5 Lessons from working with 100+ customer-obsessed companies

By Reagan Nickl, VP of Customer Success at AskNicely

I’ve had the privilege of working with over a hundred companies that I’d consider truly customer-obsessed. And here’s the surprising part: the most successful ones aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets, the flashiest marketing campaigns, or the most intense employee training programs. 

The ones that win do so because they’ve built simple, repeatable habits around customer feedback.

The companies that keep their customers happiest aren’t sending 30-question surveys or holding feedback hostage in quarterly reports. They’re asking one or two smart questions at the right time, acting on what they learn quickly, and doing it again tomorrow.

Since I’m not one to gatekeep, I want to share with you the five most powerful lessons I’ve learned from these companies. They’re not complicated — in fact, the simplicity is what makes them work. Whether you’re running a team of 10 or a business with hundreds of locations, these lessons can help you make customer obsession something your team lives and breathes every day.

Lesson 1: Keep your surveys short

When it comes to customer feedback, the more questions you ask, the fewer answers you’ll get. A good rule of thumb when creating your surveys is to keep in mind one of my favorite phrases: “Ask less, know more.”

I’ve seen companies pour hours into crafting long, elaborate surveys, thinking they’ll capture “everything” in one go. What happens? Customers start strong, then drop off halfway through the survey, leaving them with incomplete data and frustrating respondents.

The best customer-obsessed companies keep their surveys short and focused. They start with one core question — NPS, CSAT, or a 5-star rating, and then follow it up with one or two smart, relevant questions to uncover the why. That’s it.

If you want your customers to give you great feedback, don’t make it a chore. Short, personalized surveys show respect for their time, and you’ll be surprised how much more honest and thoughtful the responses are.

Short surveys don’t just achieve higher completion rates; they also yield better data. When customers can answer quickly, in context, and on any device, they’re more likely to give feedback that’s specific, accurate, and actionable.

Takeaway: Respect your customers’ time. Keep it concise, keep it relevant, and focus on the questions that will actually make a difference.

Lesson 2: Go beyond the score

Scores are a great starting point — but they’re just that: a starting point.

An NPS of 72, a CSAT of 4.8, a 5-star rating… these numbers tell you what your customers feel, but not why they feel that way. Without the “why,” you can’t repeat what’s working or fix what’s broken.

The best companies I’ve worked with always pair their score with a follow-up question that digs deeper. They ask customers to choose a reason for their rating  (things like timeliness, friendliness, quality, or value)  and then drill down even further if needed. This turns a number into a story you can act on.

A 9 out of 10 feels great… until you realize you have no idea why they gave you that score. The ‘why’ is where the magic happens. That’s the insight your team can actually use tomorrow.

Here are some follow-up questions you can use: 

1. What was the main reason for your score? 
2. What’s one thing we could do to improve your experience?
3. What was your favourite, and least favorite part of your experience? 

Takeaway: Don’t stop at the score. Use it as a door to the deeper insights that show exactly where to focus your energy.

Lesson 3: Choose one thing to improve at a time

When you start getting great feedback, it’s tempting to try to fix everything at once. I’ve seen teams create giant improvement lists after just a short time of collecting data, and then get stuck because they don’t know where to start.

The most customer-obsessed companies I’ve worked with resist that temptation. They pick one area of focus at a time, work on it consistently, and only move on when they’ve made real, sustainable progress.

AskNicely customer, DebitSuccess, used this approach of coaching for small improvements, and grew their average NPS score by 21.5 points. 

Takeaway: Focus beats frenzy. Pick your most important improvement opportunity, work it until you win, then move to the next. Your daily habits are what will make a true CX transformation.

Lesson 4: Give your team access to feedback

Customer feedback is only valuable if it reaches the people who can act on it. Too often, I see it trapped in spreadsheets or quarterly reports, and by the time it reaches the frontline, the moment to make a difference has passed.

The best companies make feedback visible and immediate. They use real-time dashboards, team huddles, or tools like AskNicelyTV to get insights in front of everyone, from the CEO to the newest hire. That way, the team can connect their work to the customer’s experience right now, not months later.

When feedback is accessible, teams take ownership. They start spotting patterns, taking initiative, celebrating wins, and addressing issues on the fly, without waiting for a manager to filter it down.

Takeaway: Don’t let feedback collect dust. Put it in your team’s hands so they can own the customer experience every single day.

Lesson 5: Celebrate the wins 

When most people think about customer feedback, they picture complaint handling, fixing what’s broken. But the best companies know that customer obsession is just as much about reinforcing the good stuff as it is about addressing the bad.

Positive feedback isn’t just a pat on the back; it’s proof of what’s working.  It highlights the moments, behaviors, and experiences you should protect and repeat. And when you share that praise with your team, you give them the motivation to keep doing more of it.

Moxie Pest Control always comes to mind when I think of expert frontline appreciation. They use leaderboards that show the frontline the teams with the highest CSAT scores in real-time to recognize positive behavior and help motivate other teams. While Moxie does have business-wide incentives, like vacations for top techs and an annual Branch of the Year competition, Adam Whitmore, Moxie Pest Control District Manager, says smaller incentives are equally motivating. 

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When your team sees that their best work is noticed and valued, it fuels pride, consistency, and a sense of ownership over the customer experience.

Takeaway: Don’t just patch holes, polish the gold. Celebrate what your customers love, and make it part of your playbook.

Ready to put these lessons into action?

Customer obsession isn’t a project with a finish line, it’s a way of working. The companies that get it right don’t try to do everything all at once. They build simple, repeatable habits: asking the right questions, acting quickly, and celebrating what customers love.

Start small. Focus on what matters most. Keep the loop between customers and your team as short as possible. Do that consistently, and you’ll create the kind of experience that keeps customers coming back and telling others to do the same.

Curious about AskNicely? 

We can help you implement a feedback system that your customers love to answer, and your team loves to use.

Book a demo →

Customer story: Building a team obsessed with customer experience