Building rapport has always been at the heart of great customer service, but today’s customers expect faster responses, greater personalization, and genuine empathy – all at once.
This growing pressure means agents need better support, and modern technology is stepping in to help strengthen, not replace, human connection.
To find out more, we spoke to Debbie Thomas, Director, Pre-Sales WNE at Enghouse Interactive, about how contact centres can use technology to support rapport building.
Video: Build Rapport: Proactive Prompts Suggest Language That Builds Loyalty
Watch the video below to hear Debbie explain what contact centres need to do to help agents build rapport with customers, focusing on using proactive prompts that suggest language that builds loyalty:
With thanks to Debbie Thomas, Director, Pre-Sales WNE at Enghouse Interactive, for contributing to this video.
This video was originally published in our article ‘New Ways to Help Agents Build Rapport’
Three Ways Technology Helps Agents Build Stronger Customer Rapport
While customers still value human empathy above all else, AI-powered tools now play a major role in enabling agents to deliver more confident, personalized, and meaningful interactions, as Debbie explained:
“Building rapport with your customers has always been the cornerstone of great service. In today’s contact centres, the challenges are evolving – customers are expecting speed, efficiency, personalization, and empathy.
And this is where AI can really make a difference. AI-powered tools in the contact centre don’t replace the human connection, rather they should enhance it.”
Here are three key ways this happens:
1. Understanding Emotion in Real Time
AI-driven sentiment and intent analysis gives agents immediate insight into a customer’s emotional state.
Whether someone sounds stressed, confused, or frustrated, agents can adjust their tone, pace, and phrasing instantly.
“For example, sentiment analysis allows the agent to quickly understand the emotional state of the customer so they can respond accordingly and with empathy, whilst proactive prompts might suggest language that will help build loyalty and keep the conversation positive.”
Using subtle real-time prompts also help keep conversations positive and build trust more naturally.
2. Surfacing the Right Context Instantly
AI can pull together relevant customer records, preferences, and past interactions in seconds, which was something that would otherwise require switching between multiple systems.
“AI can also be used to surface customer records that are relevant to that conversation, and also preferences – and it can do that instantly, which saves the agent from wasting time having to search in a CRM or other line of business application, and they can just continue with the call.
And it also means from the customer side that they feel heard and valued right from the beginning of the interaction.”
With all the context presented upfront, agents can focus fully on the customer, respond more personally, and avoid repetitive questions that erode rapport.
3. Anticipating Needs Before They Become Problems
Beyond live interactions, AI helps predict what a customer may need next, as Debbie concludes:
“It’s not just live calls, AI can be used to predict customer need before they even reach out to you, enabling that proactive engagement.
Imagine solving an issue before it becomes a persistent or a frustrating pain point. That’s the kind of customer experience that really helps to build loyalty.”
For example, by analysing patterns and past behaviour, it can flag emerging issues or trigger proactive outreach before customers become frustrated.
This kind of timely support creates smoother experiences and strengthens long-term loyalty.
If you are looking for more great insights from the experts, check out these next:
- How Technology Supports Customer Trust
- 4 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty in the Digital Age
- The Real Goal of Great Self-Service
- Building Human Rapport in an AI-Powered Contact Centre
Author: Robyn Coppell
Published On: 5th Feb 2026 - Last modified: 6th Feb 2026
Read more about - Video, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Communication Skills, Customer Experience (CX), Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, Emotion, Enghouse Interactive, Rapport, Skill Development, Soft Skills, Videos
