Reducing service friction in customer support

In my work as a Nearshore BPO Specialist at The Customer Experience Lab, I’ve learned that most organizations don’t struggle with customer support because they lack effort or intent. They struggle because friction hides in plain sight. It sits between systems, policies, and people, quietly slowing everything down.

When friction accumulates, customers feel it immediately. Conversations become repetitive, resolution takes longer, and trust erodes. What many leaders miss is that this friction doesn’t just damage satisfaction scores actively limits business growth.

Reducing service friction is not about polishing scripts or adding more channels. It’s about understanding how customers and agents experience the operation in real time, especially at scale.

Why Service Friction Becomes a Barrier to Business Growth

Growth magnifies inefficiencies. What feels manageable at low volume becomes costly once interactions scale across markets, time zones, and customer segments.

I’ve seen support teams hit revenue targets while quietly accumulating friction through unclear ownership, disconnected tools, and rigid escalation paths. At first, performance metrics hold steady. Then churn increases, repeat contacts spike, and frontline burnout follows.

Business growth depends on momentum. Friction breaks that momentum by turning simple interactions into effort-heavy experiences, both for customers and for the teams supporting them.

Understanding Where Friction Actually Lives in Customer Support

Friction rarely comes from one obvious failure. More often, it emerges from the interaction between processes that were designed in isolation.

Common friction points I encounter include:

• Customers repeating information across channels
• Agents switching between multiple systems mid-call
• Policies that prioritise compliance over resolution
• KPIs that reward speed at the expense of clarity

Each of these adds cognitive load. Over time, that load reduces confidence and slows decision-making, directly impacting business growth through higher operational cost and lower loyalty.

Reducing Friction by Redesigning the Agent Experience

One of the fastest ways to reduce customer friction is to remove it from the agent experience first. Agents can only deliver smooth interactions when their own workflows are coherent.

In complex verticals like those supported by an automotive call center, agents must handle emotional urgency, technical detail, and brand accountability simultaneously. Any internal friction shows up immediately in the customer experience.

I’ve seen dramatic improvements when organisations simplify decision paths, reduce system hopping, and provide contextual guidance instead of static scripts.

The Link Between Emotional Effort and Business Growth

Customers don’t measure friction the same way operations teams do. They feel it emotionally. Confusion, repetition, and uncertainty all increase perceived effort, even when resolution is achieved.

Research from Harvard Business Review on customer effort confirms that reducing customer effort is a stronger predictor of loyalty than delight. Lower emotional effort translates into higher retention, which is one of the most reliable drivers of business growth.

When support interactions feel easy and coherent, customers stay longer, buy more, and recommend the brand more often.

Nearshore Support and the Hidden Cost of Misalignment

Nearshore delivery plays a critical role in scaling customer support efficiently. However, friction increases rapidly when nearshore teams are not fully aligned with business context.

I’ve worked with US-facing operations where agents had excellent language skills but lacked clarity on customer intent, brand tone, or escalation authority. The result wasn’t failure; it was hesitation.

That hesitation creates pauses, unnecessary transfers, and overly cautious responses. Reducing friction in nearshore environments means investing in context, not just training.

Technology Reduces Friction Only When Properly Orchestrated

Technology is often positioned as the solution to friction, but poorly integrated tools can make the problem worse. Multiple CRMs, disconnected knowledge bases, and conflicting dashboards slow agents down.

McKinsey’s research on customer experience transformation highlights that technology only delivers value when it supports human decision-making rather than replacing it.

From my experience, friction decreases when tools are designed around the flow of a conversation, not around internal reporting structures. This alignment supports business growth by improving both efficiency and experience quality.

Governance That Enables Speed Instead of Blocking It

Governance is often blamed for friction, but the real issue is how governance is implemented. Clear boundaries empower agents; vague rules paralyse them.

High-performing support teams define what must be escalated and what can be resolved autonomously. This clarity reduces delays and improves first-contact resolution, which directly supports business growth by lowering cost-to-serve.

When agents understand the intent behind policies, they apply judgement with confidence rather than fear.

Measuring Friction Beyond Traditional KPIs

Traditional metrics like AHT and SLA compliance don’t capture friction effectively. In fact, they often hide it.

I advise organisations to monitor:

• Repeat contact drivers
• Escalation reasoning, not just volume
• Sentiment shifts during conversations
• Agent confidence indicators

These signals reveal where friction slows growth long before revenue is affected. Reducing friction proactively protects business growth by stabilising experience as volume increases.

Leadership’s Role in Friction Reduction

Leadership behaviour determines whether friction is addressed or tolerated. When leaders reward learning and transparency, teams surface friction early. When blame dominates, friction becomes invisible until it’s too late.

In fast-growing environments, leaders who actively listen to frontline feedback gain a strategic advantage. They remove obstacles before they scale, protecting both experience and business growth.

Why Reducing Friction Creates Competitive Advantage

Reducing service friction is not just an operational improvement; it’s a market differentiator. Customers compare experiences, not processes.

Organisations that consistently make support feel effortless stand out in crowded markets. Over time, this ease becomes part of the brand promise, reinforcing business growth through loyalty and advocacy.

If you’re evaluating how friction in your support model might be limiting growth, I regularly share in-depth perspectives at The Customer Experience Lab. You’ll find practical insights on nearshore delivery, service design, and how to align customer support with sustainable business growth.

Growth doesn’t have to come with complexity. When friction is intentionally designed out of customer support, scale becomes manageable rather than risky.

Visit The Customer Experience Lab to explore proven approaches to reducing service friction and enabling long-term business growth.

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