Customer reception: checking the first interpretation
An enquiry often begins with a few words to which the professional quickly assigns a meaning. The managerial question is specific: how can we prevent this first interpretation from determining the rest of the interaction without ever being checked?
What the literature establishes
John M. Darley and Paget H. Gross (1983, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) studied how information about a child's socioeconomic background could influence assessments of her academic ability. When participants also observed an ambiguous performance, their judgements aligned with the expectation created by that initial information. The finding indicates that additional observation does not necessarily correct a first impression: it may be interpreted through it.
When the hypothesis shapes the questions
Mark Snyder and William B. Swann (1978, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) showed that participants asked to test a hypothesis about another person's personality favoured questions likely to confirm it. The mechanism therefore concerns the selection of information, not just its interpretation. In customer reception, assuming a user error rather than a service failure at the outset could similarly shape the entire line of questioning; this application remains a hypothesis to examine in practice.
The premature conclusion
One might conclude that first impressions should be discarded or that every enquiry should be assessed again from scratch. These studies do not support that conclusion: they do not compare the effectiveness of different customer reception procedures. The issue is instead to treat the first interpretation as a revisable hypothesis, rather than an established diagnosis. (our executive and employee training programmes)
What the evidence does not establish
These experiments concern academic assessments and experimental interactions, not Swiss administrative counters or customer service departments. They establish neither how frequently this mechanism occurs in Berne nor whether training can reduce it. A mechanically recited checking phrase would also be insufficient if the customer's answer could no longer change the proposed next step.
A practical check in Berne
As part of SHR's « Accueil client » programme, a team in Berne could test a check before directing an enquiry: “My understanding is that you would like…, is that right, or does anything need correcting?” In federal administration, public health, telecommunications or precision industry, an anonymised log would distinguish the initial interpretation, its confirmation or correction by the person concerned, and the next step selected, without retaining sensitive content. Over a period defined in advance, the team would calculate the proportion of interactions checked and, among those corrected, the proportion leading to a change in the next step: a measure of whether corrections are acted upon, not proof of increased satisfaction. To go further: explore the Client Reception training in Bern, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.
In pictures: Client Reception in Bern
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