How Asking ‘Why’ Five Times Saved Swiggy’s Customer Satisfaction (and Could Save Yours Too)

-

Improving CSAT at Swiggy — The Power of the 5 Whys

A couple of winters ago our CS dashboards at Swiggy started flashing red.
Complaints were climbing. CSAT was sliding. Everyone was working harder… yet customers were angrier.

We tried the obvious fixes — hired more agents, rewrote scripts, launched new features. Nothing stuck.
So we paused, took a breath, and asked one deceptively simple question: “Why?”

If you’ve ever watched your metrics nosedive despite heroic efforts, you’re not alone.

But we didn’t stop at one “why.”
We asked it five times, peeling back layer after layer:

  • Why were customers unhappy? Orders were delayed.

  • Why were orders delayed? Restaurant prep times were mismatched.

  • Why were prep times mismatched? Our system was using outdated averages.

  • Why were averages outdated? No one owned the data feed.

  • Why did no one own it? We’d never assigned accountability during the last org redesign.

By the fifth “why” the real culprit surfaced — a simple ownership gap costing thousands of unhappy customers a day.
We fixed it. Six weeks later, CSAT had climbed 11%.

A handful of well-placed “whys” can expose the invisible leaks draining your customer experience.

Try the 5 Whys This Week

  1. Pick one stubborn metric (CSAT, NPS, churn).

  2. Gather your frontline team.

  3. Ask “Why?” five times in a row, jotting each answer on a whiteboard.

  4. Don’t settle for the obvious — look for ownership gaps, processes, or incentives.

  5. Commit to fixing the root cause first.

Great CX leaders aren’t firefighters — they’re detectives.

Next time your numbers slip, resist the urge to add dashboards, scripts, or discounts. Ask “why” — again and again.

What’s one problem in your CX world that’s been nagging you for months? Try the 5 Whys and tell me what you uncover — comment below or tag me on LinkedIn. I may feature the most interesting stories in a future post.

Why It Works

In ops and CX, it’s tempting to patch symptoms instead of solving what’s really wrong underneath. That’s exactly why the 5 Whys technique — originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda at Toyota — is so powerful.

How it works:

  • Identify the problem clearly

  • Ask “Why?” it occurred

  • Use each answer as the basis for the next “Why?”

  • Repeat until you uncover the root cause

  • Fix the root, not just the symptom

This simple discipline prevents recurring issues, saves resources, and boosts both efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custx: Redefining How D2C Brands Grow

-
  The D2C world is evolving — fast. Customers today don’t just buy products. They buy beliefs , values , and experiences . They want brands that speak their language, understand their intent, and make them feel seen. Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations deeply rooted in customer experience and operational excellence. Through that journey, one thing became clear: Growth isn’t just about scaling faster — it’s about connecting deeper. That realization became the foundation for my next chapter — and the birth of Custx . The Idea Behind Custx Custx was born out of countless conversations with founders, marketers, and CX leaders trying to solve one common challenge: “How do we build lasting relationships with our customers — not just transactions?” The answer isn’t simple. But it starts with understanding. Too many brands have incredible products but fragmented experiences. They collect data, but lack insight. They automate communicat...
Read more

📘Why I Pursued the Leadership in AI Program from ISB

-
Image
In my 20+ years of leading operations, customer experience, and transformation across FinTech, FoodTech, and EdTech sectors, I’ve seen how technology has consistently shifted the frontier of what’s possible — from scaling support teams to automating collections and redesigning customer journeys. But in the past few years, one shift became undeniable: AI isn’t just a tool. It’s becoming the operating system for tomorrow’s business models. That’s why I decided to pursue the Leadership in AI program from the Indian School of Business (ISB). Here’s what drove that decision — and how it’s reshaping how I lead. 1. The World Was Changing Faster Than My Playbook At Simpl and Swiggy, I had built and scaled operations, implemented AI tools like voice audit platforms and chatbots, and driven measurable impact. But I knew I was often deploying AI as a user — not shaping it as a strategic designer. To lead in the next decade, I needed to deeply understand: Where AI truly delivers value What quest...
Read more

The Story of Nilay Sule" – A Masterclass in Experience

-
The Story of Nilay Sule" – A Masterclass in Experience "I've always believed that my career is not just a series of roles, but a story of building, scaling, and transforming customer experiences. Let me take you on that journey." Chapter 1 – The Beginning: Foundations of Service Excellence Back in 2003, I stepped into the world of operations at Sutherland Global as a young man, eager to understand the art of customer service at scale. Those were formative years where I learned to orchestrate complex operations across NAM, APAC, and EMEA. I introduced update-dissemination processes that streamlined communication across regions, and I'm particularly proud of improving first-contact resolution by 28%. That experience taught me something fundamental that would guide my entire career: every customer interaction has the potential to either build or break trust. It was there that I began my lifelong mission of making every customer interaction count. Chapter 2 – C...
Read more