A customer emailed me with an unusual problem.

My first instinct was to help him quickly and move on. But I paused and wondered if this could be an iceberg.

Icebergs are hidden customer service issues that cost you time, money, and customers. It's something customer service leaders don't talk about enough.

In this article, I'll explain the iceberg concept, share an example, and give you some practical steps find icebergs in your own organization.

What is a customer service iceberg?

A customer service iceberg is an issue that seems small on the surface, but is really a much bigger issue.

Icebergs can be hard to identify. You might only receive a complaint or two. In other cases, the problem seems easy to fix but reoccurs without you noticing.

This makes iceberg-hunting a critical skill in any customer-focused organization.

What do customer service icebergs look like?

Icebergs are typically issues that are unusual or hard to explain.

For example, a Customer Service Tip of the Week subscriber emailed me because he was having trouble subscribing.

The specific problem he described was something I hadn't seen before. Here's a video walk-through:

Icebergs can sometimes hide huge problems.

One customer service leader found a few errant lines of code created a billing problem that cost the company $50,000 per year.

A customer experience leader discovered confusing instructions were causing over $1 million worth of products to be returned every year just because customers couldn't figure out how to use them!

Yikes!

How can you find and fix icebergs?

Three steps can help you identify and fix icebergs before they get too big.

Step 1: Avoid Assumptions

It's tempting for customer service reps to focus on solving the issue for the customer they are assisting. You might assume the issue is now done.

Assumptions like that help icebergs avoid detection.

I know I was tempted to help the Customer Service Tip of the Week subscriber get subscribed and then move on to something else. The unusual nature of the problem made me pause and look closer.

Stay vigilant for unusual or unexplained issues. Look out for problems that theoretically can't happen, but somehow happen anyway.

Step 2: Root Cause It!

Search for the root cause of unusual or unexplained problems.

I'd never seen someone encounter a broken link in the confirmation email for my newsletter. It took some digging to find the problem came from a seldom-used form on my website.

Fixing the link took a couple of minutes.

I also discovered this wasn't an isolated incident. My newsletter data told me at least 24 other people had encountered the same problem. They just hadn't told me about it!

Step 3: Get Proactive

It's time to spring into service mode once you find and solve the root cause of the issue.

I helped my Customer Service Tip of the Week subscriber get squared away, and then made sure the other 24 people affected were subscribed as well.

You can't fix every iceberg. Some issues are outside of your control. When that happens, put a process in place to quickly help customers who encounter the problem.

My first book had a printing problem that caused the pages to fall out. The publisher reprinted the book, but many copies had already been distributed to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book sellers. This process was completely out of my control, but I still needed a proactive service plan to help customers who bought a defective book.