Diagnosis

Agents in the group are making call-back commitments without specifying a time frame, leaving customers without confidence that follow-up will happen.

Session objective

The objective of the session is to help the group see the difference between a vague commitment and a time-bound one, and to surface why telling the customer when they will be called back — even without a resolution — is more effective than an open-ended promise. Help the group arrive at their own take-aways rather than having commitments imposed on them. Where a senior figure is present and creating a permissive counter-narrative, contain the disruption without direct confrontation.

Session tactics

Play a cold call in which the agent picks up a complaint case with no prior information and must open the conversation and own the case. Discuss the choice to elicit the complaint from the customer in their own words rather than reading back notes and waiting for correction — frame this as working with the customer rather than inviting interruption. When a group member or senior figure in the room offers a permissive counter-narrative ('whatever works for you'), do not engage in direct debate; hold the point and move on. Raise the specific gap around call-back commitments: distinguish between committing to a resolution and committing to a call-back with a named time frame, and make clear only the latter is required. Close the session by going around the room and asking each participant what they want to take away; accept the commitment as given rather than pressing for a stronger version the participant does not believe in.

Behaviour observations

• Agents make call-back commitments without specifying when the customer will be contacted, leaving the commitment open-ended.
• The agent on the call begins the conversation without information about the case history and does not have a structured approach to eliciting the customer's account of the complaint.
• When asked for take-aways, agents offer conditional or loosely framed commitments rather than firm time-bound ones.

Experiments

• When giving a call-back commitment, the agent will state a specific date or time frame for the call-back and confirm they personally will provide an update at that point, without promising a resolution.
• One agent committed to calling the customer back before the date on the acknowledgement letter if an update becomes available before that date.