How to Improve ISP Customer Trust

Silence is deadlier than bugs in IT. So here's my 5-part framework to keep clients happy. In IT, people think the biggest sin is missing a deadline. It’s not. It’s disappearing. No update. No email. No, "this might take longer than planned." Silence turns small delays into big problems. • It breeds assumptions • Assumptions turn into frustration • Frustration kills trust I’ve seen projects slip by two months, and the client still walked away happy. Not because the work was perfect. But because every week, they knew exactly what was going on. And people in IT know problems happen. • Servers crash • Timelines shift • Code breaks But communication is the difference between a frustrated client and a loyal one. And silence kills faster than any missed deadline ever will. Now, if you want my communication framework, here's what I recommend to people: 1// Set Communication Expectations Upfront • Define channels: 2–3 preferred methods (email for formal updates, Slack for quick questions, weekly calls for big discussions) • Set response times: “Emails within 24 hours, urgent issues within 4 hours” • Create update schedules: Weekly reports, bi-weekly demos, or milestone check-ins, but make it consistent 2// Be Proactive In Communication • Update before you’re asked, even “everything’s on track” matters • Flag problems early: “This might take an extra day because of X” • Explain the “why” behind updates and changes 3// Translate Technical into Human • Avoid jargon overload • Use analogies: “Like traffic on a highway - too many requests are slowing it down” • Focus on impact: “Making the app load 50% faster for your users” 4// Build Trust Through Transparency • Own the problems: “Here’s what went wrong and here’s our fix” • Provide realistic timelines, under-promise, over-deliver • Show your work: Screenshots, videos, or live demos 5// Listen as Much as You Talk • Ask clarifying questions • Acknowledge concerns • Adapt your style to the client And beyond this, here's what else I recommend you can do: a) This Week: • Define communication channels and response times • Create a simple weekly update template (3 bullet points) • Choose a project management tool with client visibility b) This Month: • Share client communication guidelines with your team • Practice explaining services without jargon • Set up automated project updates c) This Quarter: • Survey clients on communication preferences • Train your team on best practices • Build protocols into onboarding Ultimately, the best IT founders don’t just build great products. They build great relationships. And relationships are built on great communication. Start treating communication as seriously as you treat your code. Your clients will notice the difference. --- ✍ Tell me below: When was the last time proactive communication saved you from a client blow-up?

Your customers don’t trust you (yet)… here’s how to fix that. Earning trust isn’t about flashy marketing or big promises— it’s about what you do every single day. Here’s the thing: Without trust, your business is running on fumes. Customers are smarter than ever. They can spot insincerity from a mile away. And if they don’t trust you or worse, if they don’t feel valued they’ll go elsewhere. So how do you earn their trust, make them feel truly valued, and create engagement that keeps them coming back? Here’s what works: 1. Start by listening (and act on what you hear).   * Run surveys, host focus groups, or jump on 1:1 calls with your customers.   * Pay attention to their pain points, frustrations, and needs.   * Most importantly: Implement their feedback. Listening without action destroys trust faster than ignoring them altogether. 2. Personalize every interaction.   * Address your customers by name.   * Tailor your messaging, offers, or coaching to meet their unique needs.   * Remember: No one wants to feel like a number in your CRM. 3. Be transparent—even when it’s uncomfortable.   * Made a mistake? Own it immediately.   * Raising prices? Explain why.   * Customers value honesty, even when the truth is hard to hear. 4. Engage meaningfully by creating value.   * Share free resources, Q&As, or tips they can use immediately.   * Celebrate their wins—whether big or small.   * Build community spaces for connection (think LinkedIn groups, Slack, or live events). 5. Go above and beyond with small, thoughtful gestures.   * Send handwritten thank-you notes.   * Offer surprise perks, like early access or exclusive discounts.   * Follow up on personal details they’ve shared with you (yes, remembering their kid’s soccer game matters). 6. Stay consistent.   * Deliver on your promises every time.   * Focus on quality over quantity—customers will forgive a missed update, but not mediocrity.   * Regularly measure satisfaction and make improvements where needed. Building trust isn’t rocket science—but it does take effort. Focus on these six steps, and you won’t just earn trust. You’ll build relationships that last a lifetime. Which of these are you already doing?
 Let me know in the comments I’d love to hear how you earn your customers’ trust. ♻️ Share if you wan to build trust in your market 🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more trust tips.

