Problem-Solving Strategies in Customer Service Leadership

Your customer service employees are struggling. Don't rush to solve the problem. First, ask "Why?" One office couldn't get employees to follow the correct procedure for greeting visitors. Employees were expected to be friendly, but also follow a few security protocols. The receptionist did it well. The back-up receptionist was also great. But chaos ensued when one of those two were out. Everyone else was expected to pitch in, but they never did it right. Management brainstormed a list of solutions. More training. Call a meeting. Send out an email. None of it worked. I was visiting the office for an unrelated consulting project. The manager explained the challenge, and I asked to chat with some of the employees. The first question I asked was "Why is covering the front a challenge?" The employees all admitted they struggled to follow the correct procedure for greeting visitors. "Why?" I asked. "We always forget it," admitted the employees. "Why?" I asked. "Because I don't use it often," said one employee. "By the time it's my turn to cover the front, it might be a few weeks since we talked about it in a meeting." Asking "Why?" just three times uncovered the real challenge. Employees wanted to do the right thing, but they did it so infrequently that they forgot the procedure. The solution became obvious. A small sign with the three step-procedure was placed at the front desk, so any employee covering for the receptionist could see it. Performance immediately improved and everyone followed the procedure. Bottom line: don't rely on brainstorming to solve customer service problems. Go to employees first and ask them "Why?" until you get to the root of the issue. #ServiceCulture

In Customer Success, being the hero can backfire. As a CSM, it’s tempting to jump in and fix things for your customer. It feels good to solve a problem quickly. But when we do this for the customer (instead of with them), we’re actually hurting them in the long run. There’s a principle in psychology: “𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴.” If you give someone the answer without their participation, you’ve only solved one issue — not made them more capable for the next one. In CS, we can fall into this same trap. And the consequences are real:    ❌ Endless “quick asks”  ❌ Unpaid services  ❌ A customer who’s reliant — but not successful So how do you build a real partnership instead? 𝟭. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 If you don’t know the customer’s “why,” you can’t lead. Once you do, you have a North Star to guide every conversation and expectation. 𝟮. 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 Your customer has homework — not just you. Your role is to clearly explain what must be done, why, and who owns each piece. 𝟯. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀  Make it easier for them to succeed. Templates, guides, short videos — anything that helps them help themselves. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼) Circle back. Confirm completion. If they’re stuck, offer help. But never let them off the hook. Your follow-up proves you take their success seriously. When you do this right, you create a real partnership — one that delivers results and preserves your boundaries as a CSM. Don’t be the hero. Be the partner that makes them better. #customersuccess #CSM

I timed it yesterday: A leadership team spent 47 minutes "solving" the same issue they've tackled in every meeting for the past 4 months. Sound familiar? They identified symptoms, not causes. Everyone had opinions, few had solutions. They created action items no one completed. The problem returned, slightly repackaged. This isn't just inefficient. It's the silent killer of growing businesses. After implementing EOS with 500+ entrepreneurial companies over 15 years, I've found teams waste up to 68% of their meeting time on recurring issues that never get solved at the root. The difference between teams that solve issues once and teams stuck in the loop isn't intelligence. It's methodology. Enter the Issues Solving Track - the EOS tool that transforms how leadership teams attack problems: 1. IDENTIFY the real issue Most teams get this wrong. They discuss symptoms, not causes. Try this instead: → Write the issue as one clear sentence → Ask "Why is this happening?" three times → Determine if it's a people issue, process breakdown, or communication gap A manufacturing client kept "solving" quality problems until they properly identified the real issue: unclear quality standards, not lazy employees. 2. DISCUSS with discipline The discussion phase isn't: → A platform for the loudest voice → A place for tangents and war stories → A political positioning exercise It is: → A focused examination of relevant facts → A space for diverse perspectives → A way to challenge assumptions respectfully The best teams have a designated facilitator who keeps discussion on track and ensures every voice contributes. 3. SOLVE completely The only reason to discuss an issue is to solve it. When you've reached clarity, document: → A specific action step → One person accountable (not a department) → A concrete due date (not "ASAP" or "ongoing") Then move on. No revisiting. No second-guessing. A software company I work with was averaging 3.5 hours in weekly leadership meetings. After implementing the Issues Solving Track, they cut meeting time to 90 minutes while solving twice as many issues. The best businesses aren't the ones without problems. They're the ones that solve problems at the root. Want to implement the Issues Solving Track in your business? Use the process below 👇