50+ Inspiring Customer Service Quotes for Your Team

Esther Khachina
BoldDesk
Published in
11 min readJun 14, 2024

Customer service isn’t just a department, it’s the very foundation upon which successful businesses are built.

The power of good customer service can never be underestimated-it has the ability to turn customers into loyal fans, transform complaints into compliments, and turn everyday transactions into memorable experiences.

CGS reports that the percentage of customers who are willing to spend extra for excellent service has risen by 6% since 2019, with 30% now prepared to pay a premium for exceptional service.

Customer service is a field where words often carry as much weight as actions and the right words can make all the difference.

Words can calm frustration, build loyalty, and shape the nature of your brand identity. But where can we find the right words to guide our actions and inspire our teams?

In this blog we will look at various customer service quotes from famous leaders and entrepreneurs.

What are customer service quotes?

Customer service quotes are expressions, statements, or phrases that summarize the principles, importance, and philosophy of delivering exceptional customer service.

They remind us that customer service is not just a process, it’s a human experience. It’s about building trust, exceeding customer expectations, and leaving a lasting positive impression.

Whether you’re an experienced customer service professional seeking a new perspective, or a leader looking to empower your team, these great customer service quotes:

  • Offer valuable guidance.
  • Can be a source of motivation, reminding us of the impact we have on others.
  • Serve as a source of reflection, encouraging us to examine our own practices and identify areas for improvement.
  • Can be inspirational and highlight the power we hold to create positive change through the simple act of excellent service.

Let us explore the wisdom these customer service quotes offer, the lessons they teach, and the inspiration they provide.

Let these words be your guide, and your fuel as you set out on the journey to deliver service that truly shines.

Inspirational customer service quotes for the support team

Have you ever felt the temptation to give up while tirelessly pursuing a goal?

Chances are, you’ve experienced those moments when almost giving up, searching for an inspiration-perhaps from someone’s encouraging words or a powerful quote-to motive you.

Here are inspirational customer service quotes to keep your team going on such days.

  1. “Life is for service.” — From a plaque at Rollins College that inspired Fred Rogers, American television host, author, and producer.
  2. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou author, poet, and civil rights activist
  3. “Service, in short, is not what you do, but who you are. It’s a way of living that you need to bring to everything you do if you’re to bring it to your customer interactions.” — Betsy Sanders, author of Fabled Service: Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Outcomes.
  4. “To earn the respect (and eventually love) of your customers, you first have to respect those customers. That is why Golden Rule behavior is embraced by most of the winning companies.” — Colleen Barrett, President Emerita of Southwest Airlines
  5. “It is not your customer’s job to remember you, it is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don’t have the chance to forget you.” — Patricia Fripp, professional speaker
  6. “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.” — Ray Kroc, former CEO of McDonald’s
  7. “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” — Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker and writer
  8. “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’” — Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker
  9. “If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.” — Jim Rohn, author and motivational speaker
  10. “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” — Mother Teresa, Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity.

Customer service motivational quotes for managers

Discover the wisdom of the most successful entrepreneurs from history up to date and apply their insights to provide exceptional customer experiences.

11. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates founder and CEO of Microsoft.

12. “Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to fix things when they go wrong.” — Donald Porter, former VP of British Airways.

13. “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” — Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX.

14. “How you think about your customer influences how you respond to them.” — Marilyn Suttle, customer service expert and CEO of Suttle Enterprises.

15. “Good customer service is about understanding your client’s needs and then exceeding them.” — Cory Cabral, CEO and president of Proactive Access

16. “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” — Marian Wright Edelman, Founder Children’s Defense Fund

17. “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.” — Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

18. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder Apple.

19. “We asked ourselves what we wanted this company to stand for. We didn’t want to just sell shoes. I wasn’t even into shoes-but I was passionate about customer service.” — Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos.

20. “When the customer comes first, the customer will last.” — Bob Half, founder of Robert Half International

Funny customer service quotes to entertain you support team

Providing customer service can be an emotional journey with many highs and lows.

But within the chaos, there’s laughter to be found, and that’s where these funny customer service quotes come in.

21. “If you don’t care, your customer never will.” — Marlene Blaszczyk, motivational specialist.

22. “The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.” — Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

23. “Rule 1: The customer is always right. Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, read Rule 1.” — Stew Leonard, founder of Stew Leonard’s.

24. “If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.” — Jan Carlzon, Swedish businessman.

25. “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” — Henry Ford, founder Ford Motor Company.

26. “If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.” — Bob Hooey, author, coach, and speaker.

27. “Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will.” — Kate Zabriskie, President of Business Training Works, Inc.

28. “Say and do something positive that will help the situation; it doesn’t take any brains to complain.” — Robert A. Cook, Christian author, radio broadcaster, and pastor.

29. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain — and most fools do.” — Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer.

30. “A smile is a curve that sets things straight.” — Phyllis Diller, American comedian and actress.

31. “It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.

32. “I’m not sure what’s more impressive: the size of your order or the confusion surrounding it.” — Anonymous (likely a customer service hero).

Customer loyalty quotes to keep customers coming back

Providing exceptional customer service is essential for any business that wants to thrive and retain a loyal customer base.

A positive customer service experience can turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong client. Here are some inspirational customer loyalty quotes.