⚠️ Hard Truth: Broken Promises Break Trust As a Chief Customer Officer, one reality keeps me up at night: 😵💫 The easiest way to lose a customer’s trust is to break a promise. Not the flashy commitments. Not the aspirational vision statements. But the everyday promises, the ones that say: “We’ll deliver this outcome.” “We’ll solve that pain point.” “We’ll be the partner you can count on.” 💡 Here’s the catch: Most broken promises don’t happen because the frontline team isn’t working hard enough. They happen because of the gaps between teams: • A handoff that misses critical context • A roadmap promise made without delivery confidence • A support process that wasn’t designed for scale • A revenue push that overrides customer readiness Those gaps become cracks. And cracks break trust. 🔑 My role as CCO isn’t just about customers. It’s about being a connector across the business, identifying gaps that could cause us to fall short, and fixing them before a customer feels the impact. Because customer trust is not a CS metric. It is a company-wide outcome. 🚀 The challenge for all of us: If you want to deliver real value, stop thinking about “your function” and start asking: ✅ Where could we unintentionally break a promise to the customer? ✅ What blind spot in my area could create pain downstream? ✅ How can we close this gap before it ever reaches the customer’s hands? That’s what it takes to win. That’s what it takes to build trust. That’s what it takes to create the future with our customers. 💬 What about you? Where do you see the most significant risk of broken promises in your organization, and what are you doing about it? #CustomerSuccess #NextSalesLeadership #ChiefCustomerOfficer #CustomerExperience #TrustAndValue #CrossFunctionalLeadership #CreateTheFuture

🐝 Yesterday I was having a conversation with a customer success friend in another organization. Recalling some of my earliest experiences in customer success, I remembered the most important tool I used: ✨ Radical transparency ✨ Our instinct as humans is to excuse, cover, and soften the blow of our errors. When it comes to customer success we can quickly become crisis managers giving PR answers to issues our clients are facing. Instead, try radical transparency. Instead of this: "This is an error that is out of our control based on our service provider outage" Try this: "I want to be fully honest and transparent with you, this is a failure on our part. We failed to prepare for the possibility of an outage with a failsafe. Now, here is what we are going to do moving forward to make sure this does not happen again:" Instead of saying this on a QBR: "Your data looks great! You are doing A, B, and C well, and we don't really need to worry about D" Try this: "I am always going to be as honest as possible with you, even though there is positive data here, we need to dig into why D is below our benchmark. Here's the plan I have put together to improve that in the next quarter:" Here are the elements I use when being radically transparent: 1. TELL people you are being transparent, this sets the tone of what is to come. 2. Take FULL responsibility for whatever failure has occured. 3. Come into the conversation with a plan to make sure the failure doesn't repeat itself. When you practice this kind of transparency you make sure clients not only feel heard, but trust that you are not hiding behind a PR excuse. We always say as CSMs we want to build trust with our clients, this is where you start. #tech #saas #customersuccess #customersuccessmanager

No amount of discounts will fix eroded confidence. In customer experience, we often act like pricing is the magic lever. Do these resonate? Unhappy customer? Offer a discount. Competitive pressure? Match the rate. Renewal at risk? Drop the price. But here’s the truth: when a customer loses confidence either in your product’s ability to solve their problem or your team’s ability to support them, pricing stops mattering. Once trust erodes, it becomes the dominant narrative. Every issue feels bigger. Every delay feels intentional. Every promise feels uncertain. And while it is possible to rebuild confidence, those comeback stories are rare. They take disproportionate effort, deep partnership, and a level of consistency most teams don’t prepare for. So the real work isn’t about discounting to save an at-risk customer. It’s about never putting them in a position where price becomes the only thing holding them in place. How do you maintain confidence even when things go wrong? • Communicate early, clearly, and often. Silence is a confidence killer. • Close the loop on commitments. Small follow-through moments build big trust. • Own your mistakes with transparency, not polish. Customers can feel the difference. • Anchor everything back to outcomes. When they see progress toward the reason they bought, confidence stabilizes. • Empower your teams. Customers trust people who sound like they know what they’re doing (because they do). In a crowded market, pricing gets attention— but confidence is what keeps customers.

If I woke up tomorrow as the Sales Leader of a struggling ISP with 3–6 months to fix it, here’s exactly what I’d do: 1. Validate the Product First Before I push sales, I’d make sure the product is sellable. That means sitting down with the network and operations teams to understand one thing: can we deliver what we promise? If the network has had over 40 hours of downtime this year it’s not a sales problem, it’s a product problem. In that case, I’d either ask management to fix stability or lower sales quotas to match reality. You can’t outsell a broken experience. 2. Fix the Story Most ISPs sound the same “fast, reliable, affordable.” I’d rebuild the messaging around what makes us different. Example: “We proactively monitor your connection and alert you before you even call support.” Customers don’t buy Mbps. They buy peace of mind. 3. Enable the Sales Team with Intelligence Stop sending reps out blind. They need real context before every call - Who is this customer? What’s their usage pattern? Are they a heavy streamer, a business owner, or a gamer? What are their recent issues, payments, or bandwidth spikes? When your sales agents have data that sells for them, they stop guessing and start advising. 4. Tighten the Feedback Loop Sales → NOC → Support → Marketing → back to Sales. Every customer issue, downtime, or churn reason needs to loop back to the team that sells. That’s how you evolve from “we sell internet” to “we sell reliability.” When product, data, and customer experience align, revenue follows naturally. #Impulse #Telecommunications #ISP #Sales

