was supposed to manage her bills—but didn’t. When she came home, she was met with letters saying she owed around £1,000.

She was distressed, confused, and overwhelmed.

Ethan didn’t just deal with the numbers. He slowed things down, talked her through her options, moved her onto a cheaper tariff, and helped set up a manageable payment plan.

He even shared some of his own experiences to reassure her she wasn’t alone.

“It takes a lot for people to say they’re struggling—especially to someone they don’t know.”

How do you not take it home with you?

How do you listen to these stories—about illness, money struggles, loss—and not get overwhelmed yourself?

Ethan’s answer was simple, but powerful. He said what helps is being able to listen and do something.

“It’s not just saying ‘that’s awful’—it’s ‘I’m sorry this has happened but listening first then saying let’s see what we can do.’”

Being able to move things forward seems to create a kind of emotional boundary. He’s not just sitting with someone’s distress—he’s actively helping to change the situation.

“You need to have boundaries”

While empathy is a big part of the job, Ethan is clear that it doesn’t mean accepting abuse.

If someone becomes personally rude or insulting, he sets a boundary.

“You’re not going to speak to me this way… it’s not productive.”

It’s a reminder that even in service roles, respect matters both ways.

When it gets personal

Some situations go beyond frustration and into something more difficult.

Ethan shared an experience from early in his role, where a customer made racist comments during a call. As someone of mixed heritage, it was understandably upsetting.

What stood out to me here was what happened next.

His manager called him straight away and asked a simple question: “What do you need right now?”

He was encouraged to take time out and step away from the phones.

It’s a small moment, but an important one. Because while you can’t prevent every difficult interaction, you can decide how you support people afterwards.

So what does this tell us?

Listening to Ethan, I kept coming back to one idea: this is emotional labour.

And often, it’s carried out by young people—sometimes in their first job—who are suddenly exposed to very real, very human situations.

They’re hearing about:

•               Financial hardship

•               Illness

•               Loss

•               Crisis or distress

And they’re expected to respond with empathy, clarity, and professionalism—often within minutes.

It raises some important questions.

Are we giving customer service agents enough support to process what they’re hearing?

Do they need more space for reflection or supervision?

What impact do these interactions have on the rest of their day—and the next customer they speak to?

Reflections

At the heart of all of this is something quite simple. Customer service isn’t really about customers or services.

It’s about people and sometimes, what people need most isn’t just a solution—but to feel heard, understood, and met where they are.