CX News
Human connection in 4 minutes or less?
Starbucks is launching Green Apron Service, which it calls its biggest investment in customer service, centering around three pillars - enhanced service, staffing, and smart queue technology. The goal is: “to return to what makes Starbucks special: human connection”... but also get customers out the door in four minutes.
My take: This is lip service, and not going to shift the actual customer experience.
There are conflicting incentives at play. What’s quantifiable and easier to measure here? Speed, and the percentage of orders completed on time. So, I would bet that Starbucks employees will be optimizing for that. When I was in a frontline customer service role, I did too - I focused on what I could control (speed) because it was a big part of my performance evaluation and compensation.
The larger question for CX leaders to consider: Is this the right type of investment in CX? Does it align with the kind of experience the brand’s customers want?
Starbucks has been playing the middle road of being the fast-food option for coffee and a crafted experience. It’ll be interesting to see if this investment does indeed make a shift in the deeper customer experience, or if it continues to stay in this middle ground.
Bojangles expands Spanish-language ordering
Quick-service restaurant Bojangles has invested in making it possible to order in Spanish systemwide through the website and mobile app. In addition, 400 drive-thrus will offer Spanish-language ordering through its AI assistant, Bo-Linda, and 35 locations will offer Spanish-language ordering at kiosks.
I covered Bojangles’ CIO’s approach to AI-powered customer experiences and hospitality last year. This latest development shows a continued push to deliver great experiences that meet customers’ needs. (Take note, Starbucks!)
More than half of customer service journeys start on third-party platforms
Gartner finds more than half of customer service journeys start on third-party platforms, such as Google, YouTube, or ChatGPT. 74% of Gen Z try another platform before reaching out to official customer service channels, reflecting generational shifts in finding information and solving problems. However, customers have just a 62% success rate of solving their own issues on these third-party platforms.
CX leaders: It’s key that your self-service materials be current so the most accurate information can be pulled into the search results. Plus, investing in self-service for your customers can do double duty; you can help customers before they even reach your website, and those materials can be ported into any AI Agents you’re using for customers that do reach out on your brand’s channels first.
Get our guide on how to improve your brand’s self-service for all the tactics.
T-Mobile credits customer centric strategy for engagement and financial growth
T-Mobile’s T-Life app (which allows for account management, perks, and phone upgrades) has surpassed 75M downloads, with two-thirds of phone upgrades now happening digitally. Backed by AI-powered network investments and a focus on customer experience, T-Mobile reported industry-leading growth in Q2 2025 service revenues, with revenue up 6% year-over-year.
Device upgrading can be a hassle between working with the carrier and setting up the physical device; T-Mobile doing what it can on its end to alleviate that strain and seeing results. Making things easier and more accessible for customers is always a good move.
AI Headlines
1) NiCE acquires customer service AI startup Cognigy for $955M
2) Sawt raises $1 million to transform voice-based customer service
3) Cape Cod Commercial Linen Service introduces AI linen management, aiding the hospitality industry
4) Virgin Media O2 turns to AI Agents for customer service boost
The latest at Kustomer
We’ve got two new quick features enhancements to share:
Expanding Snooze: Now available for Tasks and more
Managing internal workflows just got smarter. Kustomer’s powerful Snooze functionality, long a favorite for managing conversations, is now available for Tasks and other assignable objects.
New reporting in AI Agents for Customers
We’ve launched a new set of reports for AI Agents for Customers, purpose-built for CX leaders who want clear answers about what’s working, where to improve, and how to drive the most value from their AI strategy.
