Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of May 19, 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.
Removing Barriers: How Rigid Rules Can Damage Customer Relationships by Ryan Minton
(Forbes) In today’s experience-driven economy, rigid policies can be a competitive disadvantage. I believe the organizations that thrive will be those that empower their people to operate confidently in the gray area—where authentic human connection happens and customer loyalty is born.
My Comment: We kick of this week’s Top Five article with a reminder that it can be dangerous to have strict rules and policies that can erode the customer experience. The author’s background is in hotel management. He gets what it takes to make customers happy. His comment that exceptional service happens in the “gray area” is spot on.
Can Contact Centers Move From Cost Centers to Experience Hubs? by Scott Clark
(CMSWire) Many say yes. Brands are reinventing the contact center—from reactive support desks to loyalty-building experience hubs with emotionally intelligent agents.
My Comment: Whether you have a customer support team of one or ten thousand (or more), this article drives home the message that customer support becomes an experience shouldn’t cost. It should pay. Smart companies recognize that customer support should be measured with more than efficiency metrics (such as Average Handle Time). The experience and outcome of a call can drive repeat business, positive word-of-mouth, and confidence that can lead to customer loyalty.
Managing Today’s Crisis of Trust by Sam Richardson
(Business Reporter) Trust takes years to build but can shatter in an instant—a familiar adage that rings true across industries and relationships alike.
My Comment: Customer service and CX may have been big enough differentiators to make price less relevant. With the shaky economy and businesses raising prices due to inflation, tariffs, etc., something else beyond CX will help with price sensitivity, and that’s trust. This article covers that topic and introduces us to a role within an organization that most companies need to consider: the Chief Trust Officer.
Winning Customer Loyalty Starts with Straight Talk about Tariffs by Ryan Phelan
(MarTech) Learn why human, brand-aligned messaging beats corporate spin when tariffs hit. Real-world examples show what works — and what doesn’t.
My Comment: If your company is impacted by tariffs – or the possibility of them – this article is a must-read. The key is transparency and communicating with customers about why you’re raising prices. And it’s not just telling them why, it’s how you tell them. Included in the article are different examples of how companies are communicating with their customers.
Customer Loyalty Starts With Consistency, Ends With Advocacy by Scott Clark
(CMSWire) Customer loyalty isn’t just earned through rewards programs or sales-driven perks—it’s built through consistent, emotionally resonant experiences that meet customers where they are. As expectations rise and brand-switching becomes frictionless, businesses must rethink loyalty not as a program, but as a product of every interaction.
My Comment: Most articles on customer loyalty programs focus on the points and perks we offer customers in exchange for their repeat business. This article includes ideas that I’ve been preaching for many years. For true customer loyalty to happen, there must be an emotional connection. The author covers the topic of how emotional connections are redefining customer loyalty and there is a shift from rewards (points and perks) to relationships. The key is to create emotional loyalty.
BONUS
What Will Agent Roles Look Like in 2035? by Megan Jones
(Call Centre Helper) The role of an agent is changing fast – as customer needs become more complex and technology continues to reshape day-to-day life in the contact centre. But with so many moving parts, what will an agent’s role look like 10 years from now?
My Comment: Our friends at CallCentreHelper.com have released another excellent article with insights from some of the top customer service and CX minds in the industry. This time the focus is what the future of a customer support agent role will be in ten years. I’m very excited about the future, and I think you will be, too!
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.
Removing Barriers: How Rigid Rules Can Damage Customer Relationships by Ryan Minton
(Forbes) In today’s experience-driven economy, rigid policies can be a competitive disadvantage. I believe the organizations that thrive will be those that empower their people to operate confidently in the gray area—where authentic human connection happens and customer loyalty is born.
My Comment: We kick of this week’s Top Five article with a reminder that it can be dangerous to have strict rules and policies that can erode the customer experience. The author’s background is in hotel management. He gets what it takes to make customers happy. His comment that exceptional service happens in the “gray area” is spot on.
Can Contact Centers Move From Cost Centers to Experience Hubs? by Scott Clark
(CMSWire) Many say yes. Brands are reinventing the contact center—from reactive support desks to loyalty-building experience hubs with emotionally intelligent agents.
My Comment: Whether you have a customer support team of one or ten thousand (or more), this article drives home the message that customer support becomes an experience shouldn’t cost. It should pay. Smart companies recognize that customer support should be measured with more than efficiency metrics (such as Average Handle Time). The experience and outcome of a call can drive repeat business, positive word-of-mouth, and confidence that can lead to customer loyalty.
Managing Today’s Crisis of Trust by Sam Richardson
(Business Reporter) Trust takes years to build but can shatter in an instant—a familiar adage that rings true across industries and relationships alike.
My Comment: Customer service and CX may have been big enough differentiators to make price less relevant. With the shaky economy and businesses raising prices due to inflation, tariffs, etc., something else beyond CX will help with price sensitivity, and that’s trust. This article covers that topic and introduces us to a role within an organization that most companies need to consider: the Chief Trust Officer.
Winning Customer Loyalty Starts with Straight Talk about Tariffs by Ryan Phelan
(MarTech) Learn why human, brand-aligned messaging beats corporate spin when tariffs hit. Real-world examples show what works — and what doesn’t.
My Comment: If your company is impacted by tariffs – or the possibility of them – this article is a must-read. The key is transparency and communicating with customers about why you’re raising prices. And it’s not just telling them why, it’s how you tell them. Included in the article are different examples of how companies are communicating with their customers.
Customer Loyalty Starts With Consistency, Ends With Advocacy by Scott Clark
(CMSWire) Customer loyalty isn’t just earned through rewards programs or sales-driven perks—it’s built through consistent, emotionally resonant experiences that meet customers where they are. As expectations rise and brand-switching becomes frictionless, businesses must rethink loyalty not as a program, but as a product of every interaction.
My Comment: Most articles on customer loyalty programs focus on the points and perks we offer customers in exchange for their repeat business. This article includes ideas that I’ve been preaching for many years. For true customer loyalty to happen, there must be an emotional connection. The author covers the topic of how emotional connections are redefining customer loyalty and there is a shift from rewards (points and perks) to relationships. The key is to create emotional loyalty.
BONUS
What Will Agent Roles Look Like in 2035? by Megan Jones
(Call Centre Helper) The role of an agent is changing fast – as customer needs become more complex and technology continues to reshape day-to-day life in the contact centre. But with so many moving parts, what will an agent’s role look like 10 years from now?
My Comment: Our friends at CallCentreHelper.com have released another excellent article with insights from some of the top customer service and CX minds in the industry. This time the focus is what the future of a customer support agent role will be in ten years. I’m very excited about the future, and I think you will be, too!
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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