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Published On: 14th Oct 2026 08:00 - Modified: 6th Oct 2026
Every contact centre makes promises to customers. Some are explicit, such as “we’ll call you back by 4pm”, whilst others are more subtly built into IVR menus, or even the tone of a marketing campaign.
Yet, however easily they’re made, keeping them is often much harder. And the damage is even worse, as every broken promise chips away at trust.
Of course, this is all rarely the result of bad intentions, but it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what’s going wrong.
That’s why we spoke to our customer contact experts for their thoughts on what it really takes to keep promises to customers.
Customers are not looking for perfection. They simply want an agent to reliably do what they said they would do. Therefore, in many respects, keeping promises comes down to consistency.
However, this consistency cannot rely purely on individual effort, and agents certainly shouldn’t be punished when it goes wrong. Instead, it requires leaders to create structures that ensure promises are kept at every stage of the customer journey.
“Trust is always built through consistency. Without that, you have absolutely nothing to stand on! And customers always remember when agents say they will do something and they follow through – and when they don’t!
This drives the need for clear ownership, transparent communications with the customer, and strong operational discipline behind the scenes.” – Marco Jetmir Ndrecaj, Director of Customer Experience Management at Shared Services Connected Ltd.
Not sure where to start? Take a closer look at where you’re already making promises to your customers by mapping out your full journey of customer promises end to end, so you can proactively close any gaps between intention and delivery!
After all, many contact centres start making promises long before an interaction ever reaches the frontline – from messages embedded on the Contact Us page right through to automated emails.
This creates a major challenge for those operating across multiple channels – as different departments may shape different parts of the journey, but customers still experience everything as one connected interaction.
As a result, disconnected promises create frustration. So, you need to get on top of this, and fast!
“Often that first promise is on IVR before the customer has even spoken to someone. For example, if you’re waiting and you get promised a callback, and then that doesn’t happen on time.
That’s why it’s so key to actually map out what it is you’re promising to your customers across all of your various touchpoints.” – Michael Clark, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of CXTT Consulting.
Beyond this, it can also help to double-check how other departments are communicating with customers too!
For example, marketing may be setting expectations through the wording used on the company website, without fully considering whether the service experience genuinely reflects those claims.
Quite frankly, don’t underestimate the importance of creating consistency between marketing promises and operational reality!
As even something as simple as “call us to speak to our friendly team” can set expectations that need to be properly managed.
“This disconnect can create immediate disappointment for customers. Even something as simple as the word “friendly” creates an expectation around the tone and energy of a call.
If the actual interaction feels rushed or robotic, customers will notice straight away!” – Nerys Corfield, Director of Injection Consulting Limited.
Next, use these insights to take action – starting with how technology can help, as there are plenty of tools and systems out there that can give you peace of mind that any promises won’t get lost in a sea of competing priorities.
“The best way to ensure consistency is to set up systems that support it. For example, using a CRM to set automatic reminders that a customer needs to be called back by 2 o’clock.
That way, there’s no margin for human error and the agent will simply receive a pop-up reminder to prompt them to keep their promise.” – Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer (CAO) at Shepard Presentations LLC.
That being said, agents still need the ownership and discipline to act on the reminders they receive.
So be sure to underpin all your efforts with strong culture and leadership, as agents who feel empowered and connected to the wider purpose of the organization are far more likely to follow through on their commitments.
And still reach out when you said you would – even if it’s not good news or there’s nothing to report – as customers can be surprisingly forgiving provided communication remains proactive and transparent. After all, silence can be far more damaging than the delay itself!
Just think about how airlines make announcements. Even when passengers are unhappy about waiting, regular updates reassure them that somebody is still in control of the situation.
The same principle applies in contact centres, and customers are far more likely to tolerate delays if they feel informed and respected throughout the process.
If you are looking for advice to improve your communication, read our article: The 7 Cs of Effective Communication
It’s equally important to set clear goals around what you’re trying to achieve, as it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of answering calls quickly – without giving customers what they actually need.
Of course, many contact centres are highly optimized to react quickly, doing whatever it takes to triage calls efficiently, reduce queue times, and move customers through interactions at pace.
However, there’s an important distinction to be made between responding to customers and actually delivering on promises made.
Therefore, it’s worth taking note that the organizations that succeed focus not only on resolving the immediate interaction, but also on ensuring the promised outcome genuinely happens afterward.
For techniques agents can use to help boost cooperation and work in partnership with customers, read our article: 10 Tactics to Drive Up Customer Cooperation
And don’t rest on your laurels! Customer expectations are constantly evolving – particularly as customers compare not only against direct competitors but against the best experiences they receive anywhere.
Therefore, it’s also important to regularly review whether your service promises still match current customer expectations.
This requires both measurement and listening – from monitoring responsiveness across channels and understanding customer feedback, to benchmarking against competitors.
In summary, what’s inherently clear is that keeping promises to customers is rarely about a single interaction. It’s about the systems, leadership, communication, and operational discipline that sit behind every customer journey.
And whilst customers do not expect perfection every time, they do expect your agents to consistently do what they say they are going to do. Otherwise, they’ll take their business elsewhere!
Click here to join our Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.
With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:
For more advice to improve customer service and CX in your contact centre, read these articles next:
Megan Jones, Editor, Call Centre Helper
Megan interviews inspiring people across the contact centre industry to capture these amazing voices and turn them into best practice articles – covering all elements of what it takes to deliver truly outstanding employee and customer experiences.
Connect with Megan on LinkedIn
Read more by Megan JonesReviewed by: Jo Robinson
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14th October 2026
14th October 2026
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