Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of May 12, 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.
(Re-)Focus On Customer Retention And Growth During Volatile Times by Laura Ramos
(Forrester) While deeper understanding is the first step, retention should be the desired result. B2B teams that fail to prioritize, resource, and measure the impact of postsale customer engagement risk negative repercussions on customer retention, loyalty, growth, and advocacy.
My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about retaining and growing customers during tough and shaky economic times. There are five strategies or tactics to consider. The important thing to keep in mind is that during tough times, companies that can remain customer-focused typically come out on top.
Your Business Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect — Here’s How Customer Loyalty Really Works by Jeff Helfgott
(Entrepreneur) It’s not a one-time achievement, building customer loyalty a continuous process of building trust by showing up, delivering value and being reliable.
My Comment: “Loyalty earns you the opportunity to make a second mistake.” That’s the opening line of the article. I’ll take it a step further that a mistake handled the right way earns you more chances. As long as mistakes or problems don’t happen all the time, if you recover well, you earn trust. Customers say, “Even when there’s a problem, I can always count on them.” That’s one reason customers stick around, even when the experience isn’t perfect.
10 Ways to Make Customers Feel More Valued by Megan Jones
(Call Centre Helper) When customers feel valued, they are more likely to stay loyal to your brand. It’s as simple as that! But getting this right can be tricky – especially when gimmicks can come across as too tacky, and personalization can be overused to the point of being overfamiliar (and even creepy!).
My Comment: This excellent article has four CX experts (myself included) sharing 10 ways to show appreciation to your customers, but they are not what you might think. These ideas are more than ways to say, “Thank you.” Empowering agents and frontliners is a start. You’ll find a few interesting and new ideas here.
Don’t Let Tariffs Sabotage Customer Service by Leonard Klie
(CRM) Let’s face it, market volatility is here to stay while companies and countries negotiate with the Trump administration to reach a deal on tariffs. In the meantime, stock market turmoil, sourcing concerns, potentially higher production costs, supply chain disruption, and far more will threaten companies and leave the U.S. economy in a state of flux.
My Comment: Many companies and brands are in flux due to some uncertainties in the economy and the tariffs that are being imposed. Whenever there are tough times, the organizations that stay focused on their customers come out ahead. As the article points out, be careful with the changes you make. Cost-cutting measures are fine, but try to avoid changes that will negatively impact the customer experience. Don’t give customers a reason to try a competitor.
95% of Businesses Fail at This One Thing — Fix It Before It Costs You Customers by Antonia Hock
(Entrepreneur) Most businesses believe that they deliver a great customer experience, but this is based on outdated, old-fashioned ideas. Here’s what businesses can do to shift their customer experience to the modern customer.
My Comment: Surveys work, as long as they are done correctly. The problem is that some companies create or deliver a survey to the customer that is biased. Getting lots of great ratings is nice, but if they aren’t a true reflection of the entire customer base, you’re not seeing the entire picture. That’s what this article is about. According to the author, 95% of executive teams aren’t analyzing their customer metrics properly. The result is false assumptions and missed opportunities.
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.
(Re-)Focus On Customer Retention And Growth During Volatile Times by Laura Ramos
(Forrester) While deeper understanding is the first step, retention should be the desired result. B2B teams that fail to prioritize, resource, and measure the impact of postsale customer engagement risk negative repercussions on customer retention, loyalty, growth, and advocacy.
My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an article about retaining and growing customers during tough and shaky economic times. There are five strategies or tactics to consider. The important thing to keep in mind is that during tough times, companies that can remain customer-focused typically come out on top.
Your Business Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect — Here’s How Customer Loyalty Really Works by Jeff Helfgott
(Entrepreneur) It’s not a one-time achievement, building customer loyalty a continuous process of building trust by showing up, delivering value and being reliable.
My Comment: “Loyalty earns you the opportunity to make a second mistake.” That’s the opening line of the article. I’ll take it a step further that a mistake handled the right way earns you more chances. As long as mistakes or problems don’t happen all the time, if you recover well, you earn trust. Customers say, “Even when there’s a problem, I can always count on them.” That’s one reason customers stick around, even when the experience isn’t perfect.
10 Ways to Make Customers Feel More Valued by Megan Jones
(Call Centre Helper) When customers feel valued, they are more likely to stay loyal to your brand. It’s as simple as that! But getting this right can be tricky – especially when gimmicks can come across as too tacky, and personalization can be overused to the point of being overfamiliar (and even creepy!).
My Comment: This excellent article has four CX experts (myself included) sharing 10 ways to show appreciation to your customers, but they are not what you might think. These ideas are more than ways to say, “Thank you.” Empowering agents and frontliners is a start. You’ll find a few interesting and new ideas here.
Don’t Let Tariffs Sabotage Customer Service by Leonard Klie
(CRM) Let’s face it, market volatility is here to stay while companies and countries negotiate with the Trump administration to reach a deal on tariffs. In the meantime, stock market turmoil, sourcing concerns, potentially higher production costs, supply chain disruption, and far more will threaten companies and leave the U.S. economy in a state of flux.
My Comment: Many companies and brands are in flux due to some uncertainties in the economy and the tariffs that are being imposed. Whenever there are tough times, the organizations that stay focused on their customers come out ahead. As the article points out, be careful with the changes you make. Cost-cutting measures are fine, but try to avoid changes that will negatively impact the customer experience. Don’t give customers a reason to try a competitor.
95% of Businesses Fail at This One Thing — Fix It Before It Costs You Customers by Antonia Hock
(Entrepreneur) Most businesses believe that they deliver a great customer experience, but this is based on outdated, old-fashioned ideas. Here’s what businesses can do to shift their customer experience to the modern customer.
My Comment: Surveys work, as long as they are done correctly. The problem is that some companies create or deliver a survey to the customer that is biased. Getting lots of great ratings is nice, but if they aren’t a true reflection of the entire customer base, you’re not seeing the entire picture. That’s what this article is about. According to the author, 95% of executive teams aren’t analyzing their customer metrics properly. The result is false assumptions and missed opportunities.
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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