As 2025 begins, this list of 25 Recommendations for Customer-focused Organization may be a useful tool to think through your customer service review. Now is a terrific time to take stock of what is working well and what may need to be improved with a frontline customer service review.

25 Recommendations for Customer-focused Organization

1. Speak customer, not industry jargon. Simplify the experience: don’t expect customers to understand the complexities of your business. Industry jargon and convoluted language don’t attract or retain customers. While some disclaimers may be legally required, ensure your staff doesn’t over do it. Strive for a balanced approach that avoids both unnecessary jargon and “speaking down” to customers.
2. Revamp employee incentives and motivation. Offer a gift card or other prize through a drawing for employees who meet mystery shop criteria or provide additional recognition with certificates for those who achieve perfect scores. If you have been using the same incentives repeatedly, it might be time to refresh the approach with new, exciting incentive ideas. See more about how Confero can assist with Incentives & Motivation.
3. Adapt customer service delivery to your customers’ different styles. Companies strive to provide excellent service to all customers, but some require more time and attention than others. For instance, at a bank, a young adult opening their first checking/debit account may need more detailed explanations, while someone with prior experience may prefer a quick and efficient process. The most skilled customer service professionals are able to tailor their approach to each individual’s needs. This includes adjusting the level of small talk – some customers enjoy chatting, while others prefer to get straight to the point. Employees must be attuned to the customer’s demeanor, recognizing when someone is in a hurry, and adapating their communication style accordingly.
4. Hire employees with top-notch customer service skills.
5. Keep employees motivated by recognizing and thanking them. Acknowledge employees for their extra efforts and contributions. Even if bonuses or incentives aren’t feasible, simply saying “thank you” costs nothing and goes a long way.
6. Communicate customer surveys internally. Customer feedback surveys are useful, but their value is fully realized when management shares positive  comments with employees who do well and uses constructive feedback for training, helping to improve future results. Analyze results broadly to determine if employee training needs a bit of a revision to address across the company or a region.
7. Monitor social media. Customers talk online, and the most successful companies listen for this feedback and have a process in place to respond.
8. Approach customers. If your employees work in a retail store environment or bank branch, you know how important it is for employees to proactively greet and approach customers. How many times have you been in a store and looked for an employee who was nowhere to be found? Have you ever been in a bank branch when an employee motions for you to come forward? An employee who walks over to greet a customer or stands up from behind a desk to say hello is a much more welcoming gesture. (This is an easily observed part of a customer service review with mystery shoppers.)
9. Name it!  Customers appreciate it when employees use their name as it adds a personal touch to the buying experience. In an era where customers text their restaurant orders or deposit checks through mobile devices, a bit of personalized service can make a big impact during face-to-face interactions. How many of your employees make a point to repeat a customer’s name while assisting them?
10. Smile. Smiling is a fundamental aspect of customer service, and customers often return a smile when they receive one. Do you know if your employees are smiling?
11. Make eye contact. Making and maintaining eye contact goes a long way toward showing customers that you are focused on them. A simple thing to check when doing your customer service review with mystery shoppers.
12. Go above and beyond to impress your customers. It’s not enough to just deliver good customer service in a a competitive environment.  To keep loyal customers, companies need to go the extra mile, example, if a hotel guest mentioned they were celebrating a special anniversary, the hotel staff could surprise them with a complimentary bottle of champagne or personalized note in their room. This small, thoughtful gesture exceeds the customer’s expectations and enhances their experience. Going the extra mile means more long-term customers, and ones that will be more likely to refer friends and family to you.
13. Resolve problems quickly. Consumers expect faster service. Speedy service can be a differentiator making your service stand out from the competition. In terms of problem resolution, ensure that you communicate your company’s promise to resolve problems within a certain time frame, and encourage employees to strive to resolve them faster. This internal audit of customer challenges is a helpful part of customer service review that management can easily access.
14. Apologize sincerely. Many companies require that employees follow specific steps for problem resolution, which often include offering an apology. While an apology is a crucial part of the process, delivering it in a robotic or insincere manner is just as ineffective as not apologizing at all.
