Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of March 2, 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.

Customer Loyalty Isn’t Dead, but It’s More Stuck Than Ever by Phil Rubin

(The Wise Marketer™) Brand trust is eroding. Loyalty currencies and rewards —especially in travel but now even at Starbucks —have only declined in value, destroying trust. The result, according to PWC: 77% of consumers are retracting loyalty more quickly than three years ago.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about customer loyalty. There’s an intriguing stat/finding from a PWC research report: 90% of executives believe customers are more loyal to their company than they actually are, and only 40% agree. That’s a significant gap that can’t be ignored. This article is a wake-up call to remind us that, regardless of how good we think we are (or how loyal we think our customers are), it is their perception that is our reality, not ours.

From Trial to Repeat: How Consumer Insights Help Growing Brands Build Loyalty by Katelyn Bertsos

(Circana) Loyalty is becoming harder to earn and easier to lose and understanding what drives shoppers from first purchase to repeat is essential for brands looking to build long term, sustainable growth.

My Comment: As long as we’re on the topic of loyalty, if the first article in this week’s roundup gave us the “wake-up call” to be concerned about loyalty, this article backs it up with additional proof, along with some ideas on how to keep customers coming back. The short answer is “precision and consistency.” When customers like the experience and can count on it every time, they return.

Our Favorite Management Tips on Building Trust on Your Team by Harvard Business Review Editorial Staff

(Harvard Business Review) Our Management Tip of the Day continues to be one of HBR’s most popular newsletters. In this article, we’ve compiled 10 of our favorite tips on building trust on your team, from how to handle tough leadership decisions to how to focus on psychological safety when implementing AI.

My Comment: We’ll veer away from the customer experience and move into the employee experience. This article is filled with tips on how to build trust with employees. Just like customers, if employees don’t trust the company and their leadership, you risk losing them. And if they do stay, what’s the likelihood that you’ll get their best efforts and engagement if they don’t trust you? There are at least 50 tips shared in this excellent article.

Social Care Is the Weakest Link in Modern Customer Experience by Brooke Sellas

(CMSWire) Social is public, permanent and immediate. If it’s not operationalized as service, it becomes visible indifference.

My Comment: Social care is about customers using a social channel to message a company about a problem, rather than more popular channels like phone, email, or online chat. Our customer service and CX research shows that social media is the least preferred channel for customers to reach out for help, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. This article provides some background on social care, includes strategies, and emphasizes that there could be a cost to ignoring the channel.

AI Isn’t Replacing that Many Jobs — Yet by Kristen Doerer

(CX Dive) Companies that laid off workers for AI didn’t do so because the technology was so successful, but to move resources to invest in the technology.

My Comment: Last week, I shared an article that included Gartner’s comments about AI not taking away as many jobs as people thought or are predicting. This is a follow-up to that article and presents more information showing that the elimination of jobs isn’t always due to AI replacing humans. In short, the data shared shows that in 2025, approximately 893,000 employees were laid off for reasons other than AI (economic conditions, store closings, restructuring, and DOGE layoffs), compared with 55,000 attributed to AI.

BONUS

I’m Surprisingly Good at Dealing With Customer Service Reps—Here’s How I Get Results Without Being Rude by Lisa Milbrand

(Real Simple) Use the simplest path for getting what you want. So in easy cases—like getting a refund for a product you want to return within the proper time frame—you can usually clear it up fastest by using a company’s online chatbot.

My Comment: I’m including this “bonus” article for those that want to have a better experience when calling a company for customer support. The author breaks down her strategy for getting what she wants, ranging from being kind to what you need to be prepared before making the call. This is a great reminder that could help you get your next complaint or problem resolved quickly and to your satisfaction.

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.