Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of January 26, 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.

Verizon Customer Chief Talks Retail Customer Experience: It’s All About Personalization by Judy Mottl

(Retail Customer Experience) Brian Higgins, chief customer experience officer at Verizon, offers insight on Verizon’s CX strategy and what makes for a rewarding, compelling customer experience.

My Comment: We kick this week’s Top Five roundup off with advice from the CXO of one of the most recognizable brands, Verizon. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Higgins several times. The title sums up the gist of the article. There’s power in personalization. What makes a great customer experience? Personalization and making the customer feel good whenever the engage with you (online, in person, on the phone, etc.) Whenever you can learn from a leader of an iconic brand, jump on it!

3 Things That Will Set Your Customer Service Team Up for Success by Brad Birnbaum

(Fast Company) To make the holiday shopping experience the best it can be for customers year after year, businesses must ensure they set their customer service teams up for success.

My Comment: Of course there are more than three things that will set your customer service apart from others, but these three are a good start for just about any company. The author shares more detail about these three excellent strategies/tactics: 1) Proactive Outreach, 2) Immediate Response, and 3) Personalized Experiences.

Why You Need a Chief Experience Officer — the Right One by Eric Karofsky

(CMSWire) Most corporations take on customer experience with outdated thinking and approaches, relegating CX to junior employees and mistaking superficial cultural statements for genuine strategic transformation.

My Comment: Do you have a Chief Experience Officer (CXO) in your organization? Here, you’ll find compelling reasons to hire or assign someone to that role. This article takes a deeper dive into the reasons a CXO is essential to any organization. “The Gist,” as it is referred to in the article, is that CXOs help align initiatives throughout the company, companies led by a CXO see stronger customer loyalty and profitability, and the CXO helps eliminate departmental barriers and help implement the right CX technologies and solutions.

Consumers Crave More Than Discounts From Loyalty Programs by John Pedini

(Forrester) Most global consumers belong to at least one loyalty program, including 90% of online adults in the US, in Europe-5 (88%), and in Australia (93%). According to Forrester’s Consumer Benchmark Survey, 2024, 54% of US online adults agree that loyalty programs influence what they buy, and 64% agree that programs influence where they make purchases. Most agree that loyalty programs make them feel more connected to the brand.

My Comment: This short article will take less than two minutes to read, but it has a powerful message: A customer loyalty program should be more than a discount program. For example, rewarding a customer with a free sandwich after they buy nine sandwiches is the same as a 10% discount. That’s a nice perk, but customers want more, and the good people at Forrester share a few ideas and insights that will help you get the most from your loyalty program.

Are Your CX Metrics Hurting Your Customer Experience? by Raj Sivasubramanian

(MarTech) Metrics are a polarizing topic in customer experience. There are ongoing discussions about which CX metric is the best. Net Promoter Score (NPS) remains one of the most widely adopted metrics. However, it faces growing criticism, prompting many organizations to favor alternatives like Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) or Customer Effort Score (CES). Each year, a new metric emerges, championed by analysts or consultants claiming it solves the limitations of its predecessors.

My Comment: I’m a big fan of CX metrics like NPS, CSAT, etc. In the past few years, articles have come out against some of the ways companies and brands measure their customer satisfaction levels. My response to these comments is simple: Use the metrics the right way, and they make sense. This article examines how using these powerful indicators the wrong way can negatively impact employees and 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.