Can you over-compliment your CX team?
- Author: Scott McKain
Read the news article
On a recent flight, at almost every stop along the way, the airline I had chosen reminded me that I was flying with “the best” So can you over-compliment your CX team. Airport signage told me…the CEO appearing on the pre-flight safety video told me…the flight attendant announcements told me…well, you get the picture.
The problem was that I got a whiff of an attitude from the airline’s team that reeked a bit of, “You are so fortunate to be our customer and have the privilege of encountering the best team in the business.” It is an arrogant aroma that no customer finds pleasant.
I started wondering from a CX leadership perspective — can you compliment your team to such a degree that it becomes a detriment to the delivery of an Ultimate Customer Experience®?
I came away thinking, “Yes, you can.”
When customer-facing team members hear the same praise repeatedly to the point that they become immune to it or start to believe that they are infallible, your message gets lost. And when all the preaching about being “the best” starts to feel insincere, it can do more harm than good.
Think about how you react when someone gives you a compliment that feels forced or fake — it doesn’t make you feel good, does it? The same goes for your team. Over-the-top compliments can come across as disingenuous, which will not help anyone feel appreciated or motivated. It can also have an unintended consequence: you breed overconfidence in your team that separates them from the customer rather than inspiring them to superior performance.
Can you over-compliment your CX team?
THE KEY IS TO FIND A BALANCE IN YOUR PRAISE — GIVE SPECIFIC FEEDBACK THAT IS SINCERE. MIX THINGS UP, SO YOUR TEAM DOESN’T GET NUMB TO THE CREDIT.
Genuine feedback goes a long way, and your team will be much more receptive (and responsive) to feedback that feels real and comes from a place of genuine appreciation.
Here are three steps to providing effective positive feedback:
Avoid generalities and be specific in your compliments. “Great job” is vague and doesn’t tell your team member what they did that was great. “You handled that customer issue expertly” is much more effective.
Be sincere in your praise. If it sounds forced, your team will know it’s not genuine.
Mix things up, so your team doesn’t become immune to the praise. Compliment different aspects of their work, and ensure you’re providing feedback regularly, so they know what they’re doing well and where they can improve.
Praise can breed over-confidence and even arrogance. It can also create a sense of entitlement. As the customer experience leader, you need to know how your team is receiving your compliments and adjust accordingly.
The customer experience is constantly changing, and your team needs to be able to change with it. If they’re getting complacent because they always think they’re already “the best” and do not need to improve, problems will start to arise.
The youth organization 4-H has always said it correctly with its motto: “To make the best better.” Every business should aspire to the same. Even when rankings proclaim you’re at the top of the heap, you can still get better at serving your customers.
Keep the praise coming, but make sure it’s balanced and sincere, so your team stays focused on providing the Ultimate Customer Experience.®
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY SCOTT MCKAIN
AND, BY THE WAY, IF YOU ARE REALLY “THE BEST,” YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP TELLING ME. I WILL KNOW IT FROM THE EXPERIENCE YOU DELIVER.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and view WeSpeak Global
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (4)
Four Reasons why do most successful employees manage their Personal Brands daily? It’s simple, really. They get the concept that every time someone has contact with you at work, outside of work, or on social media, one of two things happen: your Personal Brand is either strengthened or weakened by what you say or don’t say, and by what […]
- December 18, 2022
- (13)
When audiences hear Chris Bertish speak, they don’t just listen—they lean in. From the moment he begins sharing his journey to the legendary Mavericks Big Wave Surfing Competition, there’s a palpable shift in the room. This isn’t just another motivational talk. It’s a story of grit, purpose, and the relentless pursuit of something greater than […]
- April 9, 2026
- (5)
As a keynote speaker on the topics of leadership, connection, resilience, and relationships, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about empathy versus compassion over the past year and Why Leaders Must Choose Compassion Over Empathy. In fact, in my virtual presentations on personal connection, I quickly became aware of the buzzwords associated with […]
- January 18, 2023
- (15)
Utah’s Best Keynote Speakers: Why Your Next Conference Needs a Taste of the Beehive State! There’s something about Utah that’s magical—not just the scenic landscapes or the endless outdoor adventures but also the growing roster of incredible keynote speakers who call the Beehive State home. Planning a conference? These Utah-based speakers bring a unique blend […]
- November 13, 2024
- (3)
Understanding the Distinction: Customer Experience vs. Customer Service with Dan Gingiss. In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses often tout their “excellent customer service” as a hallmark of their brand. However, what many fail to recognize is that customer service is only one facet of a much broader and increasingly crucial discipline: customer experience (CX). While Understanding […]
- April 21, 2025
- (13)
Diversity training is valuable for increasing inclusion and fostering a more positive work environment. But not all diversity training is created equal. In order to be effective, diversity training should include certain key elements that can benefit your participants and your organization as a whole. For example, many organizations focus exclusively on race or ethnicity […]
- January 10, 2023
- (4)
Power-Ups That Will Help You Reach the Next Level There is something nostalgic about playing video games. With most games, your objectives involve jumping over obstacles, dodging enemy attacks, and collecting the power-ups you’ll need to advance. In real life, stepping on turtles and eating random mushrooms is never a good idea. Still, these video […]
- May 4, 2023
- (6)
10 Lessons Learned and the messages I want to share with all of you. At the end of last year, I made the awkward decision to leave the world that had given so much to me, to pursue something that wasn’t well defined, yet oddly was clearly the right path for me to take. After […]
- December 14, 2022