Customer Service: train managers and teams , otherwise nothing really changes
There is one pattern that comes up again and again in customer service teams. Agents are trained. Managers too — sometimes (in between packed agendas). And yet, the same issues keep resurfacing. Late escalations. Tense conversations that spiral. Commercial opportunities that go unnoticed. Not because teams are not doing their job, but because people are not working from the same reference points.
The issue isn’t competence. It’s alignment.
In many organisations, training initiatives are well-intended… but fragmented.
Agents receive operational tips.
Managers receive concepts or steering tools.
The result? Everyone knows what should be done, but no one is truly operating within the same framework.
In customer service, however, the quality of an interaction depends on details:
- how a complex conversation is structured,
- when to step in during an escalation,
- how to recognise an opportunity without forcing a sale,
- and, above all, how the conversation is reviewed afterwards to improve.
What the field clearly shows
Teams that improve sustainably all have one thing in common:
their managers know how to coach real situations, not just comment on results.
They are able to:
- break down a difficult conversation,
- explain why an escalation occurred,
- show what could have been done differently,
- and give agents guidance they can apply in the very next call.
Without this, training remains theoretical, and pressure keeps falling back on the same people.
Training agents alone creates unrealistic expectations
Training only agents implicitly assumes that:
- they will apply new behaviours on their own,
- they will receive consistent feedback,
- and their managers will speak the same language
(in practice, this single point often creates a major gap).
That is rarely the reality.
Without managers trained in the same approach:
- coaching becomes vague,
- rules change depending on who is involved,
- and teams gradually revert to old habits.
Training managers alone creates a different disconnect
The opposite scenario is just as common.
Managers leave with strong frameworks… and KPIs that teams do not necessarily share or relate to.
This complicates dialogue, feedback and buy-in.
Management becomes more demanding, without becoming clearer.
And clarity matters:
the clearer the framework, the easier it is for teams to engage.
What truly works: a shared framework
When managers and teams are trained together, something shifts.
Not because everything suddenly becomes perfect,
but because conversations become readable.
Everyone understands:
- what an escalation really is,
- when to intervene,
- how to reframe,
- where the line sits between service and commercial opportunity.
Coaching becomes natural. Training continues long after the training session.
Commercial does not mean intrusive
Recognising a commercial opportunity in a customer interaction
does not mean forcing something on the client.
It is often:
- a well-timed question,
- more attentive listening,
- a proposal made at the right moment.
These are subtle skills.
They require practice, a clear framework
and, above all, full alignment between managers and teams.
It sounds obvious.
In reality, it rarely is.
In conclusion
Training teams is necessary. Training managers is strategic.
But as long as both do not share the same reference points, the same language and the same method, efforts remain fragmented.
In customer service, sustainable performance is rarely a matter of talent.
It is almost always a matter of alignment.