Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of February 23, 2026

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.

How Companies Turn Loyalty Into Billion-Dollar Data Assets by Wes Chaar

(Entrepreneur) A look at the hidden tradeoffs behind loyalty-driven growth — and how to avoid inheriting risks you didn’t design for.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about loyalty programs. My position is that loyalty programs don’t drive loyalty. They drive repeat business. And there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when you combine it with an experience that can lead to true loyalty. But the gist of this article veers away from the obvious and emphasizes an important byproduct: the data you get from members of your loyalty program. Understanding your customers’ buying patterns and behaviors is an opportunity to improve CX.

5 Real Examples Show How Customer Communities Improve CX and Drive Revenue by Sophie Wilson

(CX Today) Customer communities are no longer passive forums. In 2026, they function as measurable CX infrastructure – reducing support costs, strengthening retention, accelerating feedback loops, and scaling advocacy.

My Comment: The idea of a customer community to support a brand is not new. I wrote about it more than ten years ago in The Amazement Revolution, in a chapter titled “Build Community,” where I featured Apple as a case study. Apple not only has happy customers, but they also have happy customers who want to help other Apple customers. The result is a forum where customers share a problem, and rather than an Apple employee sharing a solution, customers share solutions. That’s advocacy, and that’s what this article is all about.

Modern Contact Centers Revolutionize Customer Service by Calvin Hennick

(BizTech Magazine) Companies have been moving their phone systems to the cloud for years. But with the recent addition of AI features, these tools are better equipped than ever to help businesses ensure call quality and improve customer satisfaction. Max Ball, principal analyst at Forrester, notes that businesses are increasingly using AI in the contact center to summarize interactions, analyze calls for sentiment and topic, assess quality, and assist agents by providing suggested answers and action steps.

My Comment: This article features three mini-case studies on how companies (two sports franchises and one law firm) are using modern communications systems, with features fueled by AI, to drive a better experience. Maybe one of these stories will give you an idea on how you can create a better customer and employee experience with your phone and communications experiences.

Five “Musts” for Building Employee Engagement by Brad Cleveland

(ICMI) Research consistently shows that organizations with highly engaged employees outperform others. Financial performance is stronger, quality improves, customer loyalty increases, and these organizations lead in employee retention.

My Comment: If you’ve been following me, you know my mantra about EX (employee experience): What’s happening on the inside of an organization is felt on the outside by customers. That’s why I love this article, which focuses on employee engagement. Engaged employees care more about the company and its customers.

AI in Customer Service: Not the Cost-Saver You Think by Tristan Fincken

(CIO Online) The fear that AI will replace human jobs is a major concern for many employees worldwide. One reason often given for job displacement via AI is the perception that use of artificial intelligence to perform a role will be more cost-effective. This assumption is having an impact on various industries, as large US tech companies in particular cut large numbers of jobs, citing the advancements of AI and automation.

My Comment: For those who think AI will eliminate humans from the contact center, this article, featuring commentary from Gartner, offers the other side. The cost of using AI for customer support will increase, and this article explains why. Furthermore, upcoming legislation will require companies to offer customers a choice between self-service and traditional live support. (It’s already happening in California.)

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.