Posted on November 24, 2025 by Danny Snow
If you’re in your first job, or about to start one, this is going to be your competitive advantage to help you stand out.
These aren’t hard-to-learn skills or ones that takes years to master. These are simple, realistic customer service habits that I learned at my first job at Walt Disney World that you can start using today regardless of your role.
Do them consistently, and your leaders and co-workers will notice.
Do them well, and you won’t stay entry-level for long.
What it means: Remembering and using someone’s name instantly makes the interaction personal.
Example: A returning customer walks in, and you greet them with, “Welcome back, Sarah.” That two-second gesture feels like VIP treatment.
Why it matters: Remembering someone’s name or even just a detail about them is paying them a huge compliment. You are telling them that they are worth remembering. And when you think about it, who doesn’t want to be remembered? Leadership loves employees who make customers feel valued as it directly impacts loyalty and profits.
What it means: Keep customers informed instead of making them wonder. There’s few things more frustrating for a customer than wondering what’s happening with their purchase.
Example: “Your order will be ready in about 10 minutes. I’ll check back in 5 just to make sure everything’s on track.” Or, “Your shipment was delayed due to xyz reasons, but it’s showing that it will now be delivered on this date.”
Why it matters: It builds trust with customers and can help to relieve some of the concern if it’s dealing with something that is going to be delayed. It also shows management that you take initiative.
What it means: Spot what a customer might need before they have to ask. After a little time on the job, you’re going to notice where the most common needs or frustrations occur in the course of doing business with your company.
Example: Refilling a drink before it’s empty or grabbing extra napkins without being asked.
Why it matters: Anticipating needs shows you’re engaged, not just “doing your job” and going through the motions.
What it means: Even when you can’t give them exactly what they want, you can frame it positively.
Example: Instead of, “We don’t have that,” say, “What we do have is…” One of the biggest take aways from my time at Disney was to never answer a guest’s question by saying, “I don’t know” without finishing it with, “but let me find out.”
Why it matters: Positive language has the ability to turn frustration into gratitude. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to get answers from an employee about an issue and was only met with “I don’t know.” Or “I’m sorry I can’t help you.” Tip #5 will cover the importance of taking ownership in those moments but never leave a customer without exhausting every option you have. Managers notice employees who can de-escalate tension.
What it means: Own the error and focus on solutions.
Example: “I’m sorry this happened. Here’s what I can do to fix it right now.”
Why it matters: Leaders take responsibility, even if the problem wasn’t 100% their fault. In these moments that you are dealing with a customer who is annoyed or frustrated based on something that happened, even if you had nothing to do with it, you are the face of the company and how you handle it directly impacts whether or not they come back to see you again. The easy thing to do is to blame someone else or another department for the mistake, but all this does is tell the customer that the organization is dysfunctional. While that might be true, the customer doesn’t need to know that.
What it means: Always close the loop, even if you’re waiting on someone else to fix the issue.
Example: If you told a customer you’d check on their order, don’t make them come find you, circle back proactively. This goes for after a sale has been completed. Staying in touch even after you’ve got their money is a wonderful way to show that you care about them and not just the payment.
Why it matters: It builds your reputation as reliable, which is leadership material.
What it means: Add a small, unexpected touch to create a “wow” moment.
Example: Think back to tip #1 and remembering a name. This could also be a coffee shop barista writing a quick “Good luck on your exam!” on the cup. At Disney, we’d offer to take a picture for a family so that way everyone could be in the photo. This could be a personalized welcome video for a new customer. This is a link that will take you to another one of my videos that’s all about small wow opportunities in the course of doing business with someone: Customer Service Tips - 5 Moments That Create Loyalty For Life
Why it matters: Little extras turn customers into fans and make your work memorable for the right reasons.
What it means: Stay composed when things get busy, and customers will trust you.
Example: Even if there’s a long line, you greet each person warmly and work efficiently without looking flustered. This would be an area that it might be easy to blame someone else for not being there to help, but avoiding that urge and approaching it with a leadership mindset from tip #5 is crucial.
Why it matters: Managers promote people who keep their cool under pressure.
What it means: Don’t assume your hard work will automatically be noticed, communicate your ambitions.
Example: If you want to move into a supervisor role, let your manager know: “I’d love to take on more responsibility and eventually step into leadership. What skills should I focus on?”
Why it matters: Leaders can’t support goals they don’t know about. Proactive communication puts you on their radar and positions you for opportunities when they come up.
You don’t need decades of experience to be great at customer service.
You need the right habits, practiced daily.
If you master these 9 skills, you’ll stand out from day one earning trust, promotions, and opportunities your peers miss.
Danny Snow is a customer experience expert as well as a keynote speaker. You can connect with Danny on LinkedIn or email him at danny@snowassociates.com. You can also find additional material from Danny at https://snowassociates.com/blog and YouTube.