Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of March 31, 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.

Survey Shuffle to AI Shuffle: Medallia Wants to Reshape the CX Deck by Dom Nicastro

(CMSWire) “It starts with hiring right to begin with,” Hyken said. “Bad hires equal high churn, which is frustrating and expensive. Good people must then be properly trained and empowered to take care of customers. Finally, employees must be given the right tools they need to take care of customers. If you’re investing in a good CX, it must be supported with a good CX.”

My Comment: The Medallia Experience 2025 conference was just in Las Vegas last week. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Medallia’s contributions to the CX landscape, particularly in the area of CX measurement. Surveys are still a way to get feedback, but AI can do much more as it analyzes all areas of the experience – and not only gives us the numbers but also makes suggestions to improve the experience, eliminate friction, and much more.

How Consumer Feedback Shapes Customer Experience by Jessica Aleman

(FocusGroups.org) Today’s competitive business landscape highlights customer experience as a crucial differentiator across industries. Companies that excel at creating positive and memorable experiences often enjoy higher customer loyalty, increased sales, and a stronger brand reputation. However, truly enhancing the customer service experience requires businesses to remain attuned to their customers’ desires, feelings, and areas for improvement. This is where consumer feedback proves invaluable.

My Comment: And speaking of CX metrics and feedback, here’s an excellent article about consumer feedback. The benefit to getting the feedback allows you to understand customers’ expectations, improve products/services, identify friction, and more. I’ll emphasize that feedback is a gift, but it means nothing if the company doesn’t take appropriate action on the feedback.

Understanding Luxury Customer Experience and Its Essential Elements by Vertu

(Vertu) Luxury customer experience is more than regular customer service. It creates special and unforgettable moments. It makes you feel important with personal attention and custom offers. For example, 89% OF LUXURY BUYERS THINK SERVICE QUALITY MATTERS AS MUCH AS THE PRODUCT. This shows how important great experiences are in this market.

My Comment: This is a comprehensive article about understanding the luxury experience. And if you don’t consider your products and services to be in the “luxury category,” you should still read the article. There are plenty of ideas that can be applied to almost any type of business. I always suggest looking outside of your industry to get ideas on how to be more competitive within your industry.

Accenture Claims “Customer Service Is on the Brink” by Rhys Fisher

(CX Today) As AI and automation reshape customer interactions, businesses that embrace these innovations will be best positioned to build lasting relationships and drive loyalty in an increasingly competitive landscape.

My Comment: This article may be taking the opposite side by claiming customer service on the brink. I won’t argue with the findings, such as 87 % of customers admitted that they were likely to avoid a company after just one bad experience. Or, that almost two-thirds of respondents stated that they had been frustrated or annoyed with at least one recent bad experience. All that means is that we understand what our customers want, and now that we have the information, we must use it to create the experience that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

New Survey Reveals Price Hikes Won’t Break Customer Loyalty. But There’s a Catch. by CXM Editorial

(Customer Experience Magazine) A new global study by UserTesting reveals that brand loyalty does not suffer the consequences of price hikes. On the contrary, customers seem willing to pay more to stay loyal to their favourite brands.

My Comment: Prices are increasing, whether due to inflation or tariffs. How are customers reacting? This brief article presents a positive perspective on the concern of how customers will react to higher prices. The majority of customers will remain loyal to you despite price increases, but you must provide a compelling reason, such as excellent customer service and experience, for them to return.

BONUS

Using Customer Feedback to Improve Agent Performance by Megan Jones

(Call Centre Helper) How well do you use available customer feedback to improve agent performance? Whether it’s positive or negative, directly linking agents to what customers are saying can help to make sure everyone is pulling in the same direction.

My Comment: Our friends at Call Centre Helper have compiled another group of ideas from some of the more notable customer service and CX experts around the world. This time, the topic is using customer feedback to improve contact center agent performance.

25 Best Customer Service Podcasts by Feedspot

(Feedspot) Looking for Customer Service podcasters to listen to or for your outreach campaign to promote your brand or product? Our Customer Service podcasters list is what you need.

My Comment: If you enjoy podcasts – and specifically the topics of customer service and CX – then you are going to love this article which lists the top 25 podcasts on these topics. I’m honored to be part of this list. So, start listening and learning!

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.