Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of November 4, 2024

Each week, I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comments about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

Creating Great Customer Experiences Starts With Employees by Matthew McGuire

(CMSWire) Empowered, well-supported employees deliver better customer experiences. See how aligning employee experience with smart tech improves CX outcomes.

My Comment: I’ve always said a great customer experience (CX) starts with a great employee experience (EX). In this article, the focus on creating a better EX is by using technology. When you give employees good tech to work with – that makes it easier and more efficient for them to do their job – it shouldn’t be surprising that it makes them happy. So, the next time you’re thinking about technology that you’ll use to make the customer experience better, think about how you might do the same for your employees.

Stay Interviews: The Key to Retaining Top Talent Before It’s Too Late by Alex Bitca

(Retently) When you’re sitting down for an exit interview, it’s usually too late to change someone’s mind about leaving. These interviews can tell you why someone decided to leave, but wouldn’t it be great if you could catch those issues early on? That’s where stay interviews can help. They’re a proactive way to check in and sort things out while there’s still time to make a difference.

My Comment: Since we’ve opened the Top Five with an article about the EX, let’s stay in the employee lane with an article that will help you understand why employees stay (or might leave). The topic of this very robust article is on the “Stay Interview.” Rather than wait until the employee is leaving to get feedback in an exit interview, why not be proactive and have an interview that can help you understand what makes employees happy (or not).

Operationalize by Zeisler Consulting

(Zeisler Consulting) If you’re wondering what CX really is, leave it to a marketer of course to put it succinctly and easily: CX is all about operationalizing your Brand Promise.

My Comment: Here’s an interesting article about the link between CX and marketing. The author writes in a very conversational style that, while entertaining, makes some great points. Marketing is about the brand promise. CX is about keeping that promise, hence the closing line of the article: CX is all about operationalizing your Brand Promise.

Most consumers like human customer service by Retail Customer Experience

(Retail Customer Experience) Three-quarters of consumers, 75%, prefer talking to a human when it comes to customer service, according to a Five9 study on how consumers perceive AI and evolving customer experience.

My Comment: Our annual CX research (sponsored by RingCentral) found that if a customer has a choice between picking up the phone to call customer support or a digital customer service experience, 70% would rather use the phone. This short article is filled with stats and findings that reinforce this finding. Keep in mind that as AI and digital support improve, the numbers will change.

Seven loyalty program types: Pick the perfect fit by Marcus Marius

(Dynamic Business) Did you know that companies that invest in loyalty programs report up to a 40% increase in revenue? The concept of customer loyalty is nothing new, and its benefits have been proven time and again – yet so many businesses struggle to actually capitalize on them.

My Comment: I’ve written many articles about loyalty programs. I love this one because it breaks down the different types of loyalty programs, which include points, perks, cashback, punch cards, and more. If you have been thinking about a loyalty program, this is a good place to start.

BONUS

HPU Welcomes Shep Hyken as Customer Experience Expert in Residence by High Point University

(High Point University) High Point University’s all-star lineup of global leaders in the Access to Innovators Program continues to expand with the addition of Shep Hyken, a world-renowned customer service and customer experience expert, award-winning keynote speaker and bestselling author. He will mentor students as HPU’s Customer Experience Expert in Residence.

My Comment: Last week, I spent the day at High Point University, the premier life skills university. I met with staff and students for an amazing day of training and conversation. I’m proud to share an article they recently published that shares more about the program and the opportunity HPU students have to get to meet and learn from amazing people who are at the top of their fields!

Leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences by KPMG

(KPMG) KPMG professionals have been scoring brands for overall Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) for 15 years. Based on our experience and the latest findings based on 86,073 customer interviews, 881,815 brand evaluations of 2,970 brands across 23 countries, we explore leading organizations are implementing AI to enhance customer experiences today – and how they plan to use AI to reach new heights tomorrow.

My Comment: KPMG has released a special report titled “2024-25 Global Customer Experience Excellence.” You’ll have to share your email address to get it, but it’s an excellent report and worth it. You can read the press release here.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.