When I first started my career, I thought empathy was just about being a decent human being – listening when a colleague had a bad day, remembering to bring donuts on Fridays, and generally trying not to be the office grump. (I still bring donuts, by the way. Some traditions are sacred.) But as I’ve grown into leadership roles, especially as COO at Unilog, I’ve come to realize that empathy is much more than a personal virtue. It’s a strategic asset – one that shapes how we build our culture, serve our customers, and drive innovation in the eCommerce solutions we provide.
Empathy: The Not-So-Soft Skill
There’s a persistent myth in business that empathy is a “soft skill” – nice to have, but not essential when it comes to hard outcomes like revenue, growth, or operational efficiency. I’ve learned the opposite. Empathy is the foundation of every meaningful relationship, whether you’re collaborating with your team, negotiating with a partner, or designing a B2B eCommerce platform that actually solves real problems for distributors and wholesalers.
At Unilog, we put empathy at the core of everything we do. That means asking questions and listening – really listening – to our colleagues and our customers. It’s about understanding not just what people say, but what they need, what frustrates them, and what excites them about the future of digital commerce.
From the Break Room to the Boardroom: Empathy in Action
I’ll never forget one of my earliest lessons in empathetic leadership. Early in my tenure, our product team was at a crossroads on a new feature for our Product Content Management solution. The data said one thing; our gut said another. Instead of making a top-down decision, we gathered input from every department – sales, support, engineering, and, most importantly, our customers. We held a (virtual) roundtable where everyone had a voice. The result? Not only did we make a better decision, but the sense of ownership and trust across the team skyrocketed. People felt heard, valued, and invested in the outcome.
That experience taught me that empathy isn’t just about being nice. It’s about creating an environment where people can be honest – even vulnerable – without fear. It’s about making space for tough conversations, celebrating diverse perspectives, and supporting each person’s growth. And yes, sometimes it’s about laughing together when a demo goes sideways or someone’s dog joins the Zoom call.
Empathy Drives Innovation and Customer Success
Empathy doesn’t just make us feel good – it makes us better at what we do. When we take the time to understand our customers’ pain points, we build solutions that truly make a difference:
- Digital Catalog Solutions that are intuitive and easy to navigate, seamlessly integrating with ERP systems and other business software to ensure real-time product updates and accurate inventory data.
- Product Information Management (PIM) tools that actually reduce headaches for distributors and manufacturers by centralizing product data and synchronizing it across multiple platforms so teams spend less time chasing down information and more time serving customers.
- Content Enrichment Services that help our clients stand out in crowded markets, with enriched product data and digital assets that flow effortlessly through integrated systems, ensuring consistency and quality everywhere their content appears.
- B2B Product Data Syndication that streamlines operations and drives growth by automatically distributing the right product information to every sales channel, partner, and marketplace – thanks to robust integrations with ERP and other key software solutions.
By building these integrations into the heart of our platform, we empower our customers to work smarter, eliminate manual data entry, and deliver a seamless experience to their own customers – no matter how complex their technology landscape may be.
Our commitment to empathy means we don’t just sell wholesale eCommerce software – we build lasting partnerships. We listen deeply, adapt constantly, and deliver solutions that put people first, every time.
The Ripple Effect: Building a Culture that Endures
Empathy is contagious. When leaders model it, it spreads across teams, to customers, and throughout the entire organization. At Unilog, we see empathy as the secret ingredient that transforms good teams into great ones and satisfied customers into loyal advocates.
So, whether you’re a distributor looking for a trusted partner in B2B or B2C eCommerce, a future employee searching for a place where your voice matters, or a current team member wondering if anyone noticed your new haircut (we did!), know this: At Unilog, empathy isn’t just a value on the wall. It’s how we work, how we lead, and how we win-together.
And if all else fails, there’s always donuts.
