Every week, I read dozens of articles on customer service and customer experience from a wide range of sources. Below are my top five picks from last week, along with my takeaways. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. CX Basics Still Win: The Timeless Playbook for Customer Experience Leaders by Ross Kernez (CMSWire) […]
Every week, I read dozens of articles on customer service and customer experience from a wide range of sources. Below are my top five picks from last week, along with my takeaways. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.
(CMSWire) Inside the eight CX fundamentals that still matter — even as AI reshapes the customer journey.
My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about the basics. Not every one of these “basics” apply to every company, but no doubt everyone wants a personalized experience, wants to be heard, and wants an easy/convenient experience. That’s three of the eight ideas shared in this article.
(CX Dive) Consumers are more willing to splurge on superior experiences when they feel optional or deliver enjoyment, KPMG found.
My Comment: My customer service and experience research study found that six out of ten (59%) of customers are willing to pay more for better service. I put a “premium experience” in this category. This article dives into the type of customer who’s willing to pay more. Here’s a general statistic quoted in the article: “Consumers under the age of 35 are willing to pay more for premium experiences compared to their older peers” (KPMG).
(Shopify) Removing pain points for customers encourages a first-time purchase and keeps people coming back. Learn how it’s done.
My Comment: A frictionless customer experience is so important that I wrote an entire book on the topic (The Convenience Revolution), and that’s exactly what this article is about. In short, this article begins with the definition of a frictionless customer experience and offers a short but comprehensive overview of how to deliver the experience that customers love and appreciate.
(Loyalty 360) Customer loyalty is undergoing a generational transformation. Younger consumers (especially Gen Z) approach loyalty programs with sharper expectations, heightened financial awareness, and a greater demand for authenticity and immediacy. They are not simply reacting to offers and rewards; they are actively evaluating whether each interaction feels fair, relevant, and aligned with their values and lifestyle.
My Comment: I’m always intrigued by articles about younger consumers’ (Gen Z) buying habits. This article gets into their expectations, which are, according to this offer, quite different from older customers. If a GenZ or younger Millennial is your typical customer, you will want to give this a read.
(Netguru) Loyalty programs are delivering solid returns for businesses willing to invest in them properly. 90% of program owners report positive ROI, with the globalloyalty management marketexpected to grow from $13.31 billion to $93.79 billion by 2025—a 15.9% annual growth rate.
My Comment: When a customer engages in a loyalty program, great things happen. So, how do we get customers to do so when they’re often members of so many loyalty programs that they can’t keep track of them? This article offers compelling findings from studies that will help you make informed decisions about whether a loyalty program is right for your company and its customers.
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.
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