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Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of January 29, 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. What Can Disneyland Teach Us about the Customer Journey? by Tricia Cleppe-Fortier (MyCustomer) Why is […]

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.

What Can Disneyland Teach Us about the Customer Journey? by Tricia Cleppe-Fortier

(MyCustomer) Why is Disneyland the most magical place on earth? Shrewd customer design choices, of course. Tricia Cleppe-Fortier explores Disney’s desire paths, and how they can be adopted to enhance the customer journey and experience.

My Comment: I love learning from iconic companies, and this week, we start our Top Five roundup with one of the most customer/guest-focused companies on the planet, Disney. This article shares something I had not heard of: how Walt Disney created “the desired path.” When Disneyland first opened, there were no paved paths. Guests moved about freely, and eventually, the grass was trampled, and the guests’ “desired paths” became obvious and were eventually paved. I’ll sum it up this way: Don’t plan your customers’ journey without knowing the customers’ journey.

Investing in Experience Should Be Core to Business Strategy, Not Discretionary Spend by Ron Shamah

(Fast Company) In a tenuous economy, everything is on the chopping block. Anything that doesn’t directly impact the bottom line is in danger of getting cut or reduced. That means organizations increasingly have to justify spending and show a clear path to ROI to protect their investments.

My Comment: After all the research that has come out about customer experience and service being as important as the products companies sell, it surprises me that some organizations still feel CX is a discretionary spend. There are plenty of facts and stats to back this up, and I like the author’s conclusion that CX is not optional, even in a challenging economy.

Customers Have Soured on Self-Checkout, and a New Study Says There’s Proof by Nathaniel Meyersohn

(CNN Business) A newly-released study by researchers at Drexel University published in the Journal of Business Research found that “regular checkout” – the kind featuring a human cashier – makes customers more loyal to a store and more likely to revisit in the future than self-checkout. The study comes as some companies remove self-checkout machines and others adjust their self-checkout operations.

My Comment: Perhaps you’ve experienced self-checkout at a grocery store or some other retailer. Is this a failed experiment? The findings from Drexel University determined traditional checkout (with a human cashier) drives more loyalty than self-checkout. Still, I don’t think we should give up on it. For certain customers, self-checkout still makes sense. And the process and technology will continue to improve. My take on this is not to give up. Keep innovating and properly staff for the customer willing to use self-checkout and needs help.

Alexander Group releases Customer Experience Research by Businesswire

(MarTech Cube) Alexander Group, the leading revenue growth consultancy to Global 2000 companies, today unveiled the results of its new Customer Experience Research report. The research evaluates The Alexander Group Customer Experience Index (CXI) of over 160 organizations across seven industries. The CXI evaluated those commercial organizations in four key capabilities including CX vision and strategy, customer engagement, goals and measurement, and defined processes.

My Comment: Here’s some research from the Alexander Group that makes the case for investing in CX. Consider these results from companies in the top quartile of the CX index. These companies “achieve 37% more effective new logo acquisition, 23% more effective account penetration, 22% more effective customer retention, and 13% higher earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins.” The numbers make the case. CX doesn’t cost. It pays!

2024 Unveiled: Top 7 Customer Experience Trends Shaping the Future by Anwesha Roy

(TechFunnel) Business leaders recognize the critical role of customer experience; in fact, 96% concur, according to research, that outstanding experiences improve brand loyalty.

My Comment: Here is a list of CX trends that all make sense – and for just about every type of business. My bet is you won’t be surprised at any of these, but you read about one or more of these trends and think, “Are we keeping up with this trend?” Understanding what customers want and expect is ever-changing. We must keep up, or we’ll be playing catch up.

BONUSES

Customer Experience Predictions for 2024 by Dan Gingiss

(Dan Gingis) As we begin a new year, it’s time to look at customer experience predictions for 2024 from some of the world’s top experts. Not surprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI), and specifically Generative AI products such as ChatGPT, were front and center in many of our experts’ customer experience predictions for 2024.

My Comment: And speaking of trends, my friend and fellow CX expert, Dan Gingiss, reached out to eight experts (including myself) and asked us for our big CX predictions for 2024. Find out what we had to say!

Service without a Smile: Bad Customer Service Examples by David Rand

(The Future of Commerce) Research reveals the poor state of customer service. According to the 2023 National Customer Rage Survey from Customer Care Measurement and Consulting (CCMC) and the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, 74% of Americans say they’ve had product or service problems in the past year. Anger over poor service and shoddy products has even led some customers to plot revenge.

My Comment: Here’s an excellent article about bad customer service. It’s filled with stats, facts, and commentary from several CX and customer service experts (including myself). You will definitely enjoy this one!

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.

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