Stop Frustrating Your Customers: How Smart Companies Fix What Annoys People Most

How many times have you thought, ‘Why does this have to be so difficult?!’ while dealing with a company’s frustrating process? My guess? Plenty of times. I know I have.

A while  back, I was helping my mom close an account with a large online bank. She hadn’t used it in years, and the balance was just $94. But you’d think we were trying to withdraw $94,000 with all the hoops they made us jump through. At one point, I just wanted to say, ‘You know what? Keep the $94.’ Maybe that was their strategy all along.

Now, I know it wasn’t the agent’s fault. She was just following the process. And maybe the bank had its reasons. But here’s the thing—none of that matters to the customer. To us, it was just a frustrating, clunky experience that made sure neither my mom nor I would ever use that bank again.

And this kind of frustration is everywhere.

Like when you call for an appliance repair, (Break) and they give you a service window between 8:30 and noon. Oh, great. So now my whole morning is gone. (Break) Whose convenience are they thinking about?

Or when you go to a doctor’s office, (Break) sitting in the waiting room well past your appointment time, and nobody gives you an update. (Break) They knew you were coming—you had an appointment! Whose time do they value? (Break)

And don’t even get me started on company phone trees. Press 1 for this, press 2 for that, press 9 to scream into the void.

The worst part? Most companies KNOW these frustrations exist. They just don’t do anything about them.

And it’s not just the customers who suffer—it’s the employees too. Imagine being the frontline worker dealing with frustrated people all day. (Break) After a while, you just stop caring. You emotionally check out because you know you can’t fix the problem.

But here’s the good news. The companies that DO something about these frustrations? They stand out. They win customer loyalty AND make life easier for their employees.

Think about:

• A medical office with an electronic board (Break) that shows where you are in the queue, so you know exactly how long you’ll be waiting. (Break)
• An electric utility that sends text updates during a power outage, so you’re not left wondering when the lights will come back on.
• A quick service restaurant, Chick-fil-A (Break) that reduces the drive through wait time with dual lane drive throughs with face-to-face ordering by employees with tablets. (Break)

These companies saw a problem and actually fixed it. Customers notice that. Employees appreciate it. And it builds real loyalty.

So here’s a challenge for you. Four times a year (once a quarter) gather your team and ask just two questions: (Break)

Question 1 - What customer frustrations do you regularly have to deal with?

Question 2 - What can we do about them?

It doesn’t get much simpler than that. (Break) If you’re a small business, do this with your whole team. If you’re a larger company, break it down by department. Then, of course, implement the best solutions to the customer frustrations.

You won’t fix everything. But what if you solved four customer frustrations a year? Or even if you just alleviated those frustrations? That alone would put you ahead of your competition.

About the Author

Dennis Snow is a business author, speaker, and consultant who helps organizations deliver world-class customer experiences. He is the author of two books, "Lessons From the Mouse: A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Your Life," and “Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service.” Dennis can be reached at www.snowassociates.com, or at 407.294.1855.