15. Listen. No matter how much information customers access about your services online,  at some point, some customers want companies to listen to them.  Regardless of whether communication is through an online feedback form, in person or a phone call to headquarters, companies need to listen closely and respond with an answer that directly answers the customer’s concern.
16. Thank customers. Thanking a customer is simple and a great thing to check with a customer service review.  If you don’t have a process in place to thank customers, you can develop one this year. There are so many ways to do this:
    1. Personalized Thank You Notes: A handwritten or digitally personalized thank you note expressing gratitude for their business or support can make a customer feel valued.
    2. Discounts or Coupons: Offering a special discount or coupon for future purchases shows appreciation and encourages repeat business.
    3. Loyalty Programs: Rewarding customers for their continued patronage through loyalty points or exclusive offers shows long-term appreciation.
    4. Follow-up Emails: Sending a thoughtful email thanking customers for their recent purchase or feedback can leave a lasting positive impression. Onsite and online mystery shopping are excellent ways to see if expected follow up takes place after a visit or an email is sent after a customer sends information through your company’s “Contact us” online website option.
    5. Public Acknowledgement: Recognizing a customer on social media or your company website for their loyalty or positive reviews demonstrates appreciation.
17. Continue to connect with customers. Stay connected with customers by following up after the sale. Offer personalized recommendations on how they can make the most of your products or services and benefit from them.
18. Acknowledge customer milestones or anniversaries. If your customer has an important anniversary with your service, recognize the milestone with a note, card or call. Calls, emails, letters and postcards all help to make a customer feel appreciated and to share that you value the loyalty expressed with their ongoing business.
19. Eliminate negative connotation words from your organization’s vocabulary. Popular phrases such as “no problem” in response to a customer’s “thank you” or “you’ll have to…” in response to a customer’s inquiry tend to imply the customer somehow imposed upon your organization. Positive phrases such as “You’re welcome”, “My pleasure” and “Let me take you to that aisle” are much better received by customers.
20. Ask for referrals. Ask satisfied customers for referrals.
21. Ask for testimonials. Testimonials are an effective way to communicate your company’s abilities to prospects. They provide authentic, real-world experiences from satisfied customers, which can help guild trust and credibility. Hearing from others who have successfully used your products or services reassures potential clients that they are making a wise decision. Testimonials also highlight specific benefits and results that may resonated more deeply than traditional marketing messages.
22. Refer customers elsewhere if needed. If your services don’t fit a customer’s needs, recommend them to a competitor. Customers appreciate this gesture and doing so builds trust. They will most likely contact you again at a time when they need your services. While this is an unexpected part of a customer service review, it shows your company is committed to your customer’s success.
23. Affirm your customer’s choice. A positive comment about your customer’s selection bolsters customer confidence in the buying decision. A compliment such as “This is a lovely sweater. I know you will enjoy wearing it” or “This checking account is a good choice for your current situation” reaffirms to the customer that the choice was theirs and that it was a good one.
24. If the customer must wait, tell the customer how long.  Informing customers about expected wait times is a courtesy. Courtesy is part of respect, which is a highly-valued feeling among customers. Respect customers by honoring the value of their time. An acknowledged wait with the simple words “I will be right with you” shows a concern for customer time which is to say respect for the customer.
25. Respond using the customer’s preferred communication style. Communicate back to the customer in the manner the customer chose to communicate with you. If you receive a customer complaint via email, respond via email and ask for permission to call. If the contact comes through your Facebook page, respond and ask for permission to alternate contact methods. Think of it this way: the customer has chosen his/her preferred method to reach out to you. Respect that by following up on the customer’s chosen communication channel.

Proactive Customer Service Reviews are Important

It is not simply the products or services a company provides that maintains a loyal customer following, is it? As business leaders know well the old adage of the 80-20 rule comes to play with your customers, doesn’t it? Upon analysis, roughly 80% of a company’s business is derived from 20% of  it’s customers in many businesses. This makes customer service a priority when working with all, but especially your top 20% of customers.

Customer service reviews are a critical part of keeping both your frontline employees’ perspective aligned with your company’s priorities and prioritizing appropriate new/continuing employee training. These 25 Recommendations for Customer-focused Organization are a terrific place to start your 2025 customer service review.

Interested in staying informed on topics like this? Please follow our LinkedIn page to see all of our business blog updates.