“A Culture of Customer Service: As Important as the Initial Sales”

By Marshall Krupp Certified EOS® Implementer and Certified Outgrow Advisor

In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses rise and fall not only on the strength of their products or services but also on the experience they deliver. Sales bring in revenue, but it’s customer service that sustains it. While the initial sale opens the door, the way a business treats its customers determines whether that door stays open… or slams shut.

The smallest deficiency in a business can lead to failure. You can have a fantastic product, brilliant marketing, and an enthusiastic sales team—but if customer service falls short, trust erodes and loyalty disappears. A single poor experience, an unmet expectation, or one negative review can trigger a domino effect that costs you hundreds, if not thousands, of future sales opportunities.

The Power of Perception

Customer service doesn’t need to be perfect, but it must be excellent. And excellence isn’t defined by you—it’s defined by your customer’s perception.

Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist, once said: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

This quote captures the heart of customer-centric thinking. Even when we believe we’ve done everything right, the customer’s experience is the ultimate benchmark. Perception often outweighs reality, and when expectations aren’t met, businesses must act swiftly to resolve the issue.

An unsatisfied customer rarely keeps their dissatisfaction to themselves. In a world where a single online review can influence thousands, failing to respond proactively can turn one momentary lapse into a reputational crisis. The companies that win are those that listen, empathize, and act quickly.

In business, the difference between perfection and excellence is critical for achieving sustainable growth and customer loyalty. Perfection is the relentless pursuit of flawlessness—an expectation that every process, product, and interaction must be without error. While admirable in theory, perfection often leads to analysis paralysis, delayed decisions, high stress, and missed opportunities. Businesses chasing perfection tend to over-engineer solutions and focus so heavily on eliminating mistakes that they sacrifice speed, flexibility, and customer responsiveness.

Excellence, by contrast, is about consistently meeting or exceeding expectations while embracing continuous improvement. It recognizes that mistakes are inevitable but focuses on how quickly and effectively they are addressed. Excellence prioritizes relationships, responsiveness, and delivering value where it matters most. Customers rarely expect perfection; they expect businesses to care, listen, and resolve issues quickly. By fostering a culture of excellence, companies empower employees, earn trust, and create the momentum needed for long-term success.

Trust, Loyalty, and the Bottom Line

More than the sale of a product or service, excellent customer service builds trust. Trust fosters loyalty. Loyalty drives sustainable growth.

When customers believe they are valued and supported, they return—not just for repeat purchases but also to advocate for your brand. Loyal customers become ambassadors, referring friends, colleagues, and family, effectively growing your business without additional marketing dollars. Conversely, when trust is broken, the cost of winning customers back can far outweigh the investment in simply serving them well the first time.

Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos and pioneer of customer-centric business models, said: “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department; it should be the entire company.”

Hsieh understood that customer service is more than a function—it’s a culture. Every touchpoint, from your website to your warehouse to your receptionist’s greeting, shapes the customer’s perception of your brand.

Everyone Owns Customer Service

One of the most significant misconceptions in business is that customer service belongs to a single department. The truth? Everyone plays a role.

From the salesperson who closes the initial deal, to the technician who delivers the product, to the receptionist who answers the phone—all have a hand in shaping the customer’s experience. A single negative interaction, no matter where it occurs in the chain, can overshadow months of excellent service elsewhere.

When I was growing up, my entrepreneurial father often said: “The customer is always right.” Over the years, I discovered that sometimes the customer is, in fact, wrong. Yet, what I’ve learned is that this philosophy isn’t about accuracy—it’s about attitude. It’s about elevating customer service, even when the customer’s perspective isn’t perfectly aligned with reality.

How your employees respond when things go wrong—when shipments are delayed, expectations aren’t met, or misunderstandings arise—determines whether a customer walks away angry or impressed by your willingness to make things right.

The Cost of Poor Service vs. the Value of Excellent Service

Businesses often underestimate the ripple effect of poor service. Let’s illustrate:

Scenario 1: Excellent Customer Service
A client calls with a problem. Your team responds promptly, listens carefully, resolves the issue, and follows up afterward to ensure satisfaction. Not only does the customer remain loyal, but they’re also likely to share their positive experience, generating referrals and new business.

Scenario 2: Poor Customer Service
The same client calls, but your team is dismissive or slow to respond. The issue festers. The customer shares their frustration publicly, warning others to avoid your company. Over time, your reputation takes a hit, and you lose not only this client but countless prospects influenced by their review.

Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon, said: “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000.”

Bezos’s insight underscores the urgency of adopting a culture of proactive customer service. In the digital age, word-of-mouth travels faster than ever, and one misstep can reach an audience of millions overnight.

Creating a Culture of Excellent Customer Service

Building a customer service-driven organization doesn’t happen by chance. It requires deliberate strategy, aligned leadership, and relentless commitment. Here are five core principles:

• Set Clear Expectations
  Make sure customers know exactly what to expect before, during, and after the sale. Overpromising leads to disappointment; transparency builds trust.

• Empower Your Team
  Equip every employee with the tools, authority, and training to resolve customer issues quickly and effectively. Encourage autonomy while reinforcing accountability.

• Listen First, Respond Second
  Create systems for capturing customer feedback, both positive and negative. Listening deeply can reveal patterns that help you adapt your products, services, and processes.

• Celebrate the Wins
  Recognize team members who deliver exceptional service. Acknowledging their efforts reinforces the behaviors that drive loyalty.

• Lead by Example
  Customer-centric leadership sets the tone. When leaders prioritize customer relationships, the entire organization follows suit.

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To connect with Marshall Krupp, you can reach him at marshall.krupp@eosworldwide.com or at 714.624.4552. You can also schedule a telephone or Zoom meeting with him on Calendly at https://calendly.com/peerexecutiveboards

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Marshall Krupp is a nationally recognized EOS® Certified Implementer and a Certified Outgrow Advisor. He is also a national speaker and a past award-winning Vistage Worldwide Chair, with a career in providing crisis management strategic advisory services to businesses, governmental agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. He is also a certified facilitator of the Wiley Everything DiSC suite of assessment tools and PXT Select.

EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, takes entrepreneurial businesses on a journey to master the EOS® tools, enabling them to elevate their leadership teams, make better decisions, maintain a high level of accountability, and attain greater success more simply. The components of EOS® are Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction, which, when used effectively, create a healthier organization with greater success.

The Outgrow sales program is designed to boost sales growth by encouraging bold, proactive communication, confidence, and accountable business sales teams. Marshall Krupp is a Certified Outgrow Advisor who guides and coaches businesses in implementing these strategies, helping their sales teams achieve 15-30% annual growth through consistent outreach and relationship-building efforts, along with the unique and creative tools of Outgrow.

Review more at www.peerexecutiveboards.com and at www.eosworldwide.com/marshall-krupp. Visit Marshall’s LinkedIn profile, posts, and articles at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallkrupp/.