7 Cognitive Biases Sabotaging Your Customer Success (+ Fix)

Have you ever made a quick decision without thinking it through?

That's because of cognitive biases.

These are mental shortcuts our brains use to make choices faster.

While helpful, they can also lead you astray.

Here are the top 7 common biases that can impact how you help customers, and the easy ways to overcome them:

1. Are You Seeing Only What You Want to See?

Confirmation Bias

We tend to focus on information that supports what we already believe, ignoring anything that doesn't fit.

Example

You might only pay attention to positive feedback, missing important areas for improvement.

How to fix it

• Ask for feedback from different customers and team members

• Use data to make decisions, not just stories or your gut feelings

👉 Action Step

Set up a monthly or quarterly "Assumption Challenge" meeting where team members present contradictory data or viewpoints. This will help you test your current beliefs about customer needs or product performance.

Dr. Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate and expert on cognitive biases, says:

"Confirmation bias is the most pervasive and the most potentially catastrophic of the cognitive biases."

For more on using data, check out my guide on boosting customer value with growth strategies.

2. Do You Think You Can Predict the Future?

Hindsight Bias

After something happens, we think we could have predicted it easily.

Example

You might feel overconfident about predicting customer behavior based on past events.

How to fix it

• Write down your predictions and compare them to what actually happens

• Look at both successful and unsuccessful projects to understand why things turned out the way they did

👉 Action Step

Start a "Prediction Log" where you document your forecasts for customer outcomes, product adoption rates, or churn risks. Review it monthly to assess accuracy and learn from discrepancies.

Jill Avery, a customer relationship management expert at Harvard Business School, notes:

"Hindsight bias can lead customer success managers to overestimate their ability to predict customer needs and behaviors. This can result in missed opportunities for proactive engagement and support."

Learn more about reviewing outcomes in my ultimate guide to executive business reviews.

3. Are First Impressions Clouding Your Judgment?

Anchoring Bias

We rely too much on the first thing we learn about a situation.

Example

You might focus too much on a customer's first reaction, missing other important feedback.

How to fix it

• Look at many different pieces of information before making decisions

• Try to see information in different ways to avoid getting stuck on first impressions

👉 Action Step

Implement a "Three-Source Rule" for customer insights.

Before making any significant decision about a customer's needs or challenges, gather information from at least three different sources (e.g., usage data, support tickets, direct feedback).

4. Are You Blaming Customers Without Seeing the Whole Picture?

Fundamental Attribution Error

We tend to blame others for their actions without thinking about outside factors that might be affecting them.

Example

You might blame customers for not using a product correctly, without considering if the product is hard to use.

How to fix it

• Create empathy maps to understand what affects customer behavior

• Look at the whole customer journey to spot outside factors that impact their experience

👉 Action Step

Run monthly "Customer Context Sessions" where you deep-dive into a customer's industry, competitive landscape, and internal challenges to better understand their behavior and needs.

Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight and customer success thought leader, said recently:

"The fundamental attribution error can be particularly damaging in customer success. It's key to look beyond surface-level behaviors and understand the broader context of a customer's challenges and goals."

Learn more about building empathy in customer interactions in my article on customer success psychology secrets.

5. Are You Following the Crowd Without Question?

Bandwagon Effect

We tend to do what everyone else is doing, even if it's not the best choice.

Example

You might use a popular strategy just because other companies are using it, without checking if it works for their customers.

How to fix it

• Be careful about popular strategies. They might not fit your specific situation

• Test new ideas on a small scale before using them company-wide.

👉 Action Step

Before adopting any new industry trend or best practice, run a "Strategy Fit Analysis".

Evaluate how well it aligns with your specific customer base, product offering, and company goals.

For more on effective strategies, read my article on preventing churn.

6. Is Fear of Loss Holding You Back from Gains?

Loss Aversion

We worry more about losing things than we get excited about gaining things of equal value.

Example

Your team might avoid making necessary changes because they're afraid of losing customers.

And this, even if the changes could bring in more customers in the long run.

How to fix it

• Think about both the good and bad sides of making changes

• Make small changes over time to manage risk and get feedback

👉 Action Step

Use a "Gain-Loss Balance Sheet" for major decisions.

List potential gains and losses, assigning a value to each. This visual aid can help overcome the tendency to overemphasize potential losses.

7. Do You Think You Know More Than You Actually Do?

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

People with less knowledge or skill in an area often think they're better at it than they really are.

Example

When joining a new company, you might be overconfident, missing opportunities to learn and improve.

How to fix it

• Keep learning and growing your skills

• Ask for feedback from coworkers to spot areas where you can improve

👉 Action Step

Implement a "Knowledge Gap Audit" every quarter.

Rate your expertise in key areas on a scale of 1-10, then ask a mentor or senior colleague to do the same for you. Discuss discrepancies and create a learning plan to address gaps.

Dr. David Dunning, one of the researchers who identified this effect, advised:

"It’s key to maintain a learning mindset. Recognize that there's always more to learn about your customers, your product, and your industry."

For more on leveraging psychology in Customer Success, read my piece on 7 psychological principles for customer success.

And That’s It

• Understanding these biases is key for customer success professionals.

• Being aware of them helps you make better decisions for your customers

• This leads to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and business results.

The goal is not to get rid of biases—that's impossible.

Instead, recognize when they might be affecting you and take steps to make sure you're still making the best choices for your customers.

To help you put these insights into practice, I've created an exclusive Cognitive Bias Checklist for Customer Success Professionals.

This practical tool will help you:

• Quickly identify potential biases in your decision-making process

• Implement strategies to overcome these biases in real-time

• Improve your customer interactions and strategic planning

🔒 Access the Cognitive Bias Checklist and More Premium Insights

Upgrade to Premium now to get:

• Instant access to the Cognitive Bias Checklist

• 3 additional dangerous biases sabotaging Customer Success

• In-depth strategies to overcome these biases

Don't miss this opportunity to take your customer success skills to the next level!

For more insights on excelling in your customer success role, check out my ultimate guide for customer success managers.

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