If you're frustrated with inconsistent customer service, you're not alone. You train your team. You put expectations in writing. You assume they "get it." However, the experience still feels like a gamble. One customer leaves raving, while the next one never comes back. The truth is, it's not your people. It's your lack of a service identity. Let me explain.
Knowing vs. Doing
Just because your team knows what good customer service is doesn't mean they'll do it. Customer service is not about knowledge. It is about having an identity that everyone can rally around and customers can recognize. If you haven't clearly defined who you are and what "great service" actually looks like in your business, you've left your team to figure it out on their own.
And guess what? Every person brings their idea of what "good" means. One team member goes above and beyond. Another barely makes eye contact. The result? Confusion, frustration, and a loss of trust with the customer.
Common Sense Is Not Common Practice
You might assume that some things are obvious, such as smiling, greeting customers with enthusiasm, showing kindness, and being helpful. But what's "common sense" to you might be foreign to someone else. And that's the problem. When you haven't defined your standards with training and in behavior, you've made customer service a guessing game. That's a recipe for inconsistency, and customers can feel it.
What's Missing? A Service Identity.
Your service identity is the blueprint that guides your team. It answers questions like:
- Who are we when it comes to service?
- What do we stand for?
- How do we want people to feel when they interact with us?
When your team has a service identity, they're not winging it. They're aligned, confident, and consistent. Without it? You're relying on styles, not systems, and that's why your service breaks down.
Don't Blame the People. Fix the System.
Your people are never the problem. It's your systems. Here's the hard truth: even great people will fail in a broken system. If your team can't deliver great service, it's not because they don't care. It's because they haven't been set up to succeed.
You either:
- Hired them without the right structure in place.
- Or hired the wrong people and kept them too long.
Either way, it's your responsibility. But the good news? You can fix it.
The Fix: Build a Clear, Repeatable Service Identity
When you define your service identity, everything changes:
Customers get a consistent experience.
You lead with confidence, not guesswork.
Team members know what "great" actually looks like.
You stop depending on personality and start building on principles.
The reason your team is struggling is not because they lack motivation. They need a system and a structure that starts with clarity by creating a service identity. If you want to make customer service your single competitive advantage, start by defining your service identity, and you will never have to guess again with your team.