“I hear a different story every time I come in,” or, “Someone told me one thing, and now someone is telling me something else.” We’ve all heard phrases like that before. We’ve probably all said them about other companies, in fact.
These moments can be more harmful than they seem. Customers don’t just see them as simple mix-ups; they see confusion, disorganization, or maybe even dishonesty. And we know that it’s not because of bad employees—it’s because the training isn’t consistent.
Customer-experience expert Shep Hyken recently pointed out an uncomfortable truth in his article, “AI May Hallucinate… So Do People”: people can confidently share incorrect or inconsistent information, even when they think that they’re being helpful. In business, that misplaced confidence can quietly hurt your customer experience.
Let’s look at why this happens and how consistent training can put a stop to it.
Why Do Employees “Fill in the Gaps” When They’re Unsure?
When employees don’t know the answer to a customer’s question, they’re often too ashamed to say, “I’m not sure.” It’s understandable! They want to be helpful. So, instead of looking the answer up, they rely on memory, assumptions, or maybe information they heard months ago from another coworker. That’s where things can go wrong.
Without clear, reinforced training:
- Employees invent answers
- Policies change in practice
- “I think” replaces “I know.”
Each employee ends up giving their own version of your policy with full self-assuredness. From the customer point of view, your business ends up seeming unreliable.
Put simply, if training isn’t reinforced, employees will start guessing answers rather than knowing them.
Is Onboarding Enough?
Consider the training you use for new employees. How thorough was it? Hopefully very. But did you repeat it six months later? Probably not.
The thing is, policies change, exceptions get added, and promotions shift responsibilities around. Over time, even your most experienced employees rely on outdated memory instead of whatever the current standards are.
When training is treated as a one-time event rather than an ongoing process:
- New hires end up learning from coworkers instead of their managers
- Veterans start relying on “the way it used to work”
- The tiny differences start accumulating and adding up fast.
Eventually, customers might get totally different answers, depending on which employee they speak with. In truth, experience doesn’t guarantee accuracy. Only continuous training and testing can create consistency your business needs.
What Do Customers Really Want?
Customers don’t expect perfection, they expect consistency. So, when they hear different answers:
- Trust starts to dim
- Frustration grows
- Problems mount
- Managers get caught up in crises that should’ve been avoided.
Consistent training and retraining make it so that even when an employee doesn’t know the answer, they know how to find it. That’s key! “I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’ll find it for you,” is way better than guessing. Once employees learn the right answer, they can explain it clearly and keep your customers confident.
Consistency isn’t just good for the company: it’s a key part of the customer experience. That makes is good for everyone.
Consistency Comes from Training
If you want customers to get the same clear answer every time, your training regimen needs to be ongoing and evaluated regularly. That’s where The Brandt Group can help.
With over 30 years of experience and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, we work with businesses like yours to find where inconsistencies crop up. With our mystery shopping programs, employee feedback tools, and leadership training, we will help you build a staff that is confident and, most importantly, correct.
If you’re ready to switch from muddled messaging to a consistently great customer experience, let’s talk about how partnering with The Brandt Group can help your business grow.
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