Customer Service

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    Chick-fil-A wins on order accuracy, experience at the drive-thru

    Speed of service improved slightly at quick-service restaurants, but mobile orders, app payments and customizations have created more complex transactions, Intouch Insight’s report revealed.

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 3, 2025
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    AI chatbots consistently fall short on complex tasks

    Companies should let bots handle simple issues and escalate complex requests to AI-supported human agents to boost outcomes, loyalty and efficiency, according to Bain & Co.

    By Michael Brady • Oct. 3, 2025
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    Trendline

    Customer service

    In this Trendline, CX Dive explores how customer service is evolving to fit the needs of the modern businesses and demands of today’s customers.

    By CX Dive staff
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    Winning consumers back after a poor experience takes action, not words

    Business leaders and customers agree that resolution should be fast, but leaders place greater value in apologies, according to a survey released by Sprinklr.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
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    Good AI customer service is about not getting caught up in the details

    Chatbot responses should be “relevant, accurate, and not over or under informative” throughout the entire experience, according to PolyAI’s Oliver Shoulson.

    By • Updated 5 hours ago
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    Red Lobster deploys AI bots to answer phones

    SoundHound’s voice automation technology is expected to free up workers and improve front-of-house service.

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 24, 2025
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    A bipartisan bill wants to keep call centers in the US. Here’s how leaders can prepare.

    The legislation's future is unclear, but experts say contact centers should plan ahead and reduce call volumes, improve service and examine costs.

    By • Sept. 15, 2025
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    Gartner predicts Fortune 500 companies won’t eliminate human agents anytime soon

    “At the end of the day do we think there will be fewer agents? Yes. But a fully agentless future is not going to happen,” Gartner’s Kathy Ross said.

    By • Sept. 12, 2025
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    Atlassian lays off another 200 customer service, support staff

    The company came to the decision after its customer experience improvements to platform and tools reduced support needs, a spokesperson told CX Dive.

    By • Sept. 10, 2025
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    Office Depot promises 15-minute pickup service

    The retailer says it will fulfill online and mobile orders for in-store and curbside pickup within 15 minutes, or it’ll send customers a $15 coupon.

    By • Sept. 8, 2025
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    Salesforce still sees a place for live customer service agents after massive cuts

    The company slashed about 4,000 customer service agents as its use of AI picked up, but CEO Marc Benioff still expects people and AI to work together.

    By • Sept. 4, 2025
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    CX leaders expect self-service and live chat to overtake phone, email by 2027

    Customer experience executives, however, are skeptical that AI agents will significantly expand and improve self-service, according to a Gartner survey.

    By Michael Brady • Sept. 3, 2025
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    Generational preferences are shaping attitudes toward customer service

    All consumers demand accuracy, while younger consumers stand out with an affinity for self-service and AI, a Decagon survey found.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
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    Customer surveys alone are insufficient for understanding CX, study finds

    Conversational intelligence can fill the gaps in insight left by surveys, and merging both strategies can help leaders craft better experiences, experts say.

    By • Aug. 25, 2025
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    How Bank of America’s Erica raised the stakes for virtual assistants

    “A big area of focus for us was: How can we find that balance between the AI support and the human support that Bank of America is known for?” said Jorge Camargo, head of digital platforms.

    By • Aug. 25, 2025
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    Zoom stakes the future of its contact center business in AI

    The vendor’s ability to support agents with AI, as well as offer agentic AI that can handle calls on its own, are each driving adoption, executives said.

    By • Aug. 22, 2025
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    Want to boost loyalty? Fix your customers’ problems

    Solving customer challenges shows that “a brand sees them, hears them and, more importantly, is willing to take action to make their experience better,” one expert said.

    By Michael Brady • Aug. 20, 2025
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    AI delivers the best customer support when it’s enhancing humans, study finds

    “AI is most effective when human agents can use it as a ‘sixth sense’ or as an ‘angel on the shoulder,’” Verizon Business’ Daniel Lawson said.

    By • Aug. 18, 2025
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    Customers still don’t love AI in customer service

    While AI is making inroads in customer support, 82% of customers say they’d prefer human support even if wait times and time spent are the same, a HubSpot and SurveyMonkey report found.

    By • Aug. 15, 2025
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    Bipartisan call center bill seeks to deter offshoring, disclose AI use

    The Keep Call Centers in America Act would limit access to grants and loans for companies that move customer service jobs overseas.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
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    Companies are charging for better customer support. But should they?

    From Delta Air Lines to Meta, a variety of businesses are testing tiered customer service. While it encourages loyalty in some industries, it can erode trust in others.

    By Michael Brady • Aug. 6, 2025
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    Half of customer service queries start on third-party platforms, survey finds

    Consumers are turning to search engines, social media and generative AI tools at the start of their journeys, with good success rates, Gartner finds.

    By • July 29, 2025
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    Why more CX leaders are looking to Africa for contact center agents

    Perhaps most attractive is the continent’s untapped labor market, which largely comprises young people with an affinity for technology. 

    By S.L. Fuller • Updated July 30, 2025
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    Want a great quick-service restaurant experience? Keep it fast and efficient

    Customers are happier with human-led ordering at the counter or the drive-thru than they are with using kiosks, according to a Qualtrics Instant Insights survey.

    By • Updated July 21, 2025
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    7-Eleven faces shrinking foot traffic

    Store visits have declined for several quarters. CFO Yoshimichi Maruyama said recovering customer traffic is “a major challenge for the time being.” 

    By Jessica Loder • July 17, 2025
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    Customers value 24/7 self-service less than you think

    The perception gap around AI-powered self-service may have more to do with poor execution than “a lack of interest,” Five9 research found.

    By Michael Brady • June 26, 2025