What Problem Are You Trying to Fix?

I’ve lost count of how many boardrooms I’ve sat in where the “solution” gets announced before anyone can explain the problem.

“We need a chatbot.”
“Let’s outsource.”
“Bring in a new platform.”
“Can we roll out AI?”

All interesting ideas. But my question is always the same: what problem are we actually trying to fix? And more often than not, that’s when the room goes quiet.

The Trap of Shiny Solutions

It’s easy to fall for the shiny thing. New tech. A new role. A restructure.They all look like progress. But if you haven’t pinned down the root cause, the impact it’s having, and what “better” really means - then the shiny thing just becomes another layer of complexity.

You can’t fix broken processes with a bot.
You can’t rebuild trust with a new SLA.
You can’t cover capacity gaps with a reorg.

If you don’t solve the real problem, you’re just moving symptoms around.

Why This Matters

I’ve seen it play out too many times.

A contact centre rolls out self-serve, but the bugs customers call about are still unresolved.
A CX team redesigns journeys, but the policies behind them never change.
A business spends millions on new tech, but because the processes underneath are broken, nothing lands.

Fast forward six months:

• Customers are still frustrated.
• Volumes haven’t dropped.
• Teams are exhausted.

And leadership is wondering why nothing’s changed.

Start With the Problem

Before you implement anything, pause. Ask:

• What exactly isn’t working?
• Where’s the friction coming from - process, policy, tech, training?
• What does the data actually say?
• How is this hurting customers and the business?
• What’s already been tried?

That clarity doesn’t slow you down. It gets you to the right answer faster.

Fix the Right Thing

Here’s a red flag: when a business launches a chatbot to “reduce contact” but never addresses why customers are contacting in the first place.
All that does is spread frustration across more channels. It’s not better service. It’s just louder pain.

Final Thought

You don’t need more tech, or more change for the sake of change. You need to get clear on the problem.

When you fix the right thing:

• Your teams feel it.
• Your customers feel it.
• And your numbers prove it.

So next time someone says, “Let’s implement X,” stop.
Ask: What problem are we trying to fix?
And make sure you’re solving the one that actually matters.

Struggling to pin down the real issue in your customer service?
At The Customer Practice, we help businesses cut through the noise, find the root cause, and design solutions that actually stick.

Let’s talk

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