33. “You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day-by-day”- Jeffery Gitomer, author

34. “It takes months to find a customer … seconds to lose one.”- Vince Lombardi, former American football player, coach, and NFL executive.

35. “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.”– Michael LeBoeuf, author.

36. “Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to make them feel valued, heard, and understood. The more you can do this, the more likely they are to come back or recommend your business to others.”- Sarah Walters, marketing manager at The Whit Group

37. “Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you-they insist that their friends do business with you.”- Chip Bell, author and keynote speaker.

38. “All lasting business is built on friendship.”- Alfred A. Montapert, author.

39. “Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings and they’ll always come back for more.”- Leon Leonwood Bean, L.L. Bean founder.

40. “Satisfaction is a rating. Loyalty is a brand.”– Shep Hyken, Journalist

41. “Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.”- Kevin Stirtz, author.

Additional customer service quotes to boost your team

One way to inspire and motivate your support team is by using impactful customer service quotes. Here are some bonus quotes that can boost your customer support team.

42. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” — Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist.

43. “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” — Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club.

44. “Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” — Damon Richards, customer care expert.

45. “It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.” — Henry Ford, founder Ford Motor Company.

46. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi, lawyer, activist, writer, and politician.

47. “The customer’s perception is your reality.” — Kate Zabriskie, President of Business Training Works, Inc.

48. “Customers want good service, but they also want to feel valued.” — Anonymous

49. “Approach each customer with the idea of helping [them] to solve a problem or achieve a goal, not [just] selling a product or service.” — Brian Tracy, author and public speaker.

50. “To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” — Don Alden Adams, President, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

51. “The more you engage with customers, the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing.” — John Russell, Vice President and Managing Director, Harley Davidson Europe

52. “Customer service is about making the customer feel like they made the right choice in choosing you.” — Anonymous

53. “Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it.” — Peter Drucker, Austrian-American consultant and educator.

54. “Make a customer, not a sale.” — Katherine Barchetti, author and former owner of K. Barchetti Shops.

55. “Good customer service costs less than bad customer service.” — Sally Gronow, Head of customer service at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.

56. “Inside of every problem lies an opportunity.” — Robert Kiyosaki, Author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

57. “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close, in fact, that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.

58. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” — Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

59. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” Robert Collier, author.

Why use customer service quotes?

Why quotes? Because they’re more than just words. They’re important rules or guiding principles.

These customer service quotes are reminders that kindness, communication, and problem-solving are the instruments that build lasting customer relationships.

They aren’t just for display; they’re tools we can use, sayings we can repeat, and lights to help us through tough times in customer service. They can empower you to:

  • Motivate your team: Use these customer service quotes to build a passion for service in your team. Remind team members of the impact they make and the value they bring.
  • Inspire yourself: When doubt arises or challenges increase, lean on these powerful words to inspire your own commitment to providing excellent customer service.
  • Connect with customers: Share these customer service quotes with your customers. Show them that you understand their concerns and value their presence. You might be surprised at the customer connections you build through these shared words.

These customer service quotes often reflect key topics such as empathy, communication, satisfaction, and the overall customer journey.

They serve as reminders of the important role that customer service plays in building relationships, ensuring loyalty, and adding to the success of a business.

Customer service quotes are not only used to inspire and guide customer support professionals, but they are also shared widely to strengthen the importance of customer-centric values in an organization.

They express the principle that exceptional customer service is not just a department but a mindset that should cover every aspect of a business.

How and where to use customer service quotes effectively

Good customer service is the pillar of any successful business. It not only ensures customer satisfaction, but it also encourages a positive reputation and encourages repeat business.

Here’s how to use customer service quotes effectively.

  • Post them on your desk or workspace: Position them where they are easily seen and allow them to be a constant source of inspiration and guidance.
  • Share them with your team: Start a conversation or debate and learn from each other’s interpretations.
  • Use them to provoke thoughts: After a challenging interaction, revisit a relevant quote and see if it offers a new perspective.
  • Use them in training: Include these customer service quotes in training materials to inspire new hires and remind knowledgeable employees of the values and attitudes that contribute to good customer service.
  • Share them with customers: Use customer service quotes in email signatures or on your website to communicate your promise to provide quality service to your clients.

Use customer service quotes to inspire and motivate your team

By including these quotes into the customer service approach, individuals and organizations can strengthen their dedication to delivering outstanding experiences. This builds a positive reputation in the marketplace.

Explore the capabilities of BoldDesk, an advanced help-desk solution meant to address all your customer service challenges. Feel free to arrange a 30-minute live demo for an actual feel of the system.

Furthermore, start your journey with a 15-day free trial, exploring the features of BoldDesk that align with your company’s requirements. For more details and guidance on starting your BoldDesk experience, reach out to the BoldDesk support team.

Remember, words have the power to transform interactions, build trust, and create customers who are not just satisfied, but truly happy.

We hope you enjoyed browsing through our selection of good customer service quotes. Which customer service quote did you find interesting? Kindly leave your opinions and feedback in the comments section.

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Originally published at https://www.bolddesk.com on June 14, 2024.

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Esther Khachina
BoldDesk
Writer for

Esther Khachina is BoldDesk's technical writer who enjoys creating, reviewing and editing software documentation, to deliver great content for all readers.