6 tips for an outstanding customer promise.
9 November 2021
What is your customer promise? I ask this question in every conversation with (potential) clients. Too often, however, they still cannot provide an answer. Either we reel off a mission statement that is outdated, or one whose exact meaning they themselves do not fully understand. This can be done better, which is why I have written this article on the purpose and necessity of customer promises, supplemented with a few practical tips to help you get started right away.
Customer promise or brand promise, what is the difference?
Before you get started drafting customer promises yourself, it is good to understand exactly what that entails. After all, there is a difference between a brand promise and an effective customer promise. Just as not every customer promise is the same as your mission, it should always fit within or contribute to it. Sounds complicated? Let’s start at the beginning.
What exactly is a customer promise?
A customer promise is literally what you promise your customers. For example, Jumbo’s 7 Guarantees. It is more than a brand promise. It is about more than just being 'the best, the cheapest'. It is something, or several things, that your customers can and should effectively expect from you. Often, it concerns service. We will call you back within 48 hours, for example. Or, we deliver within 30 minutes; if not, your pizza is free. This was Domino's customer promise for quite some time. So, although it might seem complicated at first glance, there is little complicated about drafting customer promises. Consider for yourself what your customers should expect from you. I bet it is more than you think. The challenge, however, lies in ensuring that these expectations are met always and by everyone in the company. But more on that later. First, I want to delve a little deeper into the usefulness of such customer promises.
Why would I make promises to my customers?
I’ve probably written this before: a truly customer-centric company views its customers as the guiding force and always puts their well-being first. Customers are the number one priority, always, everywhere, and in every decision. This doesn’t mean you have to blindly do everything the customer asks, but rather that with every decision, you ask yourself what the added value for or the impact on the customer is. And that the answer to that question carries more weight than, for example, the impact on internal processes.
That is precisely why truly customer-centric companies translate their mission / vision / corporate values into crystal-clear customer promises. Below are 4 good reasons to elaborate on your customer promises:
They help customers make a choice.
“We deliver within 24 hours” versus “we try to deliver as quickly as possible”. As a customer, you know exactly what to expect from the first partner, and this makes your choice easier. Moreover, a clear promise immediately builds customer trust.
They (often) lead to higher satisfaction scores.
Customers who know exactly what they should receive and actually receive it are more likely to complete a satisfaction survey. They can also evaluate it better because they know in advance what to expect.
They increase the chance to correct mistakes.
Did something go wrong with your product or service after all? Then customer promises help you know exactly what the customer expects and still be able to meet those expectations. Fun fact: because customers clearly know what to expect, they will let you know much faster when something isn't right, which in turn gives you new opportunities to improve your customer focus.
They provide direction and keep your organization sharp.
A clear customer promise ensures that everyone in the company knows exactly what to do to meet customer expectations. Moreover, your employees know that you communicate your customer promise externally. The latter ensures that you maintain a sharp focus on your service delivery.
Improving your customer experience: how do you actually get started?
Get started with your customer promises! 6 tips to do it (even) better.
Just to be clear, there is no such thing as one right approach to drafting a customer promise. After all, every company is different, isn't it? However, there are a number of handy tips and tricks that are applicable to any business. I am happy to share them with you and look forward to seeing your new customer promises appear!
Know what you can, may, and want to promise.
Seems logical, doesn't it? Yet, in practice, it often proves to be a difficult question to answer. What can a customer always expect from us? However, without a clear answer to this question, you cannot move forward. So, this is your first task: bring the management within your company together and ensure that you can formulate a clear answer. What can a customer always expect, and what do we, as a company, want to promise in this regard?
Use crystal-clear and unambiguous language.
Our northern neighbors often speak of "Jip and Janneke language," but I prefer the following expression: "explain it so that both your grandmother and your grandson understand it." In other words: a good customer promise is super simple and open to no interpretation. No buzzwords, no hollow concepts; only what really matters remains.
Extra tip: don't be too afraid of abuse. As management, we often have a tendency to set rules based on the 5% of customers who want to take advantage of our service promises. In reality, and according to various studies, we very often overestimate abuse. So feel free to formulate your customer promise based on the principle that most people are good; you will find that any potential abuse remains very limited.
Start from the customer's needs.
A golden rule for everything related to customer experience: always start from the customer's needs. What is the 'job to be done'? What does the customer want to solve, what need does he want to fulfill? What is the need behind this need? What other needs and feelings are linked to this? You want to take all of this into account when drafting your customer promise. After all, there is no point in promising customers something they do not want. This also applies to things that are self-evident. Some things you simply must always do, such as creating a correct invoice, for example.
