Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of October 7, 2024

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.

7 Ways to Boost Customers’ Emotional Connection and Loyalty with Your Brand by Annette Franz

(MarTech) Loyalty. What’s emotion got to do with it? That emotional connection to a brand is extremely important to customer loyalty. It’s often been thought to be a key driver of loyalty. It goes beyond a product’s or service’s functional benefits and taps into customers’ feelings, values and identity.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article on customer loyalty. I’ve preached that there is no customer loyalty without some level of emotional connection. Transactions must become interactions that are part of a bigger and longer relationship. Here are seven ideas to create emotional connections. You won’t disagree with any of them. The question is, are you doing any – or even all – of them?

What All World-Class Customer Experience Brands Have in Common by John DiJulius

(The DiJulius Group) Most companies have multiple statements—a mission, purpose, and core values. The problem with having numerous statements is that employees can’t keep track of them or remember them. The one statement that all world-class customer experience organizations have in common is they all have a customer experience action statement that they make sure every one of their team members knows and understands it in detail.

My Comment: My friend and fellow CX expert, John DiJulius, is one of my favorite people to follow. His recent article about a customer experience action statement is important for every organization to read. If you don’t have an action statement (what I refer to as a customer service/CX mantra), then it’s time to create one. John defines the action statement (or mantra) as: A clear call to action of what every employee should intentionally achieve every time they interact with a customer. This short article will give you the structure you need to get started.

Brand Loyalty Is Lagging. Here’s How to Catch Up by Roger Williams

(The Drum) According to Marigold’s new Relationship Marketing Trends: Brand Rankings Report, 37% of consumers say they switched away from or became less loyal to a brand they previously purchased from in the past year. While earning customer loyalty can be elusive, the report offers insights into effective tactics for achieving valuable long-term customer relationships.

My Comment: Consider the opening statistic cited in this article: According to Marigold’s Relationship Marketing Trends report, 37% of consumers say they switched away from or became less loyal to a brand they previously purchased from in the last year. That’s almost four of ten customers! There are some other compelling stats, and one of the ways to create a personalized experience is to get customer data. The article suggests that coupons, discounts, loyalty points, rewards, and more incentives are ways to go about it. I’m okay with that, but often times, that fosters more repeat business than true loyalty. However, it’s a good start. If you combine that with a great CX, customers will keep coming back.

Top 5 Customer Loyalty Programs That Work by Retail Merchandiser

(Retail Merchandiser) In today’s competitive market, businesses need more than just quality products or services to retain customers—they need to cultivate loyalty. Customer loyalty programs are key to building lasting relationships, encouraging repeat purchases, and fostering brand advocacy.

My Comment: As long as we’re talking about loyalty programs, how about we learn from some of the best, including Starbucks, Amazon Prime, Sephora Beauty, Expedia, and Grubhub? These brands have cracked the code of loyalty programs. Again, they are points and rewards programs that drive repeat business. However, these brands are known for a strong CX, which means they have a winning combination that gets customers coming back again and again.

What Is AI Customer Experience? Tips for Small Businesses by Shopify Staff

(Shopify) Artificial intelligence may have once conjured up images from science fiction, but today, 84% of ecommerce businesses are either already using AI solutions or considering implementing them into their workflows. More than ever, business leaders recognize AI’s potential to improve the customer experience.

My Comment: We’ll wrap up this week’s roundup with an excellent article on ten ways any company (not just small businesses) can use AI to improve many areas of business, including customer experience, customer support, higher productivity and efficiency, and more. Just ten years ago, much of this list would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement. Not anymore. Today, just about any sized company – even the smallest businesses – can implement AI solutions at very affordable prices. And as the cost has come down, the capabilities have improved at an incredible level. Check out the list and choose which of these will work for you.

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.