Time to Smile is both a moment and a way of getting there. The moment: a customer gets what they came for, and feels it. The way: earning it, every time, without needing heroes.
The time belongs to the customer. It starts when they set out to accomplish something, often before the organization knows they’re trying, and ends when they get there. That moment might bring relief, confidence or delight.
The time matters. So does what the customer had to do along the way, what it took from the people delivering the outcome, and whether the organization learned enough to do better next time.
A company can deliver everything it promised, and the customer can get what they came for. Getting there may still have taken far more effort from the customer and the people serving them than it should have. The company sees the result. It may never see what it took.
Much of that work happens between teams. Someone knows whom to call, which rule to question, or how to bring the pieces together when the usual way of working runs out. Those are the heroes. Their judgment may be exactly what the customer needs, but the same problems shouldn’t require another rescue tomorrow.
Earning the smile without needing heroes means learning from what it took. Sometimes that means one team taking on more work so the customer and others have far less to do. Sometimes it means changing what the organization does in the first place. Either way, what people learn needs to reach the decisions that shape the next experience.
The smile belongs to the customer. How we earn it tells us what kind of organization we’re building.
Phil Verghis
First published November 2017. Revised October 2026.
Putting Time to Smile to work
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If you need a clearer view of the working conditions behind your results, the ServiceDNA™ Diagnostic helps identify where to investigate first. For the ways we can work together, from a first conversation to an advisory relationship, see Work with Phil.