Don't make it too easy for yourself.
This tip is related to the previously described section regarding suspected abuse of customer promises. Sometimes I see companies formulate a customer promise so conditionally that it essentially no longer matters whether they adhere to it or not. The result: no one is motivated to work on it anymore, and the positive impact on the customer disappears. My advice: feel free to feel a bit uncomfortable with the (service) promise you make for your customers. And making a mistake once in a while is no disaster, as long as you learn from it and resolve the issue more than adequately for the customer.
For instance, I personally always promise clients a response within two working days. Do I always succeed? Almost always, yes, but even I sometimes make mistakes. That is good; it ensures that I stay sharp and keep thinking about what I can do better for the client. So don't make it too easy for yourself, and don't be afraid to adjust where necessary.
Ensure that everyone in the company knows, lives, and delivers on your customer promises.
Drafting a customer promise, then hanging it on your office wall and assuming everything will work out is by no means the right method. So what is? Involve your team; ensure that everyone can stand behind your company's customer promises. They are also the ones who can tell you whether your plans are actually feasible. Also explain why you are doing this exercise, how you will communicate this to customers, and exactly what you expect from them. Try it out, test it, and adjust together where necessary.
Finally: the secret success ingredients of an excellent customer promise!
Ready to get started with the previous tips? Great! Below you can find a short summary of what constitutes a good customer promise. Handy for double-checking your own thought process afterwards. Good luck!
An outstanding customer promise is:
- short and concise
- described crystal clear in clear, unmistakable language
- something 'actionable', this means that you must be able to effectively do / carry it out
- in line with the company's overall mission, vision, values, and customer experience strategy
Ready to get started with your customer promise yourself?
Great idea! Need some support or a no-obligation chat about how we can take your customer experience to the next level?
Share with friends:
25 February 2026
Expectation management. Admittedly, it doesn't exactly sound... sexy. And yet, it is often our secret weapon when optimizing or improving the overall customer experience. After all, most frustrations don't arise from truly bad service, but from a customer receiving something different than they expected. Discover in this article how you can get started with this.
10 January 2026
Why ‘good enough’ is detrimental to your customer experience
How often do you think, "I expected more?" when you buy something or have an experience somewhere? That subtle difference between not being dissatisfied but not truly content hurts more than you think. After all, the step from good enough to bad isn't that big, as it turns out. Discover the pitfalls of a good-enough mentality in your company in this article.
20 November 2025
Increase sales thanks to better, customer-oriented quotes
When we talk about more sales, everyone thinks of more sales, more marketing, and more advertising costs. But what if we told you that you are overlooking something important? Read everything you ever wanted to know about writing customer-centric quotes.
5 October 2025
How can you collect outstanding invoices in a customer-oriented way without damaging relationships?
The economy is stagnating, so there is a chance that you will increasingly have to deal with unpaid invoices. You want to chase your money, but how do you actually go about this without completely destroying your relationship with your customers?
1 September 2025
Customer-centric communication with AI: a good idea or not?
There is no getting around it: AI is here to stay and is getting better and more powerful by the day. But can AI also take over your customer service? In other words: can you communicate in a customer-centric way using AI?
27 August 2025
Turning inspiration regarding customer experience into concrete actions? Here's how to tackle it!
You read a book, you hear a powerful speaker, you see a LinkedIn post, and you think: Yes! This is what we need to do for our clients too! There is plenty of inspiration to be found regarding customer experience, but how do you ensure that concrete actions actually follow? We are happy to help you on your way!
3 March 2025
Travel update, a story about ungrateful customers and 5x customer experience inspiration from Italy.
In 2025, Customerry travels through Italy in search of la dolce vita & inspiration regarding customer experience and customer-centric working. These blogs are part travel diary, part inspiration, part tidings of the moment.
30 October 2024
Educating customers, easier said than done, or is it?
Does educating customers make sense? And what is the best way to do it? After all, you keep writing instructions and explaining things until you drop, and those customers either don't read it or don't want to hear it. Sound familiar? Read here why that is and what you can do about it.
21 June 2024
A story about sausages that are too long and… the customer journey.
What do the length of a sausage and the term corporate blindness have to do with your company's customer journey? Customerry is happy to explain it to you and share practical tips to get started yourself.
