Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of February 24, 2025

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.

B2B Customer Service: 5 Proven Strategies to Drive Success by Foundever

(Foundever) What sets leading B2B (business-to-business) brands apart? A commitment to customer service that goes beyond transactions to deliver real, long-term value. Successful B2B companies view their customers as partners. So how can you develop a CX that creates long-term relationships that encourage your clients to expand their spending and stop looking at your competitors?

My Comment: So much of what is written about customer service and CX is focused on consumers (B2C companies). I’ve mentioned many times that while B2C is different than B2B, many of the customer service and CX strategies apply to both. So, let’s open this week’s Top Five roundup emphasizing B2B service and experience. As you read it, you may think, “Hmm, this could work for B2C, too!”

Why Do Customers Love Certain Brands? by Dan Gingiss

(Dan Gingiss) Why do customers love certain brands but not others? Is brand love random, based on the latest viral video? Or is it strategic, based on an intentional focus on customer engagement?

My Comment: Valentine’s Day was just over a week ago. My friend and fellow CX expert, Dan Gingiss, wrote this article for his weekly blog, which summarizes why customers love certain brands. Dan’s background is with Discover Card, and he had a customer write about how they loved the Discover Card. Dan thought, “I get that people love Disney or Lego or Starbucks, but a credit card?” He discovered (no pun intended) that when a company has a fanatical focus on customer service and CX, customers might fall in love with the brand. Dan also shares comments about a new report titled Love Brands: The Most Loved Brands in the U.S. from Hootsuite and Talkwalker.

Responsive Customer Service Is Brands’ Secret to Success by LBB Editorial

(LBBonline – Little Black Book) Layla Revis, Sprout Social’s vice president of social, content and brand marketing, tells LBB why brands need customer service presence on social media to stay competitive in 2025 and the brands already succeeding in the space.

My Comment: Have you ever reached out to a brand on social media for help/support or to just comment? If you have, you’re one of a small percentage of people who use social media to communicate with a company or brand. Our customer service and experience research found that social media was the least used communication channel, but for those customers who use it, the right response from a company is imperative. Layla Revis, Sprout Social’s vice president of social, content, and brand marketing, was interviewed and shared why brands need a customer service presence on social media to be competitive.

Connection is Currency by David Lee

(Direct Selling News) In a digital landscape that constantly evolves, businesses aiming to forge deeper connections with customers must embrace new trends and approaches. Today’s consumers expect brands to create personalized, meaningful experiences that acknowledge their unique preferences and values.

My Comment: Connection in this article is all about the relationship you have with your customers. This short article has tips on how to build that deeper connection with your customers—even in the digital world we live in. The two areas he covers are personalization and loyalty. As customers spend more time online and less time interacting with a company’s employees/staff, building a deeper connection is the only way to ensure your customers come back to you and not the competitor.

Customer Service Trends as We Know Them Are Dead: Five AI-Driven Changes by Declan Ivory

(G2) Forget everything you thought you knew about customer service. AI has changed the game entirely, and the strategies that worked yesterday may already be outdated.

My Comment: We wrap up this week’s Top Five roundup with some tips and trends around AI. I agree with most of the author’s points. Tip Two is about the economics and how AI can reduce overhead (as in headcount). While AI can replace some human functions, it can’t replace all. Just tread carefully around this one. And I love that the author mentioned how customers are changing their minds about AI. Our most recent research (due out in March) shows that many more customers are accepting and appreciating how AI improves their experience.

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.