The People-First Formula for Outstanding Customer Experiences

Starbucks recently made headlines with a seemingly simple move: investing in 200,000 Sharpies as a step toward returning to the roots of their customer experience when customers' names were written on their cups. But most of those headlines missed the point. They focused on one quirky detail — all those Sharpies —when the real story was about the people who would wield them: the Starbucks team members. Starbucks’ move isn't about putting markers in their team members’ hands — it’s about rediscovering the power of human connection and recognizing that their people are their most important asset in providing great customer experience.

This shift highlights a truth many businesses miss: the secret to delivering excellent customer service doesn’t lie in sophisticated tech, streamlined processes, or dazzling ad campaigns. It lies in enabling your team. Your employees are the bridge between your brand and your customers, transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary ones through care, creativity, and connection. Every interaction—whether it’s a warm greeting, a problem solved with care, or going the extra mile to create delight—shapes how customers feel about your business. A great team can turn a routine customer service experience into something memorable, while a disengaged team can derail even the best-laid plans.

In the world of customer service training, there is no shortage of acronyms and buzzwords designed to teach frontline workers and leaders the essentials of caring for customers. These tools and misguided phrases like "customer-centric" or "the customer is always right" aim to simplify the complex relationship between customer and employee and make it all about customer expectations. Whether interacting in person, on the phone, or through a screen, the goal is to ensure the customer gets the product, service, or information they need.

However, these acronyms and catchphrases often miss a critical element: the human connection. Customers aren’t just transactional entities seeking solutions; they are human beings first. They are not merely people who also happen to be customers—they are complex, messy, and multifaceted individuals with unique needs and desires. Most importantly, they seek a genuine human experience.

Similarly, your team members are also human beings first. Like your customers, they bring their full selves into every interaction—hopes, frustrations, personal challenges, and strengths. Recognizing and supporting your team members' humanity isn’t just a feel-good notion; it’s a business imperative. When employees feel valued and empowered and are developed with the right customer service skills, they are far more likely to engage meaningfully with customers, creating the kind of authentic connections that drive loyalty and satisfaction.

Customers are not just another ticket in a queue or a problem to solve—they are people, and that’s why a "Truly Human" approach to customer service is more effective. This philosophy shifts the focus from basic customer support to genuinely connecting with the individual on the other end of the interaction as you work to solve their customer needs. It starts with some fundamental truths:

This Truly Human approach is even more critical in today’s fast-paced, digital world, where face-to-face interactions are becoming rarer. With more transactions happening online, the human touch can easily get lost. Customers may feel like they’re interacting with an algorithm rather than a person, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction.

Companies can bridge this gap by incorporating Truly Human Service into customer service training. Employees learn to see beyond the transaction and engage with customers on a personal level. This not only helps resolve issues more effectively but also builds a sense of loyalty and trust that impersonal service models can’t replicate.

Traditional customer service training programs fail to recognize and address these fundamental truths. Acronyms and phrases can provide a framework for responding to common customer issues, but they stop there and often fail to equip employees with problem-solving and customer relationship-building skills that connect them with the human being behind the request.

Traditional customer service training often emphasizes efficiency, speed, and adherence to scripts. While these elements are important, they can lead to a robotic approach that overlooks the emotional and psychological needs of the customer. This is "performative" customer service, and it often feels to the customer exactly like what it is, a performance. When employees are trained to follow scripts without deviation, they may miss the opportunity to address the underlying issues that a customer is facing and make a real connection. 

The Truly Human approach fills this gap by encouraging employees to go beyond the script from their training materials. Teams are trained to recognize the emotions and needs behind each customer interaction, allowing for more personalized and effective customer service. When customer service employees are trained to prioritize human connections over pure efficiency, they build customer loyalty that automated systems simply cannot match. 

Businesses sometimes prioritize the wrong things in the rush to improve customer service. It’s not the latest chatbot or the fastest checkout system that leaves a lasting impression—it’s the people who bring your brand to life. By empowering your team, you unlock the potential to deliver truly excellent customer service.

Empowering your team starts with creating a company culture where they feel valued, trusted, and equipped to succeed. It means investing in their training, supporting their growth, and fostering a culture that encourages empathy, creativity, and initiative. It means active listening to their feedback, recognizing their contributions, and giving them the tools and freedom to build genuine customer connections. When your team feels empowered, they don’t just follow scripts—they bring their whole selves to every interaction. They solve problems and approach conflict resolution with care, greet customers with warmth, and create moments of delight that leave lasting impressions. Not only that, but they are less likely to leave, meaning employee churn and constantly onboarding new hires does not need to be leadership's focus.