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Customer service is often regarded as the frontline representation of an organization—the bridge between a brand and its customers.
As an L&D leader, you are uniquely positioned to influence this critical area by fostering a culture that prioritizes both employees and customers. A culture where everybody matters and they know they matter. This is the number one thing all humans want, whether they realize it or not.
The best way for people to know they matter is to tell them. ARE (appreciation, recognition, encouragement) is the fuel that drives human performance. It’s the most powerful fuel there is. And it’s free, no AI required! We all always have a full tank and can distribute it throughout our day.
Years of working with leaders across industries have shown us that exceptional customer service doesn’t happen by chance; it is a deliberate practice rooted in core principles that emphasize empathy, responsiveness, and accountability.
The business case for customer service excellence
Creating Magic, Ten Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney, a book written by Lee in 2009, lays out the recipe for excellence in leadership, which translates to employee excellence. In turn, they take care of the customer because they want to and that leads to improved business results.
More than 15 years on, the lessons are just as valuable today. Recent Gallup data reveals the potential impact of superior customer service on key business outcomes:
- 66% higher sales growth
- 25% increase in customer loyalty
- 10%+ increase in net profit
These metrics highlight what many organizations miss by underestimating the importance of customer engagement. However, achieving these results doesn’t require cutting-edge AI or overly complex systems.
Instead, it requires a return to the fundamentals of all successful businesses: customer service. Leaders need to be clear, set standards, and enforce them. This leads to a win, win, win for all constituents. Clarity is the name of the game for avoiding lapses in behavior, attitude, reliability, and technical performance.
Incorporate empathy training into leadership development and frontline employee onboarding programs
Bill Marriott once shared that the only way you get excellence is through training and enforcement. You get what you put up with. Leaders are either responsible or irresponsible. It is a choice, but the formula is simple: Hire them right. Train them right. Treat them right.
Recruiting the right people is the most important step to excellence and getting rid of the wrong people. Hire for a can-do, positive attitude and reliability, and you can train the rest. Being clear about expectations for performance, including attitude and reliability, is vital before making the final hiring decision.
Once you have found the right person, the next vital step is to train them so well that they are experts in their role in the show. And finally, treat them right, with respect, making sure they know they are appreciated and important to the operation.
Three pillars of training exceptional customer service—and actions to make them stick
1. Empathy: understanding the customer’s perspective
Exceptional customer service begins with empathy. Customers seek more than solutions; they want to feel heard and understood. Empathy requires active listening and a genuine understanding of their experiences, needs, and frustrations. By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, your organization can not only resolve issues effectively but also build trust and loyalty that transcends individual transactions. Make every customer feel special, treat them as individuals, respect them, and have well-trained employees.
Action step for leaders: Incorporate empathy training into leadership development and frontline employee onboarding programs. Equip your teams with techniques such as asking open-ended questions, listening without interruption, and paraphrasing customer concerns to ensure clarity and demonstrate understanding. Serve your customers the way you would want your loved ones served.
2. Responsiveness: timeliness matters
In today’s fast-paced world, time is a precious commodity. Customers expect quick responses, whether they are reaching out with a question, concern, or complaint. That said, responsiveness isn’t just about speed. Be proactive and make the customer feel valued throughout the interaction. Stay alert and look for signs that the customer needs you. Even better, be so good that the customer has little to complain about.
Action step for leaders: Collaborate with operations leaders to establish clear response time standards. Provide employees with the tools, technology, and authority to address customer needs promptly. Recognize and reward teams that consistently meet or exceed these standards.
3. Accountability: owning the outcome
Accountability is a cornerstone of both leadership and customer service. Customers appreciate representatives who take ownership of their concerns, follow through on commitments, and provide regular updates. This signals professionalism and reinforces trust in your brand.
Action step for leaders: Foster a culture of accountability by setting clear performance expectations and establishing consistent follow-up protocols. Encourage team members to take personal responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction. Include accountability metrics in performance reviews and leadership evaluations.
The broader impact of customer service excellence & effective training
When customer service is executed well, it becomes a differentiator that sets your organization apart. It drives customer loyalty, fosters positive word-of-mouth, and improves long-term business success. Perhaps most importantly, it reflects a culture of care—a commitment to valuing people and their experiences.
As a leader, your role is to ensure that the foundational elements of empathy, responsiveness, and accountability are integral aspects of your organization’s DNA, not just checkboxes
As a leader, your role is to ensure that the foundational elements of empathy, responsiveness, and accountability are integral aspects of your organization’s DNA, not just checkboxes.
By doing so, you’re building relationships that transform customers into advocates and employees into brand ambassadors. Watch for customer and employee hassles and go about removing them. Providing authority to your team is one of the best ways to show them and your customers that you are a hassle-free organization.
In a world where trust is increasingly rare, prioritizing exceptional customer service fuels sustainable growth and solidifies your organization’s reputation as an employer and provider of choice.
But to make it happen, leaders need to become teachers, not bosses. Do this, and your organization will flourish.
Lee Cockerell is the retired Executive Vice President of the Walt Disney World Resort. Before joining Disney in 1990 to open Disneyland Paris, Lee spent 8 years with Hilton Hotels and 17 years with Marriott International. After retiring from Disney, Lee founded the Cockerell Academy, a leadership and customer service consulting organization. Lee is the author of four books on leadership, management, and customer service, including Creating Magic…Ten Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney.
