IRS’ Direct File pilot earns high user satisfaction

Nine in 10 users of the free tax filing pilot ranked their experience as “excellent” or “above average,” according to a General Services Administration Touchpoints survey.

By Kristen Doerer • April 29, 2024

IHG taps Salesforce’s CRM to standardize customer data profiles

By unifying its customer profiles across 19 brands, the hotel chain said it can offer customers more tailored experiences.

By Bryan Wassel • April 29, 2024

Explore the 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

Ally Financial credits CX for high customer retention rates

Ally maintained an “industry-leading” customer retention rate of 96%, according to its earnings statement.

By Kristen Doerer • April 26, 2024

Companies are asking customer service teams to generate revenue, too

Nearly 9 in 10 leaders are reporting that their teams are expected to deliver more revenue through upselling, cross-selling and customer retention, Salesforce found.

By Bryan Wassel • April 23, 2024

Why calling customer service has so many ‘speed bumps’

Sometimes pressing “zero” repeatedly or saying “agent” over and over isn’t enough to redirect the line to a live person.

By S.L. Fuller • April 22, 2024

United grows NPS despite hit from Boeing groundings

Though the Max 9 grounding cost it $200 million, United pointed to its customer experience wins as a bright spot that will carry the company forward.

By Kristen Doerer • April 18, 2024

Solution to patchwork of state data-privacy laws shows promise

By mostly preempting state laws, the American Privacy Rights Act would give companies a much-needed roadmap for compliance, privacy specialists say.

By Jessica Mach • April 17, 2024

L.L. Bean cuts call center hours as more customers turn to self-service

The changes are in response to long-term customer trends, not current business conditions, the retailer told CX Dive.

By Bryan Wassel • April 15, 2024

Why more tech in stores shouldn’t mean fewer workers

Stores can automate more tasks than ever, including pricing, inventory management and checkout. But for theft prevention, customer service and brand engagement, they need humans.

By Daphne Howland • April 15, 2024

Discover, Mercedes-Benz turn to Google for customer service AI

Google’s Vertex AI platform will power call center agent productivity tools at Discover and self-service options at Mercedes-Benz.

By Bryan Wassel • April 9, 2024

Call centers must maintain security, trust as they implement AI, experts say

Data privacy and consumer trust are top-of-mind concerns as CX leaders roll out AI-powered customer service.

By Bryan Wassel • April 4, 2024

Agent roles are evolving as call centers enter the AI-powered era

The growing role of AI in the call center is undeniable, but it can’t come at the expense of agent support, experts say.

By Bryan Wassel • April 2, 2024

Customer trust in banks sees significant drop, JD Power finds

A growing rate of customers say they’re likely to change their primary banks in the next year.

By Kristen Doerer • April 2, 2024

Inside CVS Health’s push to transform customer experience

The transformation, led by Deloitte Digital, focused on increasing customer feedback to identify pervasive issues and closing the loop on customer inquiries.

By Kristen Doerer • March 27, 2024

Consumers are satisfied with banks, American Bankers Association survey finds

The trade association presented its survey findings as evidence that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed regulations are unnecessary.

By Kristen Doerer • March 22, 2024

Companies aren’t fulfilling customer service promises, employees say

Customer expectations grew during the pandemic, but companies aren’t adequately staffing workplaces to keep pace, according to Gallup analysis.

By Kristen Doerer • March 19, 2024

Arise to pay $2M to customer service agents for alleged wage theft

The customer service company misclassified at least 250 workers in the District of Columbia as independent contractors and failed to pay minimum wages, the attorney general alleged.

By Kristen Doerer • March 18, 2024

As passenger expectations rise, airport CX becomes a priority

Passengers ranked two smaller U.S. airports as the top North American airports for departure experience, according to Airports Council International World.

By Kristen Doerer • March 12, 2024

Customers trust their banks, but data security is a top worry, survey finds

Good customer service was the leading reason for customer satisfaction, a EPAM Continuum report found.

By Kristen Doerer • March 8, 2024

Aim for forgettable experiences, CSG says

Yes, it’s counterintuitive. But customers value easy experiences over exceptional ones, CSG said in a recent report.

By Kristen Doerer • March 6, 2024

Klarna sees its AI assistant as a success. Is it too early to tell?

The Open AI-powered customer service assistant is handling the work of 700 full-time agents, Klarna said, but experts note the human touch is still important.

By Bryan Wassel • March 4, 2024

Uber overhauls live chat, increasing customer adoption

The ride-hailing company worked to cut error rates to make it a more reliable customer service channel, growing the share of customers using live chat.

By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 26, 2024

USAA, Navy Federal lead consumer banking NPS rankings

The companies beat out the competition for highest net promoter scores among banks providing checking and savings accounts, NPS Prism found.

By Kristen Doerer • Feb. 23, 2024

AI can improve customer service, but agents remain essential

AI and agents together will be essential to keep up with growing demands for a great customer service experience, a Customer Contact Week survey found.

By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 21, 2024

Gartner expects the EU to mandate ‘right to talk to a human’ by 2028

Customer service leaders investing heavily in AI solutions would do well to keep a human in the loop, Gartner advises.

By Kristen Doerer • Feb. 20, 2024