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Throughout my career, I’ve led customer support teams across a wide range of industries, from fast-growing SaaS companies and innovative Web3 platforms to eCommerce brands and popular video game studios. Through these experiences, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of customer service in driving business success.

But what does it take to deliver exceptional customer service in 2025? It goes beyond reactive service. It’s about creating personalized experiences that resonate with each customer. It’s about empowering support teams to be proactive and anticipate customer needs before they even arise. And it’s about staying ahead of the curve by leveraging the latest customer service research and technology.

In this article, I’ll share insights from my professional journey and the latest HubSpot data to explore why prioritizing customer service is vital in 2025. We’ll uncover how exceptional service boosts your bottom line, strengthens marketing, enhances brand image, and builds lasting customer relationships.

Table of Contents

• Why is customer service important?
• Financial Benefits of Excellent Customer Service
• How Customer Service Supports Marketing Success
• Customer Service’s Impact on Brand Image
• The Power of Well-Equipped Employees
• What Businesses Need to Improve Customer Service
• Invest in Your Customer Service Team Today

This direct connection not only helps retain customers but also turns them into advocates for your brand.

I’ve found that by investing in proactive support and personalized experiences, we can turn satisfied customers into loyal promoters who actively contribute to the growth of the business. It’s the essence of what we call the ‘flywheel’ — a continuous loop where happy customers fuel further growth through referrals, testimonials, and repeat business.

Financial Benefits of Excellent Customer Service

A company that prioritizes excellent customer service isn’t just responding to queries or resolving issues. It’s actively driving revenue and boosting profitability. In fact, improving customer experience can increase sales revenue by 2-7% and profitability by 1-2%.

Let’s delve deeper into the financial benefits of a top-notch customer service team:

1. Customer retention is cheaper than customer acquisition.

Acquiring a new customer is significantly more expensive than retaining an existing one. According to our research, companies that fail to invest even a small percentage of their budget in customer service face higher customer acquisition costs (CAC).

Investing in customer service doesn’t just reduce churn —it directly lowers CAC by decreasing the need to constantly replace lost customers.

Every successful startup I’ve worked with over the past decade has prioritized customer service and customer success teams with this goal in mind.

Why is customer retention so important?

• Repeat customers are more profitable: Studies show that 20% of your current customers generate 80% of your profits. Retaining and nurturing this group is essential for long-term growth.
• Positive experiences drive loyalty: When customers have a great first experience, they’re far more likely to return. Satisfied customers not only stick around but also spend more over time. I’ve seen this personally while working on the Insider loyalty program at Skybound Entertainment as it drove repeat purchases and long-term advocacy.

Pro tip: Focus on crafting exceptional customer experiences to boost retention. Start with a stellar onboarding process and personalized offers. According to McKinsey, companies with experience-led growth strategies enjoy 5-10% higher wallet share and 20-30% higher customer satisfaction and engagement –– a win-win for both customers and your bottom line.

2. Customers will pay more to companies with better customer service.

Another thing I’ve learned over the years is that great service pays off, literally. An extraordinary number of customers are willing to pay a premium for businesses that prioritize exceptional service. Over 80% of customers report that receiving value during a service experience makes them more likely to repurchase, even when given the option to switch to a competitor.

Why does customer service make such a difference?

• Service builds loyalty: A single positive experience can solidify a customer’s commitment to your brand, while one negative interaction can send them straight to your competitor.
• Customers value respect: People notice when your team treats them with care and empathy, and they reward that effort with repeat business.

I’ve definitely witnessed this firsthand at Skybound with the Insider loyalty program and aspects of community management. When you solve for the customer, whether it’s through quick resolutions or thoughtful conversations, they stick around and support you more. Creating communities is a great way to foster this type of relationship.

Pro tip: To deliver the kind of customer service that drives loyalty and revenue, focus on these essentials.

• Resolve issues promptly and accurately.
• Listen actively and show you genuinely care about the customer’s concerns.
• Meet customers where they are, no matter the channel.
• Take customer insights seriously and refine your processes to keep their needs front and center.

I know you might be thinking this seems like a lot, but it becomes manageable and scalable with an all-in-one customer service solution. In my experience, investing in the right tools can really take your capabilities to new heights.

3. Customer service grows customer lifetime value.

Customer lifetime value (CLV) is a really important metric for any business. It measures the total revenue a single customer generates over the entire duration of their relationship with your company.

From my experience, increasing CLV requires a strategic and intentional focus on exceptional customer service. At Dapper Labs, for example, we achieved a significant CLV increase by implementing conversational AI chatbots. These chatbots managed 70% of incoming support requests (later more), which allowed our human agents to focus on solving complex customer issues and fostering deeper, more meaningful connections.

How does exceptional customer service boost CLV?

• Increased customer satisfaction: Positive support experiences encourage loyalty and drive repeat business.
• Enhanced brand loyalty: When customers feel valued and supported, they stick around longer.
• Effective upselling and cross-selling: Trust built through exceptional service makes customers more receptive to product recommendations, driving higher sales through cross-selling.

Pro Tip: Use customer service research and machine learning to predict CLV and inform your marketing strategies. Predictive CLV models, powered by AI, use historical customer behavior patterns to forecast how much value a customer will bring over their journey with your brand. These insights can help identify high-value customers, optimize your acquisition costs, and tailor personalized marketing efforts to retain them more effectively.

4. Customer service can lead to more revenue.

Business leaders know that profitability isn’t just about budgeting wisely, but it’s also about how customer experience can directly drive revenue. Research shows that companies focusing on CX see twice the revenue growth compared to their peers, and this trend has held steady for the past decade.

