Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of February 9, 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.

There’s No Point in Great CX if It Doesn’t Create Revenue by Claire Cunningham

(CX Network) Customer experience is increasingly establishing itself as a priority across most organizations. Or at least organizations are adding a CX function in name. Executives talk about customer centricity. Teams invest in new CX tools. Dashboards track satisfaction scores in real time. We’re seeing the actions and the words of bigger and more prominent CX priorities.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about why CX is important. Of course, it is, and there’s plenty of data to prove it. The title of this article is intriguing, and as you read through it, you’ll find the main point is making customer satisfaction a growth engine. In other words, customer experience isn’t about creating happy customers. It’s about creating happy customers who come back and spend more.

When Customer Listening Becomes a Shield, Not a Strategy by Sean Albertson

(CMSWire) Most organizations can prove they listened. Far fewer can show what changed when trade-offs got real.

My Comment: I’ve written many times in the past that customer satisfaction surveys or VOC (Voice of the Customer) programs mean nothing if you don’t take action on the information you receive. The author makes an important statement at the top of the article: “Most organizations can prove they listened. Far fewer can show what changed…”

How Discounting Hurts Long-Term Loyalty and Profits by Elery Pfeffer

(Fast Company) What’s often missing from the conversation is the role of experience-led value. Loyalty isn’t built through price alone—it’s built through moments that make a customer feel recognized, appreciated, and confident they made the right choice. When brands compete only on discounts, they sacrifice those moments in favor of short-term volume.

My Comment: When customers keep coming back to you because you offer low – or even the lowest – prices, realize this: Your customers aren’t loyal to you. They are loyal to your price. That means you are vulnerable to the next big sale your competition offers. (In my annual customer experience research, there is plenty of proof that CX trumps price for almost six out of ten customers.) This excellent article makes that point and more. If you want loyalty, you must think beyond that transaction that might be influenced by price.

How to Improve Call Center Customer Service by Amanda Downie and Molly Hayes

(IBM) Today, consumer expectations are at an all-time high and organizations across the globe are transforming their business processes with automation and artificial intelligence. In this environment, thoughtful attention toward the call center customer experience is essential for continued survival and growth.

My Comment: IBM has published an excellent article for contact center leaders. The opportunity customer service agents have to retain and grow customers for their company is incredible, but too often these people are seen as nothing more than complaint and issue resolvers. An interesting finding quoted in the article from Zendesk research is that 83% of consumers believe that the experience should be far better than it is today.

Brands up Loyalty Spend as ROI, Data and Retention Soar by Decision Marketing

(Decision Marketing) Loyalty programmes are now the driving force behind most marketing strategies, with brand owners ploughing more than half of their total budgets (51.5%) into loyalty and CRM, driven by rising returns, stronger customer engagement, and a growing focus on long-term retention over short-term customer acquisition.

My Comment: We wrap up this week’s roundup with an article filled with findings from Antavo’s Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026, which surveyed 3,000 marketers and 10,000 consumers to understand consumer loyalty. This is an invaluable resource for anyone currently running or considering loyalty programs.

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.