In a recent LinkedIn post, Dan Gingiss, CSP highlights a common customer service oversight experienced during a recent airline journey, using the incident to draw broader lessons for businesses on proactive communication and employee empowerment. Gingiss, a noted expert in customer experience, shared his frustration after being unable to ascertain whether a meal would be served on his first-class flight home.
Anticipating Customer Needs: The Core of Proactive Service
The central theme of Gingiss’s post revolves around the importance of anticipating customer questions before they even arise. He recounts his experience at the airport, where neither the airline’s app nor the gate agent could provide a simple answer about meal service. This seemingly minor inconvenience, he argues, points to a larger failure in customer experience strategy.
“My question should have been predictable. 1️⃣ Anticipate your customers’ questions. If you can answer them proactively, you are saving them time and making things easier for them.”
As Gingiss, CSP points out, this proactive approach not only enhances the customer’s journey by saving them time and effort but also demonstrates a deeper understanding of their needs. By addressing potential questions upfront, businesses can significantly reduce friction and build goodwill.
The Critical Role of Information Accessibility
Gingiss further emphasizes the need for businesses to ensure all necessary information is readily accessible to their customers. He criticizes the airline’s failure to provide this basic detail through easily navigable channels, forcing him to seek out the information manually.
“2️⃣ Communicate all of the details your customers need to do business with you. Don’t make them hunt or call Customer Service. This can be a money saver for you!”
According to Gingiss, CSP, making information easy to find is not just a customer convenience; it can also be a cost-saving measure for the business itself, by reducing the burden on customer service teams. In his view, the onus should be on the business to provide clarity, not on the customer to chase down answers.
Empowering Frontline Employees with Knowledge
A significant portion of Gingiss’s analysis focuses on the internal implications of such service failures. He argues that the gate agent’s inability to answer a basic question reflects a critical gap in the airline’s internal systems and employee training.
“3️⃣ Empower your frontline team with information. If your employees don’t know basic service details, there’s a gap in your internal systems. Your customer-facing employees should be the most informed – not the ones left in the dark alongside your customers.”
In Gingiss’s view, frontline employees are the face of the company, and their lack of essential information directly impacts the customer experience. He stresses that these employees should be the most knowledgeable individuals within the organization regarding customer-facing policies and procedures, rather than being as uninformed as the customers themselves.
Looking Beyond the Immediate Issue
While the initial post details a personal inconvenience, Gingiss, CSP steers the conversation towards actionable business insights. He concludes by encouraging readers to reflect on their own organizations:
“Seriously though, how might you look at the details differently in your business going forward?”
This rhetorical question prompts business leaders to critically examine their own customer communication strategies and internal information dissemination processes, reinforcing the idea that even small details can have a significant impact on overall customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Dan Gingiss, CSP on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on November 20, 2025 | View original post on LinkedIn →