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

Helping Companies & Organizations Create an Amazing Customer-Focused Culture by CXO Magazine

This week, we’re starting the Top Five roundup with a Bonus article. Actually, it’s more than an article, it’s an entire magazine devoted to CX. And I’m very proud that that CXO Magazine honored me with a cover story. Enjoy almost 56 pages of articles, opinions, and interviews. Thank you CXO Magazine for this honor!

An Experience-Focused Approach to Subscriptions by Wendy Karlyn

(Retail Customer Experience) A subscription model isn’t a golden ticket to success as it requires careful strategy and consistent execution. However, when retailers find the right fit and relevant subscription for customers, the model can be a differentiator and build an incredible experience.

My Comment: A subscription model is great for both the company and the customer. The company gets ongoing recurring revenue and the customer gets the convenience of their merchandise showing up on a regular basis without having to think about it. This article provides ideas and strategies behind creating a subscription model. Even though this is focused on retail, almost every company in any industry can create a subscription model.

How to Win in the Routine Economy: Elevate the Everyday by Jen Gray

(Retail TouchPoints) In the Routine Economy, the brands that get it are the brands that understand how powerful a routine is and how to seamlessly integrate and stay a part of a buyer’s routine.

My Comment: What is the Routine Economy? It’s when customers practice a daily routine. In the simplest example, most people brush their teeth at least daily – typically twice a day. That’s a routine. And when you combine that with certain segments of retail, such as beauty and personal care or health and wellness, you have a customer that buys on a routine basis. And when you combine that with the subscription model (see article one in this week’s roundup), you have an amazing strategy to work with.

4 Trends Impacting Retail Customer Loyalty, and How to Overcome Them by Foundever

(Foundever) Are your customers becoming more price-conscious and less loyal? Uncover four key trends reshaping retail customer behavior and learn strategies to keep shoppers engaged and coming back for more.

My Comment: I’m very optimistic, so when I read an article about trends negatively impacting anything, I usually think, “Yes, but…” That said, this article covers four trends that should concern you about customer loyalty, including that customers are buying less and overall less loyal than in the past. The good news is that the author provided the “Yes, but…” for us and included tips to negate the trends.

Building Hyper-Personalized Customer Experience in Digital: Time to Take Things Personally? by Kautilya Prasad

(HackerNoon) The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into customer experience (CX) strategies is transforming the way businesses interact with consumers. Customer expectations have never been higher. Let’s see how Hyper-Personalization helps in meeting those expectations.

My Comment: I was just asked how AI is impacting the customer experience. One of the big opportunities to exploit AI is personalization. This article on hyper-personalization shows how AI can quickly learn about customers and offer them an experience that feels like it is just for them.

Three Ways to Tell if Your Organization is Customer-Centric by Lori Laflin

(The CEO Magazine) Most companies say they’re customer-centric when it comes to their guiding strategy and investment, but this often isn’t the case. Here’s how to determine the prime focus of your business.

My Comment: Let’s wrap up this week’s Top Five roundup with a focus on culture. How do you know if you’re a customer-centric organization? The questions to ask are these: 1) Do you listen to customers? 2) Do you observe how your organization operates? And, 3) Do you ask and take action on feedback? The article focuses on tips and ideas around these three questions.

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.