In a world where customer support is often reduced to metrics and dashboards, Jelena Lačnjevac challenges us to look deeper. As a leader dedicated to reshaping the meaning of “great service,” she believes that behind every ticket, every CSAT score, and every call log, there’s a story worth listening to, and learning from.
In this conversation, Jelena shares how her team redefines success not by the speed of a resolution, but by the depth of a connection. From reframing feedback to prioritizing trust over call time, she offers a powerful perspective on what it truly means to elevate customer experience.
1. We All Know the Numbers. But Do We Know the Story Behind Them?
In an industry obsessed with call speed and sales volume, how can we truly know if the customer walked away satisfied? What do you look for when you want to know if the job was well done?
It’s about creating a moment where the customer feels heard, understood, and valued. We know satisfaction is achieved when we leave behind more than a closed ticket. We leave behind trust. You hear it in the customer’s tone, you read it in their follow-up feedback, and you feel it in their loyalty. That’s when you know you’re not just working through a list, you’re making an impact. We measure success not just in numbers, but in the stories we help shape.
I look for that spark, when a colleague says, “That made a difference,” or a customer says, “Thank you, I didn’t expect that.” A job well done is not just about ticking boxes; it’s about going beyond expectations. It’s in the confidence of a team that gave their all, in a client who comes back not because they have to, but because they want to. I believe excellence is in the details, in the pride we take in our work, and in the energy we leave behind. If we walk away knowing we pushed for better, inspired trust, and grew even 1%, that’s a job well done.
2. When CSAT and NPS Become More Than Numbers, They Become a Compass
How do you use these metrics not as pressure points, but as tools for growth? Can you share a moment when a low (or high) CSAT score led you to rethink the way you work?
CSAT and NPS aren’t just performance metrics. They’re the customer’s voice, distilled into insight. When we stop seeing them as pressure points and start seeing them as guideposts, that’s when the real growth begins. They tell us where we’re thriving and, more importantly, where we need to evolve.
I remember one instance when a surprisingly low CSAT score came in after what we thought was a textbook-perfect interaction. On paper, everything was “by the book” — quick resolution, friendly tone, issue closed. But the feedback? “I felt rushed. Like I was just another number.” That hit hard. It forced us to slow down, reassess, and ask: are we solving problems, or are we building relationships?
That moment redefined how we approach service. We started coaching around empathy, not just efficiency. We celebrated moments of connection, not just quick calls. And guess what? Not only did CSAT climb, so did team morale. Because when we grow from feedback, everyone wins.
Growth lives in the gap between what we think we delivered and what the customer actually experienced. CSAT and NPS help us close that gap.
3. Would the Customer Want to Speak With Us Again?
That might be the most powerful, and most overlooked, question in support. How do you measure the quality of the experience, not just the length of the call?
That question, “Would they want to speak with us again?” is everything. It cuts through vanity metrics and asks the one thing that really matters. Did we earn their trust? Did we leave them feeling better than when they came to us?
Quality isn’t about call length. It’s about emotional clarity. It’s about whether the customer felt seen, heard, and helped. You can have a five-minute call that changes someone’s entire perception of your brand, or a 30-minute one that leaves them frustrated.
We measure experience quality by listening to what’s said between the lines, in tone, in hesitation, in feedback. We track callbacks for the same issue, but also pay attention to unspoken signals. Did they leave a positive review unprompted? Did they refer a colleague? Did they want to engage again?
One of our biggest internal shifts came when we started measuring “customer confidence,” not just resolution. If the customer walked away saying, “I know what to do next, and I know they’ve got my back,” that’s a win. That’s quality. That’s the kind of support that turns one interaction into a long-term relationship.
4. “Speed Without Trust Is the Wrong Direction”
How does your team balance AHT with empathy so agents don’t sound like they’re chasing a number, but actually care?
We believe that speed is only valuable if it’s rooted in trust. You can close a call in record time, but if the customer walks away feeling like just another task, we’ve missed the point. That’s why our team doesn’t just focus on lowering Average Handle Time (AHT); we focus on raising the quality of connection.
We coach our agents to treat empathy and efficiency as partners, not opposites. It’s not about spending more time, it’s about making every second count. A truly skilled agent can create calm, build trust, and guide a resolution, all while staying mindful of time. That’s mastery.
We empower the team with freedom within a framework: tools, language, and support that help them move swiftly without sounding scripted. We celebrate moments where agents pause to ask one more thoughtful question or take a few extra seconds to reassure a worried customer because those are the moments that build loyalty.
At the end of the day, we’d rather be remembered for how we made someone feel than how fast we ended the call. Because a customer who trusts you will come back, and that’s a metric no clock can measure.
5. When Numbers Are Low, Is It Punishment or a Chance to Grow?
In many companies, poor results trigger alarm bells. In your team, how does negative feedback become a starting point for growth, not a shut-down?
In our team, low numbers aren’t a red flag, they’re a roadmap. We don’t see dips in performance as failures to punish, but as signals to explore. Negative feedback isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning of the next chapter of improvement.
We’ve built a culture where feedback is fuel. When something goes wrong, our first question isn’t “Who’s to blame?” it’s “What can we learn?” That shift creates safety, curiosity, and momentum. Instead of shutdowns, we see breakthroughs. Agents feel empowered to own the outcome, not afraid to face it.
