Customer Service

  • A traveler walks past a Southwest Airlines airplane as it taxies from a gate at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on October 11, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
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    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
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    Southwest lays out fresh offerings to meet customer and investor demands

    The company unveiled a plan to meet customers’ evolving preferences while maintaining core policies, like free bags, that have differentiated the airline.

    By • Sept. 27, 2024
  • A frustrated man talks on the phone with customer service while looking at his laptop.
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    fizkes via Getty Images
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    Customers don’t want to call back — they want first-contact resolution

    Long wait times and repetitive customer service calls rank among consumers’ top pet peeves, a Ujet and ContactBabel survey found.

    By • Sept. 26, 2024
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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
  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on stage at a T-Mobile event.
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    Courtesy of T-Mobile
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    T-Mobile, OpenAI to equip customer care agents with AI platform

    The IntentCX platform will dig through existing information, as well as real-time customer intent data, to power better customer service outcomes.

    By • Sept. 19, 2024
  • A person with a kid in a stroller walks past a bank branch while looking at their phone.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Consumers want to bank digitally, but quality service remains key

    Banks need to provide a capable mobile application and quality customer service, a Motley Fool Ascent survey found.

    By • Sept. 19, 2024
  • A warm-tinted room with beauty products on display tables and on shelves on the wall.
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    Courtesy of L'Occitane en Provence
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    L’Occitane opens Manhattan boutique, plans more store openings this fall

    The brand is trying to create unique experiences for customers in-store, offering facials and hand massages alongside other services.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Sept. 13, 2024
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    Drew Angerer / Staff via Getty Images
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    TD to pay CFPB $28M for giving credit agencies inaccurate customer data

    TD Bank repeatedly shared inaccurate and negative customer information to consumer reporting companies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.

    By Caitlin Mullen • Sept. 11, 2024
  • Two women with suitcases check in with a female employee at a hotel front desk.
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    FG Trade Latin via Getty Images
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    Guest satisfaction up at hotels run by third-party management: J.D. Power

    Davidson Hospitality Group had the highest satisfaction scores of other large hospitality management companies, outperforming independently operated ones.

    By Jenna Walters • Sept. 6, 2024
  • Attendees visit the Google booth at CES 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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    Alex Wong / Staff via Getty Images
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    Lawsuit alleges Google violated California privacy laws recording Home Depot customer service calls

    The class action suit alleges Google violated California law by recording and analyzing customers' calls to Home Depot customer service without prior authorization.

    By • Sept. 5, 2024
  • An employee wearing a headset sits at a workstation while using a computer.
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    alvarez via Getty Images
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    5 trends shaping the future of customer service

    The call center landscape is shifting. Generative AI, budget considerations, and employee experience initiatives will all shape the future of customer service.

    By • Sept. 5, 2024
  • The Salesforce logo is seen at Salesforce Tower on December 1, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
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    Stephen Lam via Getty Images
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    Salesforce bets on generative AI agents as the future of customer service

    The Agentforce platform, which will publicly launch in October, has found success among early adopters, CEO Marc Benioff said.

    By • Aug. 29, 2024
  • People walk past a sign for the Internal Revenue Service.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    What brands can learn from government CX initiatives

    Customer experience has become a focal point for many government agencies, offering takeaways for brands looking to prioritize trust.

    By Rosalyn Page • Aug. 29, 2024
  • A person talks to a chatbot on their phone
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    Sitthiphong via Getty Images
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    How chatbots can personalize self-service interactions

    Generative AI chatbots are well-suited to draw on customer metadata and company knowledge bases to personalize self-service experiences.

    By • Aug. 26, 2024
  • An American flag flying over a U.S. government building in a city against the backdrop of clouds swimming across a blue sky.
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    Jon Rehg via Getty Images
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    How the federal government became a CX champion

    From the Consumer Protection Bureau to the Federal Trade Commission, federal agencies have made protecting customers and improving CX a priority.

    By • Aug. 26, 2024
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images
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    Amazon allowing sellers to ditch physical returns

    The offering for Fulfillment by Amazon users helps them avoid fees by simply having customers keep items, the company said.

    By Max Garland • Aug. 23, 2024
  • A headset hangs on an empty call center cubicle
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    William Thomas Cain / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Consumers frustrated by inability to switch from self-service to live agent, survey finds

    Most customers have had a poor experience with a chatbot or interactive voice response system, in many cases due to the inability to reach a live agent, according to a survey by Verint.

    By • Aug. 20, 2024
  • DeWalt, Milwaukee and Craftsman tool displays in an Ace Hardware store
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    Permission granted by Ace Hardware
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    Ace Hardware’s new store model to be ‘immersive shopping experience that you can’t find anywhere else’

    The retailer's vice president of merchandising spoke about how the company is prioritizing innovation and community.

    By Nate Delesline III • Aug. 13, 2024
  • Three people sit on a panel in front of a screen that reads "Ending Hidden Junk Fees."
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Time is money, and the Biden-Harris administration wants to help consumers save both

    The Biden-Harris administration on Monday launched “Time Is Money,” an initiative to crack down on businesses that purposefully provide poor customer service in an effort to maximize profit.

    By • Aug. 12, 2024
  • A closeup of a person holding a smartphone featuring the responses from an AI chatbot.
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    Laurence Dutton via Getty Images
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    The biggest challenge of AI? Bringing along wary customers

    As more and more businesses adopt AI in customer service, employees say maintaining customer trust is a primary hurdle.

    By • Aug. 9, 2024
  • Shake Shack opened its first drive-thru location in Maple Grove, Minnesota Dec. 6, 2021.
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    Permission granted by Shake Shack
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    Shake Shack’s drive-thru times are way too long, CEO says

    Customers have to wait twice as long as they should in the key service area, CEO Rob Lynch said. To speed things up, the company is taking steps like combining menu items.

    By Julie Littman • Aug. 8, 2024
  • Close-up of a woman holding a smartphone and credit card and feeling upset
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    MTStock Studio via Getty Images
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    Credit card holders still want the phone to resolve complex tasks

    Even though most consumers prefer to pay credit card bills online, more than half still teaser phone support for customer service, a TD Bank survey found.

    By • Aug. 5, 2024
  • A stressed man uses his laptop while sitting on a couch at home.
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    AaronAmat via Getty Images
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    Gen X is least tolerant of bad experiences, survey finds

    While Gen Z is most likely to stay loyal to a brand, it takes just one or two bad experiences to lose most Gen X consumers, a Morning Consult survey found.

    By • July 31, 2024
  • A person signs in ASL in front of a computer.
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    Chainarong Prasertthai via Getty Images
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    As the ADA turns 34, technology risks leaving customer service accessibility behind

    “I think that the challenge is sometimes that the innovation moves so fast that people get left out,” said Chris Soukup of Communication Service for the Deaf.

    By • July 26, 2024
  • The exterior of the new Google headquarters in New York City.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Google sees potential for generative AI to boost CX while saving money

    The technology’s applications are broad enough to benefit customers and the bottom line at the same time, according to CEO Sundar Pichai.

    By • July 24, 2024
  • Customers stand in line at an airport.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Delta customers issue hundreds of complaints with DOT after mass cancellations

    Though a third-party vendor was to blame for the travel disruptions, Delta is working hard to minimize the impact of delays and cancellations on customers and their perceptions of the brand.

    By • July 22, 2024
  • Passengers check in for United Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    United Airlines touts high customer satisfaction score, app popularity

    Despite bearing the brunt of customers' concerns about flying safety this spring, United has been able to maintain strong operations to boost CX.

    By • July 22, 2024