Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of December 22, 2025

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 Predictions, 12 Months Later: What Analysts Got Right and What’s Next for 2026 by Gal Rimon

(The Future of Work) Last year, my team asked a group of leading CX analysts to look ahead in our 12 Days of CX Predictions series. This year, we invited them back to share what they got right, what they missed, and what they see coming next.

My Comment: This is the time of year when experts (including me) publish their annual CX trends and predictions. We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article that summarizes predictions from nine CX experts from last year, asks what they got right and wrong, and then what they predict for 2026. It’s fun to read, and there are plenty of ideas to consider.

The 12 Brand, Marketing and Experience Trends Set to Define 2026 by Lippincott

(Lippincott) While Vox dubbed the summer of 2025 the “summer of nothing” and Vogue labeled it “the summer of no trends,” we beg to differ. 2025, summer and all, stands out as a year of seismic change.

My Comment: As long as we’re on the topic of trends and predictions, here’s an interesting article on marketing, branding, and design trends. Some of these ideas may fall outside of the typical customer experience predictions we’ve been reading about. I found myself thinking, “Hmm, that’s interesting.”

The Customer Funnel Is Gone, and Trust Is the New Moat by Angela Vega

(MarTech) As AI accelerates decisions, brands endure by investing in the human layers of experience that technology can’t generate.

My Comment: For those who worry that AI and technology are going to replace humans, this article will make you feel better. Brands recognize that the human-to-human experience is as important as ever, especially when it comes to building trust. AI has its place and is a strong CX and productivity tool, but as the article points out: “We don’t trust AI the way we trust people.”

Wasn’t NPS Supposed to Be All But Gone This Year? by Scott Clark

(CMSWire) The question for CX leaders isn’t whether Net Promoter Score (NPS) is alive, but why it’s still alive, how it’s being used and what its persistence says about the state of customer experience measurement. With dissatisfaction rising sharply across North America and teams under pressure to understand customers at a deeper level, the gap between predictions and practice is worth examining.

My Comment: If you follow me, you know I’m a fan of NPS (Net Promoter Score) as a valid metric for customer satisfaction. Over the past few years, there have been many “detractors” who claim NPS is no longer valid. This article cites a 2021 Gartner prediction that more than 75% of organizations will discontinue using NPS by 2025. Well, NPS is still here. When used properly, it is a relevant and important metric, especially when combined with other metrics that provide additional insights. This article includes some interesting commentary about one of the most popular and important ways to measure CX.

What High-Growth Companies Understand about Customer Experience by Sabrina Baker

(AZ Big Media) High-growth companies rarely treat customer experience as an afterthought. Instead, they view it as one of the most critical engines of long-term expansion. From how they use technology to the way they anticipate customer needs, these organizations invest heavily in delivering experiences that feel effortless, personalized, and memorable. Their approach is rarely accidental. It is strategic, data-driven, and deeply rooted in understanding human behavior.

My Comment: We wrap up this week’s Top Five with a reminder that the CX basics are still as important as ever. I’ll also mention that you can swap out the words in the title from “high-growth companies” to “successful companies,” and all the strategies and tactics apply.

BONUS

Is This the First AI Christmas? by Kristin Burnham

(Freshworks) I always enjoy working with FreshWorks, in this article includes a number of my thoughts and ideas related to AI in the best way to take care of customers.

My Comment: I always enjoy working with FreshWorks, in this article includes a number of my thoughts and ideas related to AI in the best way to take care of 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.