One stumbling block to implementing this "bad news first" order is that those on the front line dread delivering bad news and typically push it off until the very last moment. To overcome this hurdle, management should communicate the effectiveness of the new interaction order and train personnel to effectively communicate both good and bad news.

The "bad news first" idea has concrete implications regarding how agents interact with customers. Imagine that Rob, a banking customer service agent, has been speaking with a customer about a recent transaction. The customer called because she was concerned about the transactional accuracy; during the call, she requests a copy of a check faxed to the number on her record within the hour. When Rob sees the customer record, he learns that, in addition to the transaction problem, the customer has an overdraft charge on her account. Rob considers the impact of the overdraft and the improbability that a fax would reach the customer within the hour. He is not looking forward to giving the customer more "bad news." However, Rob has one ace-in-the-hole: the customer has an e-mail address and he can e-mail a copy of the transaction much faster. Rob first tells the customer about the overdraft (including his recommendations about dealing with it) and then suggests e-mail rather than fax as a way the customer can not only receive the information faster, but also have an electronic copy that she can save on her computer. Rob re-orients the interaction so the customer leaves with a better memory of the event. The customer won't completely forget about the "bad news," but she is likely to feel that the pain wasn't all that bad in the end.