What Jobs Are Your Customers Really Hiring You For?
Let's take a real example: A customer calls about a failed payment on their business software subscription. The surface-level job might seem obvious - fix the payment issue. But dig deeper, and you'll find they're actually hiring your service agent to:
- Prevent business disruption (their team needs the software to work tomorrow)
- Avoid embarrassment (they don't want their boss to know there's a payment issue)
- Get peace of mind (they need to know this won't happen again)
A traditional agent might simply process the payment and move on. A JTBD-trained agent would:
- Prioritize restoring access immediately while processing the payment
- Proactively confirm no service interruption will occur
- Explain what caused the issue and how to prevent it
- Send a follow-up email documenting everything for their records
Let's break down each component of the Jobs to be Done framework in a more practical way.
Customer Need/Problem (Trigger):
- Example: "I need to capture and share memories of my child's first birthday"
- This is what prompts the customer to seek a solution
Job Dimensions:
Functional Aspects
- The practical task that needs to be done
- Example: Take high-quality photos, store them securely, easily share with family
- Key question: "What is the measurable outcome the customer needs?"
Emotional Aspects
- How the customer wants to feel after completing the job
- Example: Feel like a good parent, feel organized, feel connected to family
- Key question: "What emotional state are they trying to achieve?"
Social Aspects
- How they want to be perceived by others
- Example: Being seen as a caring parent, tech-savvy, organized
- Key question: "How does this job affect their social status or relationships?"
Solution Design: Product/Service Features:
- Tangible capabilities that address functional needs
- Example: High-res camera, cloud storage, sharing capabilities
- Must directly map to job requirements
- How the solution delivers emotional and social benefits
- Example: Intuitive interface, beautiful presentation, seamless sharing
- Should make the job completion feel effortless
Job Completion:
- The successful achievement of all aspects
- Example: Photos taken, stored, and shared; memories preserved; family connected
Success Metrics:
- Measurable indicators of job success
- Example: Number of photos taken, sharing frequency, family engagement
- Should cover functional, emotional, and social outcomes
Three Real-World Applications
Example 1: E-commerce Returns
Traditional Approach: Agent focuses on processing the return and refund.
JTBD Approach: Agent recognizes the customer's actual jobs:
- Finding the right size/fit (primary job)
- Avoiding wasted time with wrong items
- Maintaining their budget
Solution: The agent doesn't just process the return - they:
- Cross-reference previous successful purchases for size guidance
- Offer to place a new order immediately with expedited shipping
- Place the return label in the same email as the new order confirmation
Example 2: Software Technical Support
Traditional Approach: Agent troubleshoots the technical issue.
JTBD Approach: Agent understands the customer's jobs:
- Meeting a project deadline
- Maintaining professional reputation
- Avoiding lost work
Solution: The agent:
- Provides an immediate workaround while fixing the root cause
- Sends documentation they can share with their team
- Sets up automatic backups to prevent future issues
Example 3: Insurance Sales
Traditional Approach: Agent explains policy features and quotes prices.
JTBD Approach: Agent identifies the key jobs:
- Protecting family's future
- Simplifying a complex decision
- Feeling confident about the choice
Solution: The agent:
- Uses storytelling with relevant examples
- Creates a simple comparison chart
- Provides a "decision guide" document to share with family
How to Implement This Approach
Map Current Customer Jobs
Start with your last 100 customer interactions. For each, ask:
- What triggered this contact?
- What was the customer trying to achieve?
- What would "perfect" success look like to them?
Train Your Agents
Create scenario cards for common situations:
Scenario: Late Delivery Complaint
Surface Job: Track package
Real Jobs:
- Meet gift-giving deadline
- Maintain family relationships
Avoid embarrassment
Action Plan:
- Immediate status update
2. Alternative delivery options
3. Digital gift card backup
Measure Real Success
Instead of just tracking resolution times and CSAT, measure:
- Did the customer achieve their actual goal?
- Did they need to contact us again about the same job?
- Were they able to move forward with their original plan?
Quick Implementation Checklist
✓ Record customer conversations and identify repeated phrases that indicate underlying jobs ✓ Create job statement templates: "When I _____, I want to _____, so I can _____" ✓ Build a job library for your most common customer scenarios ✓ Train agents to ask revealing questions: "What are you hoping to accomplish today?" ✓ Update your quality assurance forms to score job completion, not just task completion
The Bottom Line
Understanding and applying JTBD doesn't require a massive overhaul of your service operations. Start small: Pick your top three customer contact reasons and map out the real jobs behind them.
Train a pilot group of agents on this new approach. Measure the results. You'll likely find that agents who understand the true jobs their customers are hiring them for deliver better outcomes with higher satisfaction.
Remember: Customers don't want to contact support - they want to achieve something. Build your service around those achievements, and you'll transform your customer experience.