What’s the most common question customers ask employees during face-to-face interactions? If you guessed “Where’s the bathroom?” you’re right. I’ve informally polled many people about this, and almost everyone answers correctly.
Now consider this: If you’re asked that question multiple times every day, at what point might you start showing frustration? The crucial insight here is that the fiftieth person asking doesn’t know they’re the fiftieth. To them, it’s their first time asking you, and your response should make them feel that way.
The Magic of Fresh Energy
This reminds me of my days performing magic shows at trade shows. One client hired me for ten straight days, during which I performed twelve 20-minute shows daily—that’s 120 shows total! After the final performance, my client asked how I managed to stay just as fresh on the last show as I was on the first.
Without much thought, I answered: “I think about each audience. Everyone deserves my best effort and energy as if they were my very first and only audience.” If I appeared bored or tired, I’d be letting them down—not to mention letting down my client.
Even though I performed the same tricks and delivered the same lines repeatedly, even the 120th audience deserved my first-time energy. This principle applies across all customer interactions:
- When a server recites daily specials for the twelfth time that night, would you prefer to hear them delivered with enthusiasm or with the boredom of repetition?
- What about a chef who’s been asked to prepare his signature dish thousands of times over the years?
- Or the customer service rep answering the same questions day after day?
The best professionals find ways to keep their responses fresh, whether it’s the first or five-hundredth time.
The DiMaggio Principle
Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio understood this concept perfectly. When a reporter asked why he played every game so hard, DiMaggio replied: “Because there might have been somebody in the stands today who’d never seen me play before and might never see me play again.”
The best employees, chefs, athletes, and entertainers understand that repetition is their challenge, not the customer’s problem.
I’ve seen this principle play out countless times in customer service settings. The organizations that excel are those whose employees treat each interaction as unique and important, regardless of how many similar interactions they’ve had before.
Making Every Interaction Count
This mindset is what transforms ordinary customer experiences into extraordinary ones. When you bring fresh energy to each interaction, customers notice. They feel valued, respected, and appreciated.
Think about your own experiences as a customer. When have you felt most valued? I bet it was when someone treated your question, concern, or request as if it was the most important thing they’d heard all day—even if it was the fiftieth time they’d heard it.
The next time you find yourself going through the motions with a customer, remember: to you, it might be routine, but to them, it’s unique. They deserve your best, most attentive service—your first-time energy.
This approach isn’t just good for customers; it’s good for you too. Finding ways to keep routine interactions fresh challenges you to stay engaged and present, making your work more meaningful and satisfying.
So whether you’re answering the same question for the hundredth time, performing a familiar task, or delivering a standard service, remember that your customer is experiencing it for the first time with you. Make it count.