Do you care about your customers? Show don't tell. 🔷 Personalized Communication: - Address customers by their names in communications. - Tailor your messages to their preferences, needs, and history with your business. 🔷 Express Gratitude: - Send thank-you notes or emails expressing gratitude for their business. - Acknowledge their loyalty and let them know you appreciate their support. 🔷 Customer Appreciation Events: - Host events, whether online or in-person, to celebrate your customers. - Offer exclusive discounts, giveaways, or special access to show your appreciation. 🔷 Loyalty Programs: - Implement loyalty programs that reward customers for repeat business. - You'd be surprised how many want access over things that cost money. 🔷 Remember Special Occasions: - Send personalized greetings on customers' birthdays, anniversaries, or other important milestones. - Offer special promotions or discounts to celebrate these occasions. 🔷 Provide Exceptional Customer Service: - Go above and beyond in resolving issues promptly and effectively. - Proactively address potential problems before they become significant concerns. 🔷 Ask for Feedback and Act on It: - Seek feedback on your products and services. - Act on constructive criticism to demonstrate your commitment to improvement. 🔷 Educational Resources: - Share valuable and relevant content, such as tips, guides, or tutorials, to help customers maximize the use of your products or services. - Position yourself as a resource to support their success. 🔷 Surprise and Delight: - Occasionally surprise customers with unexpected perks, discounts, or gifts. 🔷 Stay Engaged on Social Media: - Interact with customers on social media platforms. - Respond promptly to comments, messages, and mentions, showing that you are actively engaged with your audience. 🔷 Create a Customer Advisory Board: - Invite key customers to join a customer advisory board to provide input on your products and services. - This not only shows appreciation but also demonstrates that their opinions matter. - If you want to create a customer community, start with a CAB. 🔷 Share Customer Success Stories: - Highlighting their achievements with your products/services can make them feel valued. 🔷 Conduct Exclusive Surveys or Focus Groups: - Involve select customers in surveys or focus groups to gather their opinions on new products or improvements. 🔷 Offer Flexibility and Customization: - Provide flexibility in your offerings to accommodate individual customer needs. - Customize solutions whenever possible to meet specific requirements. 🔷 Create a Customer-Centric Culture: - Ensure that all employees understand the importance of customer satisfaction. - Everyone in the organization is committed to exceeding customer expectations.

🧠 That moment when you don’t speak your client’s language... She asked a simple question: “What are these charges?” I have to admire his bravery - but giving an explanation he knows she'll accept just to not be in trouble for the spend was probably the wrong answer... probably... But when we translate this to how MSPs talk to their customers: “I hope if I say something confusing enough, you’ll stop asking.” It's less meme-worthy and sounds more like, "why do I even bother talking to these IT folks?" - or maybe one day - "Maybe when my contract is up, I should find an IT guy who actually communicates with me." Are you the MSP who sounds like this on your QBRs and sales calls. - GBs & SSDs, RTO, EDR, MXDR, SOC & SIEM… blah blah blah. Your client’s not stupid. But you’re talking in a language that is foreign to them – and maybe, deep down, you’re just hoping they won’t push back. And they might not, but you'll never build trust this way. What can you do with this information? 📣 Speak in the language of their business. - What are their goals and desired outcomes? - What are the things that could derail them? - What is the opportunity cost and likelihood of those risks becoming reality? Confused prospects don't buy. Confused customers seek clarification (from someone else). Don't try to impress your customer with big words - it comes across as blinding them with 🐂💩. Learn to communicate in the language of their business. ------- 🛑 Now stop! 🚦Do this exercise & share it with your team. - Borrow the 3 questions above and start a list of business related questions you can ask your customers. - Add 3-5 of your own. - Practice them by playing with the language until they feel authentic and natural when you ask them. Remember, this needs to feel like you being curious, not qualifying a buyer. - Now share this exercise and your questions with your team. - Have your team rework the questions into language that is authentic to how they speak. Remember that we are all different and your team will ask questions differently than you do. - Keep sharing what works with your team! Authenticity sells...

Most companies are still stuck in the 90s. They believe customers only want one thing: “A reliable product or service.” The gap between what companies think matters to customers and what actually matters to them is costing millions in lost loyalty, trust, and revenue. - A reliable product/service ✅ If you’re only focusing on this, you’re not competing, you’re surviving. - Fast, hassle-free issue resolution ✅ Create an environment for frontline teams to fix problems instantly. - Strong privacy and data protection ✅ Be transparent, ask for consent, and always show how you’re protecting it. - Seamless experiences across channels ✅ Build systems that talk to each other. - Ethical practices and social responsibility ✅ Make your values visible and back them with action. -Easy access to preferred comms channels ✅ Be where they are and make switching easy. - Effortless interactions that save them time ✅ Respect their time like it’s your own. - Transparent pricing, product info, and practices ✅ Show the full picture upfront: cost, policy, features, and what to expect. - Authentic human interactions and belonging ✅ Train your teams to connect, not just convert. - Personalisation: “Show you know me deeply” ✅ Make every interaction feel tailor-made. Every one of these is a trust builder. → Make them daily actions designed around the people you serve. What else would you add? #cx #customerexperience #customerrelations