Draw Back the Curtain and Peek Behind the Scenes of Customer Service

You walk into an establishment, and you’re met with smiles, an eagerness to please. The customer-facing team are professional and accommodating. But something feels off. You’ve been told two separate pieces of information, or you overhear staff bickering or complaining about another staff member. The follow-through from the initial smiles is lacklustre—you’re left waiting at a table for 35 minutes before giving a drinks order, staff don’t seem interested in helping you find stock, or you feel rushed out.

When you check the business’s reviews or you talk to a friend/colleague about the business, the customer service seems to be a griping point for many. There's a disconnect. If the employees are all smiles, why is the overall customer experience falling flat? The answer often lies not in what happens in front of the curtain, but behind it. This is why focusing solely on external fixes in traditional customer service training for employees fails.

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The truth is that customers are incredibly perceptive. They might not always be able to articulate what or why, but they can feel the tension in a room. When internal conflict, poor communication, or a toxic workplace culture festers backstage, it doesn't just stay there—it subtly or not so subtly leaks onto the shop floor.

Think about it, an employee who just endured a stressful interaction with a manager is unlikely to deliver genuine, relaxed, and exceptional service seconds later. That forced smile, that clipped tone, that subtle rush to move the customer along—these are all non-verbal cues that register with a customer, even if the employee is technically "following the script." The conflict, though not directly aimed at the customer, is still impacting their experience.

All too often have I witnessed a manager or a senior employee being openly critical, dismissive, or even "telling off" a colleague in front of staff and customers. I have seen this in retail stores, at experience days and in restaurants. My husband and I even had a restaurant manager call a member of staff (our waitress) to our table shouting at her as to why she hadn’t yet taken payment, when she only quickly left us to retrieve the card machine from her colleague. Rather than swiftly paying for our enjoyable meal and leaving, we were left very awkwardly observing a manager tell off a member of staff for 10 minutes (felt longer) for something that really wasn’t applicable to our experience and that we never complained about. It was highly embarrassing for the waitress and extremely uncomfortable for us.

In this instance and in many others, I do believe that the manager likely thinks they are being decisive, addressing an issue quickly, or "making an example" to ensure a standard is met. However, they are causing an even larger, more damaging issue. By publicly ridiculing or correcting an employee, the manager is making an example—not of the desired standard, but of how this business treats people. Customers don't differentiate between an employee and "the business." To them, they are witnessing a spectacle of poor leadership and disrespect. It immediately tarnishes the brand's image. This single act can instantly undo all the good built by the smiling front-of-house team. Unfortunately, in our experience the manager made himself look worse than any mistake his employee may or may not have made. We have never returned, even though the food was delicious.

Communication Failures:

When communication channels are not functional, and feedback policies are ignored or non-existent, the pressure starts to boil.

• Lack of Clear Feedback Pathways: If managers don't have clear, private, and constructive ways to offer feedback, they often let small issues build up until they explode—often publicly. A consistent lack of one-on-one coaching and praise means the only time an employee hears from their boss is when something is wrong. This creates a culture of fear, not excellence.
  

• Unsupported Policies: Customer service policies are only as strong as the management team's commitment to them. If a manager constantly undermines the team's efforts, dismisses their suggestions, or fails to provide the necessary resources and backup, the employees feel abandoned. This lack of managerial support and consistency is a direct line to burnout and low morale, which shows up on the shop floor as poor service.

  
  

Customer Service training for employees, from the foundations:

Organisations spend countless hours and money on generic customer services training for employees: Smile more. Use their name. Upsell this. Follow this script. This training is focused entirely on front-of-house execution—the tick box training to appease the customer, the script.

But exceptional customer experience doesn't start with the customer; it starts with the employee experience.

When employees feel respected, supported, well-communicated with, and valued—when the atmosphere behind the curtain is one of trust and professionalism—that positive energy will naturally, effortlessly, and authentically transfer to the customer. Conflict will always impact the customer’s experience, but a healthy, supportive work environment will elevate it.

It’s time to stop focusing solely on fixing the smiles and start focusing on fixing the environment that creates those smiles. Let's draw back that curtain today.

Are you looking for a transformative customer service training for employees course that addresses the root cause of service breakdowns, not just the symptoms?

Start your free discovery call with us today to rebuild a truly positive culture and customer experience.