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Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

Familying with Customers - 10/28/25


In our transactional society, it’s hard to think about customers in the long-term.  But if we want to be as successful as we can as an individual or as a business, we need to view customers through a relationship lens. What do we need to know about them to Read more

Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25


The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint.  They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody.  You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation.  It’s important for Read more

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25


We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done.  But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

When Patience Begets Patience - 9/2/25


Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant.  The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table.  Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week. Since the Read more

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Last Impression Faux Pas – 11/4/25

Posted on November 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas.

What many people tend to forget (or at least not focus on) is the fact that the LAST impression is just as important.  What they think at the end of the conversation has a huge impact on the customer’s impression of you, the organization, and now also the experience.  We see this a lot when we conduct event-related surveys with fans of sporting events.  It could be the greatest event in the world, but if they had a major hassle and confusion and delays exiting the arena or getting home, their overall experience was soured by that last impression.

Since you – as an individual – likely don’t have a tremendous amount of control over the exit traffic after a big event, let’s talk about aspects of the last impression where you may have the ability to make an impact.  Here are some things to AVOID doing when trying to make a great LAST impression:

  • Don’t forget to state their name as you end the conversation.  Make sure they don’t perceive that you view them as just another task, just another number.
  • Don’t focus on your computer or phone at the close with the walk-in customer – don’t make them take a back seat to technology.
  • Don’t forget to confirm satisfaction or that the need was addressed.  Never let the customer leave without your knowing how they felt.
  • Avoid letting your voice appear impatient – by rushing your speech or talking over them, giving the impression you’re just trying to get them off the phone or out the door.  Ensure the customer feels you would do whatever is needed to support them.
  • Don’t forget to smile (even if you’re on the phone).  We should be happy to serve customers, so we need to convey that happiness.
  • Don’t make the customer end the conversation.  Don’t make them thank you first, especially since they made the effort to call or took the time to travel in to see you.

 
To leave them with the best impression possible, avoid the last impression faux pas.

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