Customer experience (CX) is shaped by dozens of moving parts - from systems and processes to technology and follow-up. But when we recently asked our LinkedIn audience a simple question, the response was overwhelmingly clear:
Which issue has the biggest negative impact on the customer experience?
The results spoke volumes:
- Poor staff attitude – 75%
- Inconsistent service – 14%
- Long wait times – 8%
- Lack of follow-up – 3%
So, what does this tell us about customer expectations today - and where organisations should be focusing their efforts?
Let’s break it down.
Poor Staff Attitude: The Biggest CX Dealbreaker (75%)
It’s not even close. Three-quarters of respondents identified poor staff attitude as the single biggest factor negatively impacting customer experience.
This result reinforces something we see time and time again through mystery shopping programmes:
customers remember how you made them feel far more than what you said or did.
A poor attitude might look like:
- Lack of warmth or enthusiasm
- Dismissive or defensive responses
- Indifference to customer needs
- Going “by the book” instead of being human
Even when policies are followed correctly, a negative tone, rushed interaction, or lack of empathy can undo everything else.
Why staff attitude matters so much
Customers are far more forgiving of:
- A short wait
- A minor mistake
- A process issue
…than they are of being made to feel like an inconvenience.
In a competitive market where products and pricing are often similar, attitude becomes the differentiator, and the reason customers choose to return (or not).
Inconsistent Service: A Silent CX Killer (14%)
Coming in second is inconsistent service, highlighted by 14% of respondents.
Inconsistency creates uncertainty. Customers don’t know what experience they’re going to get… A great interaction one day, and a frustrating one the next.
This is particularly damaging for brands with multiple locations, channels, or teams. When service standards vary, customer trust erodes.
The real risk of inconsistency
Inconsistent service often isn’t obvious internally, but it’s painfully obvious to customers.
It can stem from:
- Uneven training
- Poor communication of expectations
- Different interpretations of “good service”
- A lack of ongoing performance insight
Consistency isn’t about scripting interactions. It’s about aligning behaviours, tone, and values across every customer touchpoint.
Long Wait Times: Important, But Not the Whole Story (8%)
Only 8% of respondents selected long wait times as the biggest negative impact, which may surprise some businesses.
That doesn’t mean wait times don’t matter. They absolutely do. But the results suggest customers are more tolerant of delays when the human interaction is handled well.
A friendly explanation, acknowledgement, and reassurance can significantly soften the impact of waiting.
In other words, customers don’t just want speed; they want to feel valued while they wait.
Lack of Follow-Up: Low Score, High Impact (3%)
At just 3%, lack of follow-up ranked lowest, but it shouldn’t be ignored.
Follow-up often comes into play after a complaint, enquiry, or issue has already occurred. When it’s missing, customers can feel forgotten or dismissed.
While fewer people see it as the biggest CX issue, poor follow-up can:
- Damage long-term loyalty
- Undermine recovery after a service failure
- Turn neutral customers into detractors
It’s less visible day-to-day, but still a crucial part of the overall experience.
What These Results Mean for Customer Experience Strategy
The takeaway from this poll is clear: Customer experience is, first and foremost, a people issue.
Processes, systems, and technology all matter - but they are secondary to the way customers are treated in the moment.
To improve CX, organisations should focus on:
- Behaviour and attitude, not just task completion
- Emotional intelligence and empathy
- Consistency across teams and locations
- Reinforcing what “great service” actually looks like in practice
This is exactly where insight-led approaches, such as mystery shopping, add real value - by revealing how service feels to the customer, not just how it performs on paper.
Turning Insight Into Action
Understanding what impacts customer experience is only the first step. The real value comes from knowing why these issues are happening - and what to do about them.
This is where Performance in People supports organisations to move beyond surface-level metrics and into meaningful behavioural insight.
Award-Winning Behavioural Measurement
At the heart of our approach is our award-winning Behavioural Measurement Score, which focuses on the human elements of customer experience - the attitudes, behaviours, and emotional cues that customers respond to most.
Rather than simply confirming whether a process was followed, behavioural measurement reveals:
- How welcoming and engaged staff truly are
- Whether interactions feel authentic or transactional
- How consistently behaviours are delivered across teams, locations, and channels
- Where attitude and tone are positively (or negatively) influencing the experience
This is particularly powerful when addressing the number one CX issue highlighted by our poll: poor staff attitude.
Insight Through CX Lab
Our CX Lab takes this insight even further, helping organisations explore customer experience data in depth and turn it into clear, actionable learning - while also providing industry benchmarking.
By analysing patterns across mystery shopping results, behavioural scores, and customer interactions, CX Lab enables businesses to:
- Identify behavioural trends and root causes
- Understand where inconsistencies are creeping in
- Benchmark performance against industry standards and competitors
- See how their customer experience compares within their sector
- Prioritise actions that will have the greatest impact on customers
Industry benchmarking adds vital context. It helps organisations understand not only how they are performing internally, but how their customer experience stacks up against the wider market - highlighting both risks and opportunities.
The result is a clearer, more confident approach to CX improvement, driven by evidence, insight, and real-world comparison rather than assumptions.
Final Thought
This poll result is a powerful reminder that every interaction matters, and the human element remains at the heart of customer experience.
Customers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect to be treated well.
And when that happens consistently? Everything else becomes easier.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by our team to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with Performance in People’s customer experience expertise.
Written by Abi McIntyre, Head of Creative Connect on LinkedIn
Abi leads brand, marketing, and creative communications, turning customer experience insight into clear, engaging content and campaigns.
