Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of March 17, 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.

The Customer Experience Gen Z Expects From Every Brand by Keith Farley

(CMSWire) While Gen Z does not yet have the buying power they are poised to gain, their expectations and preferences are already having an impact on brands.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five Roundup with an article about Gen Z and their CX expectations. My annual customer service and CX research shows a big difference in what younger generations (versus older) expect from the companies and brands they do business with. This article summarizes some of those main preferences: simplicity, personalization, and empathy.

Keeping it Authentic: Why Being Real Wins Every Time by Bizcommunity.com

(Bizcommunity.com) Did you know that 86% of consumers say authenticity is a key factor when deciding which brands they like and support? In a world filled with perfectly curated content and filtered realities, authenticity has become more than just a buzzword – it’s a necessity.

My Comment: Our “mantra” at my company is “Be Amazing or Go Home.” We want to be amazing for our clients and help them be amazing for their customers (clients, patients, members, etc.). After reading this article, the first thing I thought was that maybe a good mantra for any brand might be to swap out the word “amazing” for “authentic.” In other words, “Be Real (or Authentic)…” What customer wants to do business with a company or brand that is not authentic? This short article shares the benefits and examples of what it takes to be authentic.

20 Innovative Lessons from Simplyhealth’s Contact Centre by Megan Jones

(Call Centre Helper) Here are just some of the top lessons we learnt from Simplyhealth on how to engage your workforce and scale your contact centre operations.

My Comment: Simplyhealth runs a contact center that supports more than 2.5 customers. Using AI to support both agents and customers/patients, they share 20 of the strategies and tactics they use to take advantage of technology, empower employees, and create happy customers.

Gross Bathroom? It Can Cost Your Customer Experience by Kristen Doerer

(Restaurant Dive) Dirty restrooms, out-of-stock paper towels and stalls with gaps can flush away an otherwise positive customer experience and send sales down the toilet.

My Comment: I call this “The Bathroom Experience.” While this article focuses on how a dirty restroom can impact the customer experience at restaurants, “The Bathroom Experience” is a metaphor for how details count. I love how the article mentions that a dirty restroom can “send sales down the toilet.” The point is, when you don’t pay attention to the detail of the bathrooms your customers are using, what other details do your customers wonder are being missed or mismanaged?

From Taylor Swift to KFC: The Power of Experience Economics by Justin Racine

(CMSWire) Why is it that when consumers go on vacations, they have no issue shelling out dollars to buy dinners, rounds of golf, spa visits, and anything else their hearts desire? And yet, when they’re not on vacation, they watch every penny with distinctive scrutiny and observation.

My Comment: Yes, another article that uses Taylor Swift as a case study. However, this article mixes the iconic musical artist with KFC. How do these “brands” get customers to spend money on them? The one-word answer is: experience. The author includes several other ideas and case studies. So, take a few minutes to learn about the power of Experience Economics.

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.