When a customer makes a request, they expect a solution tailored to their needs. A salesperson must decode these expectations, confirm them with the customer, communicate them clearly to the delivery team, and ensure the final product matches the promise. Yet, customers often receive something different from what they envisioned. Here’s why:
Common Pitfalls in Customer Delivery
- Unclear Customer Expression
Customers may struggle to articulate what they truly want. - Limited Salesperson Interpretation
Salespeople may not listen with an open mind, constrained by the products they know or can offer. - Poor Communication to the Delivery Team
Even if the salesperson understands the need, they may fail to convey it effectively. - Rigid Delivery Processes
Delivery teams often default to standard procedures, overlooking custom specifications due to haste or habit. - Reactive Fixes
If the customer is disappointed, teams may scramble to modify the product. While this can salvage the situation, it leaves a lasting impression—positive or negative. - High Customer Effort (Friction)
Requiring the customer to navigate complex phone trees, repeat their issue to multiple agents, or switch channels (e.g., from chat to email – omni channel) to get a solution. This makes service feel like a chore. - Lack of Data Unity (Silos)
Service, sales, and delivery systems don’t talk to each other. The frontline team lacks a 360-degree view of the customer’s history, purchase, and previous issues, leading to generic, impersonalised service. - Employee Empowerment Gap
Frontline staff are not trusted or authorised to solve common problems quickly (e.g., offer a discount or replace an item). This forces unnecessary escalations, frustrating both the customer and the employee. - Failure to Close the Feedback Loop
Soliciting feedback (surveys) but failing to act on the insights or communicate internally how customer input led to a process change. This undermines trust and makes the customer feel unheard.
These issues stem from siloed operations and lack of empowerment. To build lifelong customer relationships, businesses must evolve.
Actionable Strategies To Build Customer Loyalty
- Unified Training with Heart
Train sales and delivery teams together on customer expectations. Emphasise empathy and genuine care—not just mechanical execution. Remind them: robotic behavior leads to robotic replacement. - Personalised Recognition
Always check if the customer is returning. Greet repeat customers by name and recall their preferences. This small gesture builds trust and emotional connection. Create customer journey maps to visualise pain points and personalise service. A customer relationship tool (CRM) can be used as a support. - Active Listening and Clear Handoff
Train salespeople to:
-
- Listen without bias.
- Paraphrase the customer’s request for confirmation.
- Translate the request into actionable, clear instructions for the delivery team.
- Personally verify the final product before handing it over.
- Follow up post-delivery to ensure satisfaction.
- Continuous Learning and Process Updates
Encourage frontline feedback to improve products and services.
Document them including mistakes. Use them to re-skill staff and revise SOPs regularly. Treat errors as opportunities for growth, not blame. - Compassionate Recovery
If a mistake occurs, apologise sincerely. Offer compensation—a discount, freebie, or upgrade. A well-handled error can deepen customer loyalty. - Proactive Service and Anticipation
Move beyond just responding to requests. Use CRM data and historical knowledge to anticipate customer needs or potential issues and address them before the customer has to call. This defines a true value-add and creates positive surprise. - Empowerment for First-Contact Resolution
Decentralise decision-making. Empower frontline employees to resolve the vast majority of issues on the spot without escalation, up to a defined financial limit. This signals trust in your staff and significantly reduces customer effort and wait times. - Prioritise Effortless Service (Minimise Friction)
Evaluate every interaction based on the Customer Effort Score (CES). Ensure the experience is consistent and seamless across all channels (phone, chat, email, in-person). The customer should never have to repeat their story or navigate multiple departments to get a simple solution. - Living Core Values
Core values must be more than slogans. Employees should understand that customer love funds their salaries, bonuses, and promotions. Gratitude and service go hand in hand.
Celebrate customer success stories internally to reinforce purpose.
Human vs Robot: Winning the Loyalty Battle
Robots can learn procedures, recognise faces, and predict preferences using data. But they lack emotional intelligence, intuition, and genuine care. Humans must sharpen their edge in:
- Empathy and emotional connection
- Creative problem-solving
- Adaptability in ambiguous situations
- Storytelling and relationship-building
- Memory powered by genuine interest
These soft skills are irreplaceable. They’re the soul of customer service.
Strategic Augmentation
Humans must allow technology to handle the transactional (routine updates, password resets, data retrieval) so they can focus their time on the relational (complex issues, emotional support, proactive check-ins).
By
Kuppusamy Kanniah