Charlotte Purvis, consultant, author, and founder of Charlotte Purvis, spent 25 years doing the part most trainers skip. She listened.
Before writing a single lesson, she analyzed nearly every word her clients used when speaking with customers. Thousands of calls gave her a close look at the small moments that shape a customer’s experience, from a greeting that fell flat to an apology that sounded rehearsed or a closing line that left the customer unsure of what came next. Repeated across an industry, these moments can shape how customers judge a company.
Out of that listening came the 3-F Formula: Friendly tone + Formal words + Focused conversation. These three parts are short enough to hold in mind during a live call, an email, or a chat window and give teams a clear structure.
Why the 3-F Formula Works Where Scripts Fail
Most customer service training begins with theory. The 3-F Formula began with evidence. Charlotte Purvis built it in reverse, starting from what service professionals were already saying and then organizing the language that worked.
The three parts balance each other. Friendly tone keeps the interaction human, Formal words keep it professional, and Focused conversation moves it toward a resolution. When one is missing, the conversation can feel off. An agent can be friendly but still take too long to get to the point, while someone who focuses only on being precise can come across as cold. Using all three helps teams stay consistent while still letting each agent sound like themselves.
That balance matters more as service spreads across channels, since phone, chat, email, and in-person contact carry tone differently while demanding the same standard. The formula gives professionals a consistent approach they can use across different types of customer interactions. Her view of where service starts has held steady for two decades: “Customer service doesn’t begin with the greeting. Customer service begins with the leadership.”
What Charlotte Purvis Offers Clients
The company has four services, each based on the same formula and designed for a different need:
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The Customer Communication Formula Online Course: Self-paced training for individuals and teams, used during onboarding, upskilling, or a shift in service approach.
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CCCP Certification: The Certified Customer Communication Practitioner credential, accredited by CSIA and open only to those who complete the online course.
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The Textbook: Available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook, rated 4.8 out of 5.0, with ordering options inside and outside the United States.
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Speaking and Events: Interactive sessions on the 3-F Formula, team culture and leadership, hospitality training for churches and non-profits, and Customer Service Week programs each October.
Many clients go on to use more than one of her resources. A leader may start with the book, roll the course out to a team, then invite Charlotte Purvis to speak at a service week celebration the following year.
Samantha Argosino, CCCP, of Harness Coaching, described the course as striking “the perfect balance between accessibility and impact,” pointing to how the curriculum breaks down complex communication ideas into lessons a working professional can finish and apply the same week.
The Clients Behind the Formula
Charlotte Purvis has served more than 100 organizations across more than 15 industries, training thousands of students and audience members. The clearest measure of the work is repeat business. Clients return for additional services and refer others, and referrals account for much of her growth.
Her 2026 work includes a partnership with the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, North Carolina, where she supports communication, leadership, and organizational success with the staff and Board.
The demand behind all of this is steady. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects roughly 289,500 customer service openings a year, nearly all of them replacing people who move into other work, which makes communication training a recurring need rather than a one-time fix.
Vision for the Future
Access is the next stage. Charlotte Purvis has also introduced new courses for professionals, organizations, and communities beyond her original client base. A formula developed through years of work in North Carolina call centers can be applied just as easily at a hotel front desk in Lagos or a help desk in Manila, because the problem it solves is the same everywhere. The wording changes; the structure does not.
She has also begun applying the structure to AI. After more than 20 years of coaching people, a client asked her to train a chatbot using the standard she set for the human team, which suggests where consistency will matter next. Leaders looking at the bigger picture will see the link between service quality and results in these smart business practices that improve productivity and profitability.
“I enjoy watching clients develop new communication skills, gain more confidence, and exceed the expectations of the customers,” Charlotte Purvis says. That has been the measure since the beginning.
Connect with Charlotte Purvis on LinkedIn to explore how the 3-F Formula can strengthen team communication, and take the first step toward more consistent, confident customer interactions.