The Latest

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    Opinion

    Despite the hype, AI is not replacing the customer service workforce

    The hype says “agentless” service is imminent, but data shows most teams are still staffing up while trying to make AI actually function in real workflows.

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    Shutterstock/Golden Dayz

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    Sponsored by Oracle

    Unlocking the power of AI and automation: A new era in customer experience

    97% of telco leaders say AI is critical to CX growth. What’s holding most companies back? Are you ready to scale beyond pilots? Learn more.

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    Courtesy of Grocery TV
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    Shoppers say they’ll share data with retailers — but they want to see a payoff

    About half of respondents to a poll said they find personalized suggestions from retailers to be “highly helpful,” according to Dunnhumby.

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    CX teams are collecting the data, but failing to act on customer intent signals

    Three-quarters of executives say most businesses are slow to respond to changing customer expectations, an IBM Institute for Business Value survey found.

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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    United CEO: Customer devotion offsets qualms about rising costs

    The airline's “decade-long strategy to build a great brand loyal airline that is obsessively focused on making travel easier and better for all customers is the winning strategy,” Scott Kirby said.

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    Catherine Douglas Moran/CX Dive
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    Maryland poised to ban dynamic pricing

    The legislation, which awaits the governor’s signature, underwent significant revisions that some groups claim would limit its shopper protections  .

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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    American Airlines boosts loyalty enrollments 25%

    The carrier’s redesigned in-app loyalty experience and the introduction of free Wi-Fi encouraged AAdvantage sign-ups, according to CEO Robert Isom.

  • A woman grins at her phone while eating a Subway sandwich in a promotion image for the chain's MVP Rewards.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Diners are becoming less loyal: Tillster

    Leading brands in the restaurant sector could face greater competition from c-stores and grocery chains.

  • A person walks through an aisle within a Home Depot store.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Home Depot adds AI phone agents. How could it affect customer support?

    The home improvement retailer saw significant time savings in a 50-store pilot and plans to expand the system to all U.S. stores during the coming year.

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    Banks’ CX matters when it comes to stock performance, study finds

    National banks identified as CX leaders delivered a cumulative total stock return 2.4 times greater than CX laggards over a nine-year period, Watermark Consulting research found.

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    Stephen Brashear via Getty Images
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    Alaska Air relies on loyalty, premium to weather jet fuel prices

    Loyalty and related revenue increased 10% year over year, and active membership in Atmos increased 13% year over year. 

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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut shifts loyalty program toward experience and exclusivity

    The pizza giant is adding merchandise drops, digital games and experiential rewards to boost consumer engagement.

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    Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Semafor World Economy via Getty Images
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    Why Warby Parker’s CEO zeroes in on NPS

    “It's probably the best measure of customer satisfaction, and if that starts to drop for any reason, we’re going really deep into that,” Neil Blumenthal said.

  • Tapestry CEO Semafor in white suit sitting on a blue stage
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    Courtesy of Getty Images for Semafor World Economy
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    For luxury retailers, value is a vibe

    Chief executives at Ralph Lauren and Tapestry are utilizing experiences and storytelling to provide value beyond pricing to shoppers.

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    CX leaders agree on the importance of cross-functional work, but few have achieved it

    Technological and organizational impediments both stand in the way of integrating customer-facing functions across departments, a KMPG survey found.

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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    A look at how Chipotle’s loyalty relaunch could affect customer behavior

    Value is a major component of the loyalty revamp, and the approach could drive in-restaurant traffic and help the company win over less frequent customers.

  • Images showing features on The Fresh Market's first native app.
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    Courtesy of The Fresh Market
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    Q&A

    Why The Fresh Market revamped its loyalty program after just 4 years

    The grocer’s refreshed rewards program and first native app are part of an effort to extend its in-store guest hospitality to its digital touch points, its chief marketing officer said.

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    Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Semafor World Economy via Getty Images
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    JetBlue CEO: ‘Humanity has become the new luxury’

    “We’ve long said that competitors could match the leather seats, the TVs, the Wi-Fi,” CEO Joanna Geraghty said. “And indeed they have. But what they haven’t matched is our people.”

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    Authenticity builds trust. How can brands maintain it?

    Customers are looking for brands that offer honest and truthful communication, keep their promises, and feel genuine and relatable, an Emplifi survey found.

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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Southwest to strengthen loyalty program, digital experience with fresh leadership

    Nandika Suri is charged with expanding loyalty membership and deepening engagement, while Sabrina Callahan will pursue a seamless, customer-centric digital experience.

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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Dairy Queen expands drive-thru voice AI test

    Franchisees will now have access to Presto’s technology after a pilot yielded positive results at company-owned stores.

  • A line of people outside Pacsun's SoHo flagship store.
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    Courtesy of Pacsun
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    How Pacsun co-creates with its customers

    CEO Brieane Olson champions co-creation, a philosophy that included Pacsun's customers in the process of reinventing the brand.

  • A Starbucks store stands in Manhattan on January 30, 2024 in New York City.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Starbucks lets customers discover drinks, start orders in ChatGPT

    The app, in beta, takes the prompt-driven inspiration of ChatGPT and pushes customers into the Starbucks ecosystem to complete their orders.

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    Courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy
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    Marriott Bonvoy, Visa team up on FIFA World Cup loyalty campaign

    As sports tourism surges, the pair will offer exclusive access to matches and other experiential rewards to Marriott loyalty members who also have Visa cards.

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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Companies with best-in-class CX outperform the S&P 500

    Their lead over the stock market index is growing, Watermark Consulting found in its annual ROI study.

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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Dollar General’s media network rolls out AI store audio program

    The discount retailer is bringing the in-store media offering to about 6,000 locations through a new partnership with QSIC.