One of our strongest practices is collaborative review. We sit down, not to criticize, but to coach. We ask: What was missing? What could have made this experience feel better for the customer? And most importantly, how do we support you to grow from this?
Low numbers may sound the alarm, but in our culture, they also unlock new potential. Because great teams don’t avoid failure. They build from it. And that’s where real growth lives.
6. Feedback as Support, Not Criticism
What does real feedback look like in your team? What shifts when people know that scores aren’t used to punish, but to help them get better?
Real feedback in our team feels like a conversation, not a confrontation. It’s collaborative, not corrective. We’ve created a space where feedback isn’t something to survive, it’s something to look forward to. It means someone sees your potential and is invested in your growth.
When people know scores aren’t used to punish, everything shifts. Defensiveness turns into curiosity. Silence becomes openness. Performance conversations become growth opportunities, not anxiety triggers.
We frame feedback around development, not judgment. We ask: “What went well? What would you try differently next time?” We focus on behaviors, not personal traits. And we pair feedback with support, whether it’s coaching, resources, or time to improve.
The result is a culture of trust, where people feel safe to experiment, learn, and stretch beyond their comfort zones. That’s when teams level up, not just in skills, but in confidence. Because when feedback feels like a hand up, not a hammer down, people don’t just perform better. They become better. And that’s the kind of growth that lasts.
7. What Does a “Successful Sale” Mean if the Customer Wouldn’t Buy Again?
Sales per hour is a useful metric, but how do you make sure there’s satisfaction behind the numbers, not just volume?
A sale without satisfaction is just noise. It might look good in the moment, but it doesn’t echo into the future. For us, a truly successful sale means the customer would choose us again. Not because they have to, but because they want to.
Yes, sales per hour matters. But it’s only part of the story. Volume gets you through the quarter. Trust gets you through the years.
That’s why we coach our teams to look beyond the transaction and focus on the experience. Did we solve the right problem? Did we recommend with honesty, not just urgency? Did the customer leave feeling confident, not just convinced?
We track post-sale feedback, product returns, and customer lifetime value to measure whether satisfaction follows the sale. We celebrate reps not just for selling more, but for selling smarter, with empathy, integrity, and long-term loyalty in mind.
Because in the end, the most valuable metric is not just what you sold. It’s what inspired you. That’s where customer relationships are built. That’s where businesses grow.
8. Are We Listening Only to What the Customer Says, or Also to What They Don’t?
Tone, pauses, emotions. How do you train your team to pick up on the unspoken? Do you believe soft skills truly drive hard results?
We teach our teams to listen with more than their ears. Listening includes awareness, empathy, and intention. Often, what a customer doesn’t say reveals more than what they do. A pause before answering, a slight change in tone, or a moment of hesitation can be key signals. Recognizing these builds trust.
Soft skills are not optional in our environment. They are essential.
We focus on emotional intelligence, active listening, and the ability to detect frustration or doubt. These skills help agents respond with clarity and confidence. They turn a difficult moment into a relationship-building one.
Our training includes more than product knowledge. We role-play emotional scenarios, teach mirroring and paraphrasing, and encourage agents to slow down just enough to truly understand the situation.
When a customer feels truly understood, not just handled, loyalty follows.
Soft skills absolutely deliver results. They lower churn, raise CSAT, and improve upsell potential. More than that, they make service feel human in a world that increasingly does not. And that’s what customers remember.
9. Can Your Evaluation System Recognize the Human Factor?
In a sea of scripts and dashboards, how do you preserve warmth and flexibility in your customer interactions?
The best service doesn’t sound like a checklist. It feels like a conversation. That’s why our evaluation system goes beyond scripts and KPIs to recognize something harder to measure but impossible to ignore: the human factor. The empathy, the patience, the calm during a tough moment. These are the things that make the difference between a transaction and a relationship.
Yes, we use dashboards and metrics, but we also listen to full conversations. We ask: Did the customer feel heard? Did the agent show flexibility when the situation didn’t fit the script? We build scorecards that reward tone, adaptability, and emotional presence — not just process adherence.
We encourage agents to bring their personality to the interaction. If they know a different way to explain something more clearly, or if a personal touch will make the customer feel more comfortable, we celebrate that. Because authenticity builds trust, and trust drives loyalty.
10. If You Had to Choose, Speed or Impact?
An agent who wraps calls quickly, or one the customer will remember for all the right reasons? Which one makes the real difference in your team, and why?
If we had to choose, we choose impact. Every time. Because while speed gets you through a day, impact builds something that lasts. An agent who’s fast may clear the queue, but an agent who connects? They create loyalty, reduce repeat contacts, and turn one great moment into long-term value.
That doesn’t mean we ignore efficiency. We absolutely respect our customers’ time. But speed without substance is just motion. We want agents who make the customer feel like they weren’t just helped, but cared for, respected, and remembered. That’s what drives word-of-mouth, referrals, and real brand reputation.
The real difference in our team comes from those agents who pause to ask one more question, who explain just a bit more clearly, who make someone’s day a little easier. Those are the calls customers talk about. Those are the moments that matter.So yes, impact wins. Every time. Because in customer experience, being memorable beats being fast.
