Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for Week of October 30, 2023

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 comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

Why Experiential Rewards Are Winning Over Customers: 5 Stellar Examples by Peter Vogel

(The Wise Marketer) In today’s highly competitive business environment, brands are constantly searching for innovative ways to engage and retain their customers. Traditional loyalty programs, which often offer points or cash rewards, are being outdone by a new trend: experiential rewards. Here’s a closer look at five brands that are leading the charge in offering experiences, rather than monetary benefits, to their loyal customers.

My Comment: I’m a fan of rewards and loyalty programs for a reason. Done well, they foster repeat business and can lead to true customer loyalty. This article focuses on giving away experiences, not products or cash rewards. People may or may not remember getting a discount or rebate, but they will almost always remember an experience. There are several excellent examples in the article to get your creativity started.

A Great Way to Get Your Employees to Connect With Customers by John Dijulius

( The DiJulius Group)  Most people believe the customer is the one who benefits when the employee makes a personal connection. But this example clearly shows that when the employees—in this case, the radiologists—have a personal relationship with the customer, an emotional commitment, they do a better, more thorough job.

My Comment: This excellent article by my friend and fellow CX expert, John DiJulius, can cross over from customer experience to customer relationships. The FORD idea is a great technique to connect and engage with your best customers and separate yourself from competitors. If you want to build better customer relationships, read this article!

Is It Time for You to Try Messy Marketing? by Mark Schaefer

(Mark Schaefer) The Pratfall Effect is more likely to work when the individual’s competence is already relatively high. If someone who is perceived as incompetent makes a mistake, it may not have the same endearing effect because it reinforces the existing negative perception.

My Comment: There is a very close connection between customer experience and marketing. Some have said (including myself) that customer experience is marketing. In this article, marketing expert Mark Schaefer shares the idea that your marketing doesn’t have to be perfect. As a matter of fact, in some cases, a “messy marketing message” may be a great customer experience.

New Survey Finds A Drop In Brand Loyalty by Greg Sleter

(Store Brands) Despite the decline revealed in research from SAP Emarsys, marketers have opportunities to develop new ways to engage with shoppers.

My Comment: True customer loyalty is a gift. If you can win over your customers so that they wouldn’t consider a competitor, you are in an enviable position. And if that’s your goal, it looks like it will be harder to attain. According to the 2023 Customer Loyalty Index findings, the US experienced a drop in brand loyalty by more than 10%, from 7% to 68%. Loyalty programs are often discount or marketing programs that drive repeat business. True loyalty is special and, as I mentioned, a gift.

Mastering Customer Loyalty & Retention in the World of eCommerce by Vikrant Shukla

(The eCommerce Musings) It’s such an interesting subject that it should have its own fan club. This post is all about how to keep customers coming back. It will also talk about how keeping customers can help your Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Return on Investment (ROI), and general customer experience. That sounds like a strong trio, right? Keeping your customers close is all about it, like a favorite coat that you just can’t give up. The goal is to make a link that is stronger than super glue.

My Comment: There’s a lot to this article about customer retention and loyalty. The author shares a finding from Bain & Co’s research: In the retail world, customers spend 67% more per order after shopping with a company for 30 months or more. It’s not just the longer you keep your customers, the more they spend. It’s that the longer you keep your customers, the more they spend every time. The author covers formulas for churn, retention, and more.

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.