One of the most frustrating mistakes I see companies make repeatedly in customer service is their approach to training. Too many organizations view training as a one-time event rather than an ongoing process. This fundamental misunderstanding undermines customer experience efforts across industries.
After decades of working with companies to improve their customer service, I’ve observed that many leaders believe customer service training is something you “check off the list” during employee onboarding. They invest in an initial training program, but then expect employees to maintain those skills indefinitely without further development.
Everyone Impacts the Customer Experience
The first major mistake is failing to train everyone in the organization about customer service. Many companies limit their customer service training to frontline employees who directly interact with customers. This creates a dangerous disconnect.
The reality is that every single employee impacts the customer experience in some way:
- If they’re not dealing directly with customers, they’re supporting someone who is
- They may be part of processes that directly affect customer outcomes
- Their work contributes to the overall customer journey, even if behind the scenes
When organizations fail to help employees understand their specific role in the customer experience, they miss opportunities to create alignment and consistency. Every department—from accounting to IT to operations—needs to understand how their work affects customers.
Training as an Ongoing Process
The second critical mistake is treating training as a noun rather than a verb. Training isn’t something you did—it’s something you do. It must be ongoing.
Think about professional athletes. They don’t train once and then stop. They practice continuously to maintain their skills and improve performance. Customer service requires the same commitment to ongoing development.
Training isn’t something you did, it’s something you do.
Effective customer service training requires:
- Initial comprehensive onboarding that establishes core concepts
- Regular refreshers that reinforce key principles
- Ongoing coaching to address specific challenges
- Continuous learning opportunities as customer expectations evolve
Without this sustained approach, even the best initial training programs will fade in effectiveness. Employees gradually drift back to old habits or forget important details without regular reinforcement.
Creating Sustainability Through Consistency
The most successful organizations I work with understand that customer service excellence requires consistency. They build training programs that include regular touchpoints to reinforce key concepts.
These might include weekly team huddles focused on service principles, monthly skill-building workshops, or quarterly refresher sessions. The format matters less than the consistency and commitment to ongoing development.
When I consult with companies struggling with customer service, I often find they invested heavily in initial training but failed to create systems for sustainability. The solution isn’t necessarily more training—it’s consistent training.
Making the Shift
If you want to avoid this common mistake, start by examining your organization’s approach to training. Ask yourself:
- Do all employees understand their role in the customer experience?
- Have we created mechanisms for ongoing reinforcement of service principles?
- Are managers equipped to coach their teams on customer service skills?
The shift from viewing training as a one-time event to an ongoing process requires commitment from leadership. It may require restructuring budgets, rethinking schedules, or developing new content. But the return on this investment is substantial—more consistent customer experiences, higher satisfaction scores, and ultimately, better business results.
Remember: training is a verb, not a noun. Make it an active, ongoing part of your organization’s culture, and you’ll avoid one of the most common mistakes I see in customer service.
