A poor customer experience rarely begins with one dramatic failure. More often, it starts with a customer waiting too long, struggling to reach the right person, repeating themselves or never receiving the follow-up they were promised.
These moments may seem small, but they add up. They affect trust, customer loyalty and whether someone chooses your business or a competitor.
We previously broke down 8 customer experience fails leaders need to address. Below are eight more common customer experience mistakes that businesses should avoid, along with what to do instead.
The 8 customer experience fails costing you customers:
- Making customers wait too long
- Failing to meet customer expectations
- Breaking promises
- Making customer support difficult to reach
- Overcomplicating the customer journey
- Failing to follow up
- Taking loyal customers for granted
- Solving the wrong problem
The consequences of poor customer experience
First you have to understand: Poor customer experience can affect far more than one transaction.
Customers who feel ignored, frustrated or undervalued may leave negative reviews, stop buying from you or share their experience with others. Internally, unresolved issues can also create more work for employees through repeat calls, complaints and escalations.
The good news is that many of these problems are preventable. By making it easier for customers to reach you, setting clear expectations and taking ownership of every interaction, you can turn everyday customer experience failures into opportunities to build trust.
1. Making customers wait too long
Nobody enjoys waiting, especially when they are trying to solve a problem, make a purchase or get an urgent answer. Waiting longer than expected for a service can quickly escalate frustration. Extended wait times can damage a business’s reputation, with some industries worse than others.
According to research by FastCustomer, half of the ten companies with the longest wait times are airlines. Continental Airlines and Air Canada ranked first and second, with average ‘hold’ times of 13 and 11 minutes, respectively.
Extended wait times can instantly change a customer’s perception of your company, from positive to complete dissatisfaction. Yes this can be avoided by answering everything instantly. But when that is not possible, it’s about making sure customers know what to expect. Communicating clearly with your customers helps mitigate these frustrations.
- Give realistic response times
- Offer alternative contact options
- Provide updates when delays are likely
For businesses that cannot answer every call internally, a 24/7 answering service can help customers reach a real person whenever they need support.
2. Failing to meet customer expectations
Customers expect 24/7 customer service from most businesses, especially those that operate around the clock. Meeting or exceeding these expectations is how you maintain a positive customer relationship and high satisfaction.
Customers form expectations based on your website, marketing, previous experiences and industry standards. Problems appear when the experience you promise doesn’t match the one you deliver. For example, a business may promote fast, responsive service but send callers to voicemail after office hours. A company may promise easy returns but make customers complete a complicated process to receive one.
If you don’t meet expectations, customers are not shy about voicing their concerns. A British Airways customer even paid to promote a Tweet about the poor customer service he experienced. To top it off, he didn’t receive a response for over eight hours. This left plenty of time for his complaint to go viral.
Review the promises your business makes across its website, advertisements and sales conversations. Then make sure your team and systems can consistently deliver on them. It is better to set a realistic expectation and exceed it than to overpromise and disappoint.
3. Breaking promises
Trust is built when businesses do what they say they will do. Fulfilling promises is essential for building and maintaining trust in customer service. When you commit to customers, they rely on your ability to follow through and deliver on those promises. A broken promise could be a missed callback, an appointment that was never confirmed, a delivery deadline that slips without explanation or a refund that takes longer than expected.
Sometimes delays are unavoidable. Silence is not. When you cannot keep a commitment, acknowledge it quickly, explain what has happened, and provide a clear next step. Customers are more likely to forgive a mistake when a business takes ownership and communicates honestly.
Skechers – a well-known sneaker company – told consumers its ‘Shape Ups’ footwear would help you lose weight and strengthen muscles. The Shape Ups advertisements:
- Said consumers could “get in shape without setting foot in a gym”.
- Came with an endorsement from Dr. Steven Gauntreau following a clinical study.
- Featured celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who “fired her personal trainer for a pair of Shape-Ups”.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found the study didn’t produce the claimed results. In 2012, the company offered refunds to its customers as part of a $40 million agreement with the FTC due to deceptive advertising claims. Skechers is also barred from claiming health and fitness-related benefits without scientific evidence.
Broken promises can destroy the trust you’ve built with valued customers if you don’t do anything about it. When mistakes happen, own up so customers can see your business is transparent.
4. Making customer support difficult to reach
Hard-to-reach support creates unnecessary effort, especially when the issue is urgent or sensitive. Customers need to feel confident they can reach your company whenever necessary. Customers should not have to search through multiple pages, navigate an endless phone menu or argue with a chatbot before they can speak to someone.
