Amazing customer experience: I’ve been going to my car mechanic for over 20 years and I’ll never go anywhere else.
Possitive Experience: A certain shipping company I use were very fast, highly responsive customer support team and an overall spendid customer experience. I recommended them to a lot to people.
Negative Experience: The same shipping company later on had some issues and delivery became very slow and unpredicatble, customer support became unresponsive probably due to overwhelming volume of complaints from angry customers, I stopped using them, and stopped recommending them… rather I recommend another.
Possitive Experience: I was helped by my customer success manager for an attribution platform where we were trying to track multi touch and multi weighted attribution model for our demand gen channels which was quite an uphill task to begin with but the involvement of multiple members of the platform team who were all pitching in to perfect our attribution was refreshing and so educational that it moved the project along seamlessly where were delighted with the deployment of the model and the subsequent data that was coming in post the implementation.
Negative Experience: When onboarding a service provider onto my company, I had noticed there where multiple reps that continously had to reach back out to us and ask for more information, rather than having a fully mapped out onboarding process. This friction almost forced me to churn from their services, as time was being wasted.
When have you seen force or friction impact a company’s ability to grow?
Force: There was a time i discovered a debit on my credit card and it was supposed to be a recuring deduction for a subscription that i never approved of, but i guess because my card was on one of the companies subsidiary account, they somehow had access to it.
Anyways, i called my bank and they were super swift in attending to the matter, even when the amount was quite small, they also deactivated the card and immediately started the process for a new one.
The swiftness and attention the small details thrilled me and i am quite sure that’s why they are one of the top 2 banks in thhe country
Friction: I had a terrible experience with the customer team at the registry. It all started on the day i passed my theoretical driving exam, and i submitted my licence from my home country (although i was without the original but the certified paper document), which i innocently ask the customer support lady to confirm if the document were tenable for approval so i can start preparing for the practical driving test and she said yes with no further instruction.
On the day i was to go for my test, i got to the place and i was told that i wasn’t approved to take the test, the registry at first denied the fact that i submitted anything until they checked their camera. Secondly they pushed the blame on me that i was suppose to come back to get a confirmation, so that is my fault. I honestly had no problem going back to check but there was no further instruction from the lady that attended to me, so how was i supposed to know?
I eventually lost the money i paid for the practical test as its a non-refundable fee(I still dont get the reason behind such fraudulent policy), the registry also did not take the blame for what they did rather they were initially in denial of my document submitttion.
It was such a messy situation and gave me a long lasting bad impression about them
Amazing Customer Experience:
I once worked closely with a company that consistently delivered exceptional customer service. From the moment I engaged with them, their communication was clear, quick, and personalized. They took the time to understand my specific needs and followed up after every interaction to ensure everything was on track.
Because of this high level of care, I noticed how quickly their reputation grew. Customers not only returned but also recommended them to others. Positive word-of-mouth, combined with their proactive support, helped the company scale faster, win bigger accounts, and build incredible loyalty in a very competitive market.
Poor Customer Experience:
On the other hand, I had an experience with a company where communication was poor, responses were delayed, and there was a lack of ownership when issues arose. It felt like every interaction was transactional, not relationship-driven.
Over time, I saw the impact this had on their business — customers became frustrated, reviews turned negative, and many shifted to competitors who provided better support. The company’s growth stalled, and they lost trust in the market, which is extremely hard to rebuild once it’s broken.
1. post sale engagement to reduce churn is an example
2. not having self service features or faqs for common question that require a user to contact a sales / cs person. bad ux as well
Hi everyone! I’m Jennifer, based in Maryland and currently exploring how to apply RevOps principles in more mission-critical, operationaly complex environments.
When I think about force in a company’s flywheel, I immediately think of a small pediatric practice I once worked with as a legal liaison. They had no paid marketing, yet their growth exploded because every parent who walked through their doors felt seen, respected, and empowered. Appointments ran on time, communication was consistent, and follow-ups were proactive. That trust turned into referrals, glowing online reviews, and even partnerships with local schools. That’s the flywheel in action--force created by authentic frictionless service.
On the flip side, I recently dealt with a government-affiliated service provider that made it nearly impossible to get accurate billing information or resolve account issues. Multiple departments gave conflicting answers, and frontline employees had no visability into the bigger picture. I wasn’t just frustrated--I stopped engaging entierly and began warning others in my network. That’s friction--the kind that halts momentum and erodes brand credibility.
These experiences are exactly why I’m pursuing HubSpot’s RevOps certification: to learn how to reduce friction and amplify force at scale, especially in environments where operational breakdowns can cost more than just money--they can cost trust.
Can’t wait to learn from your experiences too!
