No one wakes up fired up to call customer service. It’s the last resort, the thing you do when you’ve tried online FAQs, fiddled with your order yourself, and Googled the issue into exhaustion. Even then, you still reluctantly dial the customer service number just to connect you to an actual human.
The thing is, everyone knows customer service is vital for success. (For more resources why customer service is vital, check this out.) But knowing and showing are two different beasts. Behind every inquiry whether it’s a missing refund, a delayed delivery, or corporate office complaints, is a person who wants to feel valued.
When businesses meet people’s frustration with genuine care, they don’t just solve problems, they build loyalty. Let’s talk about best practices that go deeper than scripted apologies or canned responses.
Make Customer Service Human Again
First things first, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: automation. It’s everywhere: chatbots, self-service portals, apps that claim they can “manage everything.” Sure, it’s efficient. No one’s arguing that. But have we forgotten how good it feels to interact with a person who listens to you, not just your keywords?
It’s the human touch. Robots might be helpful for transactional issues, but people are irreplaceable when emotions enter the equation. Like when a customer calls furious about a mistake on their bill but ends the conversation just wanting reassurance that someone cares.
The best brands understand this nuance. They train their teams to connect first, solve second. Active listening becomes the cornerstone, it’s one of the few indirect ways to improve customer service, which too many companies miss. And the magic happens when service reps genuinely hear the frustration behind a complaint, rather than rushing to fix it with whatever tool’s handy. (Learn more about customer service here.)
Empower Reps to Actually Help
Here’s another truth we don’t talk about enough: frontline workers can only do so much if they don’t have the tools, authority, or trust to make real decisions. Think about the frustration loop—we’ve all been there.
You call the Emerson customer service number, hoping for resolution. Instead, you’re met with someone who sympathizes, but can’t actually fix the issue because they have to escalate it 12 rungs up the corporate ladder. So now you’re waiting for someone at the “corporate office level” to care about your refund, repair request, or whatever went wrong.
And then, what happens next? If the customer is patient, maybe they keep chasing. If not, they leave. And worse? They might leave a scathing customer review or take their business elsewhere entirely.
The fix here speaks for itself. Empower your frontliners. Train them thoroughly and give them the tools, whether it’s a robust CRM system or clearer escalation protocols, and trust them to own the conversation end-to-end. When employees can actually solve problems without the bureaucratic shuffle, it reflects in customer reviews and the brand’s reputation.
Turn Complaints into Opportunities
Corporate office complaints are like little cracks in the facade. At first, you might only see one or two come through, an upset customer feeling burned, something small overlooked. But if you don’t address the cracks, you wake up one day to discover the whole foundation is crumbling. And if customer reviews are beginning to read like a graveyard of disappointment? Well, you’ve got some work to do.
Here’s where perspective matters. Complaints aren’t just frustrating—they’re feedback dressed up as problems. Each one shows you where your systems, processes, or products are faltering. They’re basically hand-delivered roadmaps to better service.
Exceptional brands don’t just apologize with a discount and move on. They maximize complaints. They zoom out, look at the patterns, and fix the underlying issues driving the complaints. What caused the billing error? Why do delivery delays keep happening? Honest reflection leads to better systems, happier customers, and eventually, glowing reviews.
Close the Loop
At some point, you’ve had a customer service interaction where you were promised, “We’ll follow up with you so you know how this gets resolved.” Did they actually follow up? Or did it get buried in some never-to-be-opened case file?
Don’t leave customers hanging. Make follow-through part of your non-negotiables. Whether you’re dealing with corporate office complaints or a simple delivery mix-up, closing the loop shows you care.
For example, when someone calls the Emerson customer service number about a product defect, great service doesn’t stop at saying, “We’ll send a replacement.” Great service follows up with, “Hey, just checking everything went smoothly with the replacement—I’d be happy to help further if needed.”
That genuine follow-up turns what could’ve been a forgettable transaction into an unforgettable experience.
Integrate Customer Service in Your Brand Culture
Lastly, the way a brand treats its customers reveals everything about its values. And customer service isn’t just one department—it’s the heartbeat of the whole operation.
If complaints get brushed aside, if customer reviews trend toward negative, if people walk away feeling unheard, it’s not just about broken processes. It’s about the culture behind the brand.
Remember, culture drives service, and service drives loyalty.
