Fear of escalation

In any organization of more than two people, there's the opportunity to escalate a problem.

When the software doesn't work, or the customer is in a jam or something's going sideways, you can hand the problem up the chain. Escalation not only brings more horsepower to the problem, but it spreads the word within the organization. And, even better, it keeps you from losing the customer.

Here's the thing: at some point, organizations start training their people not to escalate. They fear staff will cry wolf, or they get tired of pitching in. 

The moment this happens is the moment you begin to give up on your customers.

Either give your front line the power to fix things, on the spot, or encourage them to call for help when it's needed.