When Customer Communication Becomes Customer Friction

Today, a train company emailed me with an invitation to register.

That was nice of them – surely?

Except it wasn’t. I was already “registered” with them – terminology I don’t even recognise and which feels awkward and alien – because they’re a company I’ve used before.

It turns out they’ve updated their website and app, which they explain in a passive voice: “Our website and app have been updated to make booking tickets a quicker and smoother process.”

This removes their agency. It’s not “we’ve updated our website” – it’s something that has been done to them. The motivation for this demand sounds self-congratulatory – they’re telling me it’s quicker and smoother, rather than asking whether I find it easier.

But the kicker is being told – not asked – to re-register.

“This means that to continue using your account, you’ll need to register a new password.”

This is wrong on multiple levels:

• It requires effort from the customer.

• It assumes the company is so essential that the customer has no choice.

• It lacks context – I’m being asked to interrupt my day to complete a task that offers me no immediate value, because I’m not planning to use the service any time soon.

• It signals incompetence. The request is framed as a by-product of system change, rather than a proactive measure to keep me safe (“It’s been a while since you updated your password…”).

• There’s no reward for the effort they’re asking me to expend. No free coffee. No small discount. Nothing.

• There’s not even a simple “thank you for your business” or “we look forward to welcoming you back.” The tone is cold and transactional.

Worse, if you’ve previously installed the app, you now need to visit the app store, download the new version and then reset your password and log in.

This is a case study in mindless customer communication – no thought given to tone, timing or reducing customer effort. And customer effort is friction. Friction is a barrier to future revenue.

The cumulative effect? I don’t want to use this company again.

Telcos – and many other sectors – should learn from this. It’s rarely about what you’re asking a customer to do. It’s about how you ask and when you ask.

Bad communication is expensive.
Good communication is priceless.

Every interaction is either building loyalty – or quietly eroding it

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