A quick aside: it’s edition 52 of the newsletter - happy birthday to us!
Each week I look forward to scouring the latest news around the wider customer experience industry, and curating it for you (there’s some serious filtering of press releases from local government agencies focusing on customer service - a labor of love).
In all seriousness: thank you for being part of this community.
I always want to make this resource more helpful, so please feel free to drop a line and let me know what you’d like to see in our second year and beyond.
-Hope (and on behalf of my teammates Mark, Ryan, and Michele who also make this newsletter possible!)
CX Insights
Rebuilding consumer trust with customer service
Global consumer confidence still has yet to rebound to the consistent levels prior to the pandemic due to economic and geopolitical uncertainty, with consumers holding off on large purchases. One journalist proposes that customer service can be instrumental in turning this around.
The UK Customer Satisfaction Index found that, “83% of consumers would be more likely to follow through with these big-ticket purchases if they receive exceptional customer service.” The most important aspect of good service? Staff being knowledgeable and well-trained.
Making sure your staff have the tools they need to answer customer questions can be a simple, but powerful way to help your CX team be revenue drivers. Check out AI copilots like Kustomer’s AI Agents for Reps that put information at your agents’ fingertips.
Lobster DTC brand: customer service the key to scaling
Looking for a proof point that consumer trust is key to growth? Check out Get Maine Lobster, a 16-employee lobster DTC brand that tripled sales to $9 million in five years - all thanks to great customer service. In a new profile from the US Chamber of Commerce, the founder and CEO outlines these key elements to the company’s success:
- Knowing the customer’s needs
- Going after a niche market
- Expanding methodically while staying true to the core product
- Being available for consumer questions
CX leaders: it’s a clear example how delivering a high level of service can be instrumental to growth, especially for brands that are offering specialty products.
AI News
3 in 5 consumers use AI to shop, but brick and mortar still reigns
New research from EY on physical and digital commerce has found some key insights about how consumers are shopping and the burgeoning role of AI:
- Even with the growth of e-commerce and AI powered shopping, offline retail spend still makes up 77% of purchases.
- 3 in 5 consumers currently use AI to shop, but mostly for curating choices - most don’t want AI to make actual purchases.
- 94% of consumers make purchase decisions in-store after browsing across channels.
Why does retail still reign supreme? Trust is a huge part of the consumer journey. Consumers are familiar with the retailers they patronize. And even if they’re stepping into a store from a new brand, there’s much less risk of data breaches, and no risk of the purchases getting lost in the mail or being sent the wrong item when they can take it home with them immediately.
The CX leaders that will win are the ones who can find ways for AI to augment the whole shopping experience.
American Airlines modernizes CX with AI and real-time tech
American Airlines is overhauling its customer experience with a focus on resilience, self-service, and real-time updates. Chief Digital and Information Officer Ganesh Jayaram shared how AI is powering smarter rebooking via chat, preventing missed connections, and enhancing self-service tools like kiosks and a revamped mobile app. The airline’s end-to-end modernization aims to reduce friction, empower customers, and deliver timely, personalized updates through embedded tech and generative AI.
It’s a huge part of delivering an omnichannel experience, which supports travelers no matter how they prefer to communicate. Check out our blog on why omnichannel customer support is critical for travel brands to get right.
Salesforces reaches 1 million AI Agent conversations
Salesforce launched AI Agents back in October 2024 and has reached one million customer conversations with it, and shared some key learnings about what sets AI agents up for success:
- Content quality and variety are critical to providing the material for AI agent responses - but it better be up-to-date
- The AI agent needs to constantly be learning and updating, not static
- The AI agent needs to deliver empathetic support - the ‘how’ is just as important as the ‘what’
As you’re training AI agents in your organization, keep these in mind. Taking time up front to set them up correctly and refine over time is critical!
Tune In
As customer experience leaders like you explore AI agents, you may be digging into how they work and how to set them up for your team. At Kustomer, we get asked a lot: why do you need multiple AI agents?
Adi Subramaniam, a product manager on the Kustomer team, digs into this and sheds some clarity on why teams need more AI agents.