22 April 2024
Surprising & delighting customers in Disneyland Paris
Surprising and amazing customers: how does Disney do it? We went on a real experience trip and share our findings with you, supplemented with practical tips for your own organization.
1 February 2024
7 concrete, immediately applicable tips on customer-focused communication
Communicate well. We expect every employee to be able to do it. But who actually teaches us? And what exactly do you learn? That's right... We share 7 tips to make customer-focused communication just that little bit easier.
24 September 2023
Together for the customer, even with multiple teams. How do you do that?
Working together for the customer: is that going well in your team? And did you know that factors other than your colleagues influence your customer experience? Even as a solopreneur, yes! Customerry explains and shares practical tips for better collaboration with the customer.
15 September 2023
Customer-focused working in healthcare: what should you definitely pay attention to?
Customer-centric working in healthcare?! But surely we don't have customers? Yes, we do... Customerry shares the ins and outs of customer experience in healthcare, along with 7 key focus points for your organization.
27 June 2023
Why customer-facing communication is the soft skill of today and tomorrow?
Do you also want to know how to implement customer-oriented communication in your company and what the benefits are? The customerry tips will get you started!
2 February 2023
Need a customer experience budget? Here's how to convince your management!
Without a customer experience budget, you won't get anywhere. I repeat: without a customer experience budget, you won't get anywhere. Certainly not if you want to engage in structural customer experience management. Perhaps not pleasant to read, but a much-needed reality check. Or so you might be thinking...
6 December 2022
Customer experience trends? Get rid of them!
Strong words from someone who speaks and writes about customer experience all day long. And yet, I mean it: I don't really believe in those customer experience trends that are penned down year after year by all sorts of trend watchers... Read here why!
4 May 2022
Customer delight, the new customer experience?
Customer delight management, because being “simply” customer-oriented isn't enough. I almost fell off my chair – literally – when I heard the above statement last week. All joking aside, my conversation partner was firmly convinced that customer focus...
4 November 2021
Customer focus as a catalyst for a better world
I started Customerry because I want to contribute to a better world. A world with more understanding. A world with more tolerance. A world where everyone is allowed and able to be themselves. Where does my belief in customer focus come from? Where does that...
26 March 2021
Improving customer experience: start with the basics
It probably won't surprise you that I consider improving customer experience just as important as sales, a solid marketing strategy, or operational excellence. It's just in my nature, a passion for customers, a desire to improve the world, call it what you will...
19 March 2021
Company values: an indispensable compass in turbulent and less turbulent times
What is the mission, what is the vision, and what are your company values? It is a recurring question at every intake interview, every prospecting meeting, or at the start of a new project. The answer? ...one moment, I'll just look it up...
12 March 2021
Customer journey (mapping): useful tool or completely superfluous?
Our favorite workshop? Journey mapping! Mapping out what the customer effectively experiences during their journey with an organization is often an eye-opener for many companies. But why do you actually do that? What are the benefits, how do you get started, and what should you look out for?
22 February 2021
Customer-centric or employee-centric?
What do you choose: putting the customer first or putting the employee first? It is a question I have been hearing very often in recent months. Among other things, the war on talent, which is causing a shortage in the labor market, makes...
28 January 2021
Improve customer satisfaction? 3 customer experience trends to keep in mind.
Improving customer satisfaction is not rocket science. For those thinking, "That’s easy to say when you’re a customer satisfaction expert": I promise you that you don't need any prior knowledge to get off to a good start. After all, everything begins with...
12 December 2020
How customer-focused is your company now, and what does the future hold?
A simple question, no simple answer. You cannot calculate just how customer-oriented your company truly is in a flash. This is because there are a huge number of factors that determine the overall customer focus of your enterprise and the associated customer satisfaction. Of course, you can...
1 November 2020
Customer Experience ABC: customer experience terminology in plain language.
Optimizing customer experience: understand what you are talking about. Personally, I have a thorough dislike for the excessive use of jargon. Quite a few companies simply fail to use clear language that is understandable to everyone. And I, too, make that same...
25 September 2020
Measuring customer satisfaction? 3 practical tips you can put into practice immediately!
Why measuring customer satisfaction is important. If you want to work in a customer-centric way as a company, and thus respond maximally to the needs of your customers, the first step is to find out how satisfied your customers are today. And then you have...
1 August 2020
Customer experience, what is it actually?
The definition of customer experience is as follows: “any perception and emotion that a customer experiences during all interactions with your company throughout the entire customer journey and across all channels.” Quite a mouthful, then, but indeed...
