Leading with Confidence & Adapting to Change
Spring is here, bringing fresh energy and new opportunities. This month, let’s talk about two key ingredients for top-notch customer service: great leadership and the ability to adapt. Businesses that master these create happier teams, more loyal customers, and long-term success.
We’re breaking it down into three simple strategies you can use today:
Great Leaders Create Great Service
Strong leadership is the backbone of great customer service. The best businesses don’t just tell their teams what to do—they empower them to make smart decisions. Here’s how:
✔ Give Your Team More Control – The Ritz-Carlton trusts frontline staff to spend up to £2,000 to fix guest issues without needing approval. That trust lets employees act fast and WOW their customers.
✔ Lead by Example – Timpson, the UK shoe repair and key-cutting business, uses an ‘upside-down management’ approach. Their branch managers call the shots, cutting out the red tape and focusing purely on customer happiness.
✔ Appreciate Your Team – Happy employees mean happy customers. John Lewis employees (partners) share in the company’s profits, making them feel valued and motivated to deliver amazing service.
➡️ As a starter for ten, what’s one thing you can do this month to help your team feel more empowered?
Adaptability: Staying Ahead in a Fast-Changing World
Even the best plans don’t last forever—customer needs are always changing. The best businesses stay flexible and proactive. Here’s how UK companies are leading the way:
✔ Reacting Quickly – Tesco and Sainsbury’s responded to the cost-of-living crisis with price-matching schemes and budget-friendly meal deals, showing they understand what their customers need right now.
✔ Listening & Learning – Greggs tweaks its menu based on customer feedback, which led to the introduction of more vegan-friendly options.
✔ Using Tech to Improve Service – Premier Inn has introduced AI-powered booking help and digital room keys to speed up check-ins and make guests’ stays smoother.
The key? Don’t just react—stay ahead of the curve by listening and adapting.
➡️ What’s one small change you can make this month to meet your customers’ evolving needs?
AI in Customer Service: Smart or Too Robotic?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere—from chatbots to personalised recommendations. But how do you use AI without losing the human touch? Here’s where it works—and where it doesn’t.
AI That Works Well
✔ Fast & Efficient – NatWest’s chatbot ‘Cora’ answers simple banking questions in seconds, leaving human agents free to solve trickier problems.
✔ Always Available – Ocado’s AI-powered customer service means people can sort out order issues anytime—day or night.
✔ Smart Personalisation – Spotify suggests music based on listening habits, creating a better experience without being intrusive.
AI That Frustrates Customers
✖ No Human Backup – British Airways customers got stuck in chatbot loops when trying to make urgent flight changes. AI should always have an easy handoff to a real person.
✖ Lack of Empathy – E.ON UK switched to automated-only responses for billing disputes, leading to angry customers who wanted human help.
✖ Poor Personalisation – Boots’ AI-powered product recommendations sometimes miss the mark, suggesting completely irrelevant items and annoying shoppers.
Finding the Right Balance
✔ Use AI to enhance customer experience, not replace human connection.
✔ Make sure customers can easily switch to a real person when needed.
✔ Only use AI personalisation when it’s actually useful and accurate.
➡️ How is your business using AI to make life easier for customers—without losing the personal touch?
Our new Ultimate Customer Service Training Programme is here!
You know customer service can make or break a business. Yet despite your best efforts, do you ever feel like:
❌ Your team isn’t handling customer interactions as effectively as they should?
❌ You’re losing customers because service levels aren’t consistent?
❌ You’re constantly firefighting complaints instead of focusing on proactive solutions?
These mistakes aren’t just frustrating—they’re costing you customers, revenue and reputation.
But here’s the good news: They’re entirely fixable, and you don’t need to spend months figuring out what to do.
Our brand new Ultimate Customer Service Training Programme (UCSTP) is designed to give you a fast and effective solution. In just a few weeks, your team will learn how to:
✅ Instantly enhance customer interactions
✅ Handle complaints with confidence and skill
✅ Deliver standout service—every time
👉 The longer you wait, the more costly these mistakes become. To find out more register now or book a discovery call here: https://www.firstimpressiontraining.co.uk/online-learning
That’s it for this month!
We’d love to hear about one small leadership, AI or adaptability tweak you’ve made in your business?
Let’s chat – you can reach me at fit@firstimpressiontraining.co.uk
Until next time, take care & keep FIT💪
Marie Cross & The First Impression Training Team