I worked for a small, local business, a strength training gym, and they had their buyer/customer journey dialed. From the moment a prospect fills out a form online, books their first class, completes their first class, signs up to become a member, hits certain class milestones… there was no stone left unturned, every single part of the buyer/customer journey is considered. It was amazing and I learned so much here about what a beautiful, thoughtful, TRUE customer first experience looks like. None of the content fed was beefing up the company - it was all to proactively help the prospect, and as a result, it helped our lean team from answering redundant questions and created a really happy customer base.
I signed up for a kickboxing class at a local gym. I received an email that confirmed my class reservation, but it just gave me very generic info like - bring a water bottle, be ready to sweat, and have a good time. The email also told me to arrive 15 minutes early before class.
My motto is “if you’re not early, you’re late.” I am very punctual and always on time because being late stresses me out. I made sure to show up 25 minutes early, but parking was so difficult (Los Angeles), that it took me 20 minutes to find parking. I showed up late, flusterred and stressed out, which could have easily been avoided. The info included in their email was so useless considering their location alone causes friction.
A “Force” Example: Zappos’ 24/7 Customer Happiness Machine
Round-the-Clock Availability: Zappos pioneered truly 24/7 live support—no scripts, no forced hold times—so customers felt heard and helped anytime they reached out
Culture of Surprise: Agents routinely upgraded shipping, sent free gifts, or made personal connections, turning routine transactions into memorable experiences
Exponential Word-of-Mouth: Happy customers wrote blog posts, shared their “WOW” stories on social media, and even called friends to rave—magnifying Zappos’ reach without paid ads
Rapid Revenue Impact: These service-driven referrals helped Zappos exceed $1 billion in annual gross sales by 2008, leading to its $1.2 billion acquisition by Amazon in 2009
Scalable Kindness: By integrating multiple communication channels (phone, chat, email, social) into a single tech-enabled hub, Zappos scaled its “customer service for anything” model as it grew, maintaining personalization at high volume
A “Friction” Example: Xfinity’s Customer Service Quagmire
Opaque Billing & Long Waits: Customers experienced sudden bill hikes (e.g., $219 → $255) without clear justification, then faced hour-long in-store queues or endless phone transfers to negotiate
Hostile Retention Tactics: Recorded calls of aggressive “retention specialists” refusing cancellations went viral, damaging trust and driving customers to seek alternatives like streaming services
Viral Backlash: High-profile incidents (e.g., Ryan Block’s 18-minute ordeal) galvanized social media outrage and multiple “worst company” labels, tarnishing brand equity
Slowed Subscriber Growth: Frustrated prospects delayed or canceled sign-ups, while existing subscribers threatened churn, forcing Comcast to invest heavily in loyalty programs and PR reversals
Regulatory Scrutiny: Repeated service failures contributed to fines for billing practices and intense oversight in both the U.S. and U.K., further diverting resources from innovation to compliance
Share a time when you had an amazing customer experience and you saw a company grow faster and faster because of their wonderful customer care.
I bought an item from a company, and was delivered to the wrong address. I had a picture from the carrier that it was clearly not my building. I contacted the carrier, they confirmed it was delivered at the wrong address, they apologized and suggested I contacted the company directly, and so I did. I got in contact with their Support team via chat, explained the situation, provided a screenshot of my convo with the carrier and the photo the delivery guy took, and they immediately found a solution for me. It was a first since, in the past, I’ve had experiences with companies that no matter how much documentation you provide, they make it IMPOSSIBLE for you. (I refer to when you’re actually giving them all the info they need and proof of the mistake.) I told all of my friends about this company, and I know at least one already made a purchase!
Fricition is when our sales team became overly segmented, forcing handoffs of existing clients regardless of relationships.. this caused a lot of issues and resulted in mass resignation along with shifting alignments that had a down stream impact to support functions. Force when our operations team became regionalized and focused on scaling for growth support. It used to be that 1 Ops person in the office was responsible for A-Z, so if that Ops person was out, business support would come to a standstill, also that 1 person became a bottleneck given that only 1 person can do 1 thing at a time. Now, there is coverage, support, and multiple things can get done at the same time, resulting in improved speed to market for stakeholders.
I know an example of a bookstore in our area who provided the best example of “Force”, as they created a separate section for customer complaints, where one and sometimes 2 people are always dedicated to handle customer queries. It escalated their operations in ways I could not think of earlier-
1) Despite many such stores around the area, this particular one had repeated business, as people would buy from here without thinking, knowing well that they could replace the book, get refunds, etc. easily if they even encounter any issues in future, since 2 guys would be waiting to help them at the shop, always.
2) Only the lack of this ‘separate customer inquiries desk’ ignited “Friction” at competitor stores, since they didn’t track their customer database, and would not remember their customers when they came back to report any issue.
While all of them had same workforce, the said store reported more revenue because they efficiently utilized their human workforce, and with same costs, they reported multi-fold rise in revenue.
On the other hand, the customers automatically resisted to buy from other stores, leading to lost business for those shops.
