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Customers are losing patience with automated customer support bots
A majority of consumers will repeat themselves only once before abandoning an automated customer service attempt, a Parloa survey found.
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Sweetgreen’s turnaround hinges on hospitality. Can it balance the human and digital sides?
The company wants to offer customers a great experience, whether they want to quickly order from a machine or prefer ordering with an employee at the counter — a balancing that is vital to its long-term business success.
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Kroger wants to shrink the CX gap between its top stores and others
“We need to be more competitive, more consistent and easier for customers to understand,” CEO Greg Foran said.
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Courtesy of Pinterest
Pinterest’s new AI-powered app experiments with conversational, visual-first shopping
CEO Bill Ready has called the company “an AI-enabled shopping assistant." The Ask Pinterest app provides a fresh avenue to that end.
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What CX teams need to know about synthetic data
Brands need to understand synthetic data, its use cases and limitations before launching headfirst into synthetic data analysis, experts said.
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Tenured customer service reps command a salary premium — with exceptions
Product expertise and institutional knowledge are valuable, but changing technology is driving demand for new skill sets, a Payscale study found.
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Courtesy of Lidl
Lidl US prepares to roll out new loyalty program
The Lidl Plus rewards program will allow shoppers to earn points redeemable for free products, access personalized coupons and trigger “member exclusive” pricing at checkout.
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Retrieved from QFC.
Meet the automated cart builder used by Kroger and Wegmans
Cooklist aims to “combine the intelligence of a personal shopper, personal chef and nutritionist to help anticipate your needs,” CEO Daniel Vitiello said.
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Trust is lost when automated service fails. It’s worse without people in the loop.
More than one-third of U.S. consumers say they lose trust in a brand after an automated interaction fails, even if a human resolves it later, a Liveops survey found.
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Courtesy of Starbucks
Why 3 major brands see a consistent experience as key to their turnarounds
Metrics at Starbucks, Target and Kohl’s are on the rise, and all three brands are aiming at maintaining or improving consistency to keep customers coming back.
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Courtesy of Mews
Q&AWhen AI can deepen human connection at hotels
Mews founder Richard Valtr believes the human aspect of hospitality can be preserved — and even strengthened — through the strategic use and implementation of AI.
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Courtesy of USAA
What brands provide the best overall experience?
Among U.S. brands, just over half increased their total experience scores, while 4% saw declines, according to Forrester. USAA led the way.
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Back to CX Basics: How to truly capture the Voice of the Customer
A great VoC program looks beyond the happiest and angriest customers to dig into what a business’ audience truly wants, experts say.
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Consumers are worried about a recession. How should brands respond?
Consumers are becoming choosier about how they spend their money, creating greater competition among businesses.
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Stitch Fix’s efforts to cultivate active clients pay off
In the third quarter, the company posted higher retention rates and its first active client growth since 2021.
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The World Cup scores companies new subscribers. Retaining them is another problem entirely.
Fans from around the world are signing up for streaming platforms to watch the World Cup. But turning short-term subscribers into loyal customers is no easy feat.
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Reliable deliveries keep customers coming back, Macy’s and Ulta execs say
"It’s when you’re not reliable is when we’re going to lose our customers, and that’s what we see," Macy’s Vinny Pagliuca said.
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Chewy’s Autoship subscription grows, offering reliability and repeat sales
Autoship sales grew 10% year over year compared to overall net sales growth of 7.7% in the same period, CEO Sumit Singh said.
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OpinionLoyalty is not a discount engine. It is a trust engine.
Customers are still willing to engage in loyalty programs, but only if the value exchange is obvious, relevant and trustworthy.
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Cracker Barrel reports rising guest metrics, but sales remain on the decline
The restaurant’s Google star rating is up 4% year over year, but the company has yet to return to sales growth after the fall out from a botched rebrand attempt last year.
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3 customer service roles made possible by AI
The remaining customer service jobs could take the form of “bot unblockers,” judges and experts or incorporate sales.
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What SoFi learned about its customers while testing its AI adviser
“When it comes to financial guidance and coaching, there's both an art and a science to it,” said Brian Walsh, head of advice and planning at the digital bank.
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Courtesy of Sam's Club
Sam’s Club’s first CXO to depart
Diana Marshall made Sam’s Club “a lot more customer centric,” GlobalData Retail’s Neil Saunders said.
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When does it make sense to bring customer service onshore?
The FCC has proposed a rule aimed at bringing contact centers back into the U.S., causing some companies to weigh the pros and cons of domestic customer support.
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Connecticut becomes latest state to ban dynamic pricing
The law prohibits retailers from using personally identifiable data to customize prices for shoppers.