When customers are already frustrated, making them work harder to reach help only makes things worse. Sometimes, what people need most is simply to know there’s a real person there who can listen and help.
Accessibility is not only about being available. It is about making the route to help as simple as possible. Being accessible builds confidence and shows you value client needs and concerns.
- Make contact information easy to find
- Offer clear routes for common inquiries
- Give customers a straightforward way to reach a real person
5. Overcomplicating the customer journey
A simple and smooth customer service process is all any consumer wants. Customers often become frustrated because a straightforward request turns into a long process. They may be transferred between departments, asked to repeat information or required to complete unnecessary steps before anyone can help. Every extra stage creates another opportunity for the customer to abandon the interaction.
The telecommunications industry is known for its complicated processes. Some AT&T customers have reported repeatedly calling about the same issues, only to discover they were being charged for unnecessary services.
Review your customer journey from the customer’s point of view. Look for repeated questions, unnecessary handovers and confusing instructions. Where possible, give one person ownership of the inquiry and make sure employees have the information they need to resolve it without passing the customer around.
6. Failing to follow up
A strong first interaction can still be wasted if nobody follows up. Every stage of the customer’s journey deserves attention and care. Yet, research found that half of companies are failing buyers and losing revenue due to poor follow-up.
Take the world of short-term rentals as an example, where you must prioritize speedy response times. Being proactive starts at the beginning when prospects are deciding on a property. Responding to inquiries and following up swiftly makes guests more likely to book a rental and feel confident with their reservation. When issues arise during a stay, customers want immediate acknowledgment and resolution.
Follow-up should not depend on someone remembering. This is especially damaging for sales inquiries, appointment requests, and unresolved complaints. A customer who has shown interest may quickly move on when they hear nothing back.
- Create clear ownership
- Set response deadlines
- Use reminders or CRM workflows to make sure inquiries do not slip through the cracks.
Even a brief message confirming that the customer’s request has been received can reassure them that someone is taking care of it. It’s easy to damage trust and satisfaction when you don’t maintain open communication. Show customers you value them and you’ll set the foundation for future business opportunities.
7. Taking loyal customers for granted
Many businesses invest heavily in attracting new customers while giving existing ones very little attention. Loyal customers may see new buyers receiving better prices, exclusive offers or more attention, despite them having supported the business for years.
That can leave them feeling overlooked. Recognizing loyalty does not always require a formal rewards program. It could mean:
- Remembering a customer’s preferences
- Offering early access to something
- Thanking them personally
- Proactively checking in
Customers are more likely to remain loyal when they feel the relationship is valued, not assumed.
8. Solving the wrong problem
Sometimes a business answers the question a customer asks without understanding what they are actually trying to achieve. A caller may ask about pricing when their real concern is whether the service fits their needs. A customer may complain about a delay when what they really want is reassurance that someone has taken ownership.
The best customer service comes from listening beyond the first question:
- Ask clarifying questions
- Confirm your understanding
- Focus on the outcome the customer needs, not just the quickest answer you can give
This is where empathy makes a practical difference. It helps employees understand the context behind the request and respond in a way that feels relevant and personal.
Turning customer experience fails into wins
Customer experience mistakes will happen. What matters is how your business responds. When something goes wrong:
- Acknowledge it quickly
- Respond with empathy
- Give one person ownership
- Keep the customer updated
- Resolve the true problem
- Identify what caused it
- Make changes to prevent it from happening again
The goal is not perfection. It is showing customers that their time, trust, and business matter. When you recognize and handle customer experience mistakes effectively, your company can turn these potential setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Final thoughts
The most damaging customer experience fails are often the easiest to overlook. A missed call. A delayed response. A broken promise. A follow-up that never happened. Individually, they may seem small. Together, they shape how customers see your business.
Make it easy for people to reach you. Set clear expectations. Keep your promises. Follow through. Because great customer experience is not built through one impressive moment. It is built by getting the everyday moments right.
Quick takeaways
- Long waits and hard-to-reach support can push customers toward competitors
- Set clear expectations and make sure your business can deliver on its promise, to reduce frustration and protect trust
- Simple processes make it easier for customers to get help
- Consistent follow-up prevents leads and inquiries from being lost
- Loyal customers should feel recognized, not taken for granted
- Listening and empathy help teams understand what customers genuinely need