In a previous role at a leading loyalty and engagement platform, I was part of a team responsible for enhancing customer experiences across various touchpoints. We introduced a dedicated service channel for premium members, focused on proactive support and personalized solutions. This approach not only improved customer satisfaction but also increased program usage and member retention.
What impressed me most was how this strong focus on customer care translated into measurable business growth. Our Net Promoter Score rose significantly, customer lifetime value improved, and we saw accelerated partner acquisition. It became clear that delivering exceptional service wasn’t just a nth was a key growth driver that positioned the company ahead of competitors in a crowded market.
A few years ago, I worked closely with a cloud services partner who completely transformed their post-sales engagement by investing in a dedicated customer success team. They focused not only on onboarding but also on proactively identifying opportunities for optimization and cost savings for their customers. I vividly remember one enterprise customer who shared how impressed they were with the continuous support, quarterly business reviews, and value-driven insights they were receiving.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen the consequences of poor customer care. In one instance, a service provider failed to invest in support after onboarding: no success manager, no communication cadence, and minimal responsiveness. Customers were left feeling unsupported and undervalued.
When have you seen force or friction impact a company’s ability to grow?
Taking advantage of the topic of friction, which isn’t always a bad thing, I can mention an experience I had observing a support team that knows how to handle instability. In situations like that, when the support team quickly replies to an email explaining that the issue has been identified, that a fix is being worked on, and even commits to providing updates within a certain timeframe, clients, even while experiencing impacts to their processes, responded with gratitude for the attention and communication.
I once had an amazing experience with a tech support team that solved my issue in minutes, followed up proactively, and even gave me tips to avoid the problem again. I told others about it, and soon noticed many of my peers switching to that company. Their customer-first approach clearly created positive momentum and word-of-mouth growth.
On the flip side, I’ve dealt with a company where getting help felt like going in circles—no clear process, delayed responses, and miscommunication. I stopped using their services, and later noticed many negative reviews online. That kind of friction really slows down growth and damages reputation.
1. Testing the waters when your order is placed supposedly a food outlet which is somehow taking time to get preapred. The customer’s behavior is directly proportional to what the staff’s ability to handle the situation is. The way staff would handle the customer will impact the prospects.
2. Nowadays it is all about social media vlogging concept! Everything is a content for the audience. A small food outlet quite famous in the city turned up with no customers around from having a non-stop turnaround of people throughout the day. All because of showing the prospects the behavior with an engaged customer.
Amazing customer experience fueling growth:
I’ve seen how proactive, seamless customer experiences can drive rapid growth. For example, a credit card company’s fraud team once reached out immediately to pause unusual transactions, guided me clearly through the verification process, and followed up to ensure full resolution. I appreciated their reliability and felt genuinely valued, which led me to renew and actively recommend them. The company grew quickly through strong word-of-mouth and high retention.
Poor customer experience harming growth:
In contrast, I had a poor experience with a telco provider where slow, transactional responses made me feel like just a number. This led me to cancel my service, contributing to their loss of market share and declining reputation.
These examples reinforced that customer experience is critical to growth. Reducing friction and investing in proactive, personalized care directly support retention and expansion.
Amazing Customer Experience:
I purchased from one small company in the floral industry who made an effort to engage with the local community, took the time to learn about their customers, leveraged their social media consistently to keep customers informed of new availability and held pop ups each weekend and on major holidays making going to their shop easy, reduced any barriers to access the product, and increase demand during days and times other vendors would normally be shut down. This drove so many individuals over time to purchase from this vendor that they eventually began collaborating with other vendors and scaling weekly or holiday pop ups, and eventually go to a point where everyone was so interested in their products and services that they had to completely change how they operated to keep up with the demand and have become incredibly profitable and succesful since!
Poor Customer Experience
On the other side of things, I worked with one small company in the fitness industry who started out being very consistent with their product, service level and support, and they were highly customer centric. They then shifed their services completely virtual, but did not invest in the proper tools to scale it or support it in this new format. This resulted in customers unable to access the products or services, having consistent log in issues or complete inability to access their online material, and the seller becoming unreliable and detached to their customers. The business dwindled and eventually shut down because of lack of investment (force) and negative friction that impacted customer experience.
"I’ve seen friction—especially between departments—stall growth in otherwise promising companies. One clear example is when sales, marketing, and operations each use separate tools and metrics. Instead of collaborating toward a shared revenue goal, they default to blame-shifting, duplicated work, and data silos.
The result? Slower deal cycles, inconsistent customer experiences, and missed growth opportunities.
What makes this more dangerous is that leadership often misdiagnoses it as a talent issue—when it’s really a systems issue. Growth doesn’t collapse overnight, but it erodes quietly due to internal drag.
That’s why I believe in building revenue engines that are unified, measurable, and frictionless—so the business scales cleanly and intentionally."