At Skybound, we leaned into this idea during the holiday shopping season on our online store. We set up our customer service team for success by giving them the tools and insights they needed to handle questions and concerns without delay. We made sure they had real-time inventory access and communication strategies to address common issues like order timing and shipping delays.

On top of that, agents took a proactive approach by offering tailored product suggestions that aligned with ongoing promotions –– helping customers unlock discounts, bundle deals, or free shipping, making the shopping journey seamless and rewarding.

CX is an investment that improves experiences and financial performance.

Pro tip: Empower your team with the right tools and proactive strategies during busy periods. Offering personalized promotions and quick, empathetic responses can turn inquiries into lasting customer relationships and sales opportunities.

How Customer Service Supports Marketing Success

Customer service team members are on the frontlines, communicating daily with current and potential customers. As a result of this proximity, customer service can offer valuable insight that can help improve marketing outcomes.

1. Customer service employees can offer important insights about customer experiences.

Often, how you see your brand privately is different from how your customers see it.

For example, an athletic wear business might market itself as health and fitness-focused, but people might buy from them more for comfort or style. To tailor your message and product strategy, you need to understand these subtleties.

One of the best ways to get this information is to talk to your customer service team. Every day, they talk to customers and find out what works and what doesn’t, as well as why people keep coming back. You can turn these exchanges into useful data by giving them the right tools and training.

We used this approach a lot during important campaigns at Skybound. By letting agents record common themes from their interactions, we learned surprising things about why customers purchased, which helped us improve our products and send more targeted marketing messages.

Businesses get more than just happy customers when they put money into knowing and improving the customer journey. In fact, 73% of businesses that give their customers an above-average experience do better financially than their competitors.

There is a clear link between putting customer happiness first and long-term growth and profit. It’s not just the right thing to do; it works.

2. Proactive customer service creates marketing opportunities.

People often think of customer service as an action-based job that deals with issues as they come up. But taking a more proactive method has big advantages.

Businesses that get in touch with customers before problems happen show that they want to make their experience better. This not only makes people happier, but it also makes business possible.

Proactive service empowers you to instantly provide customers with the latest goods, features, or solutions they need. Your team can reach out to someone who had a problem in the past to let them know about a new feature that will fix that particular issue. This makes the contact feel personal and up-to-date.

60% of customers say that “representatives responding quickly and bringing quick solutions” is the top factor that encourages them to make repeat purchases. Proactive service helps mitigate this by engaging customers early, preventing dissatisfaction, and even turning service interactions into sales opportunities.

3. Personalized customer service can improve your online conversion rate.

Your online conversion rate can improve by 8% when you include personalized consumer experiences. A higher conversion rate should lead to more sales and more revenue. Customer service keeps your flywheel moving, like marketing and sales.

However, service that isn’t personalized and makes customers feel like no more than a ticket number in the system harms customer retention. Of customers, 62% think businesses can do more in terms of personalization because they’d prefer to feel like an experience is all about them.

Data supports that great customer service is an expectation, not a frivilous bonus. You’ll attract new customers, prevent customer churn, and build your brand reputation and image with excellent customer service.

Customer Service’s Impact on Brand Image

Every company is known for its customer service to some degree. Of course, you always want a positive brand image, and customer service can be a significant determining factor.

1. Customer service affects your brand image and loyalty potential.

Your customer service team is often the first point of direct contact between your brand and potential buyers. While marketing campaigns and content build awareness, it’s the customer service experience that truly shapes how customers view your brand and whether they remain loyal.

It also plays a huge role in converting first-time buyers into repeat customers. Research shows that 89% of customers are more likely to return after a positive customer service interaction.

In fact, for 66% of customers, a brand’s reputation for customer service is a key factor when making a purchasing decision. On the flip side, poor service can cause customers to cut ties with a brand.

It’s proven that investing in a customer service team that aligns with your brand’s values is crucial for long-term success and customer retention.

2. Excellent customer service will protect relationships with customers who experience a mistake down the road.

Poor customer service can cause significant damage to your business, especially as more customers are vocal about their negative experiences. 51% of B2B companies will stop doing business with a vendor after a bad customer service experience.

Customers are also quick to leave companies that don’t meet their expectations. Roughly 86% of customers would leave a brand after even just two poor experiences.

However, the story isn’t all negative. If your company provides excellent customer service, 78% of customers are willing to give you a second chance after a mistake.

Studies have shown over and over that customers are more loyal to companies that fix problems quickly and correctly than to companies that have never had a problem in the first place. This is called the “service recovery paradox,” and it shows how important it is to not only avoid mistakes as much as possible, but also make sure systems are ready for when they do happen.

From what I’ve seen, companies that can turn a bad situation around are the ones that give their employees the tools they need to handle issues with care and speed.

3. A positive customer service reputation makes people more likely to do business with you.

It’s obvious now that outstanding customer service is a significant differentiator. Even in highly competitive markets with equal products and pricing, businesses that focus on customer experience can gain an advantage.

Consider this: if two organizations offer essentially the same product, but one gives great service, which one will you likely choose?

According to research, positive interactions increase customer loyalty even in the face of rival offers. Customers will stick with a brand that they trust and feel appreciated by.

In today’s digital age, where word-of-mouth spreads quickly online via reviews, social media, and forums, a great reputation for customer service is essential. It’s become a major driver of new customer acquisition and overall business success.

The Power of Well-Equipped Employees

If a company doesn’t appreciate and properly resource its customer service team, it will show in the quality of service that customers receive. But when companies provide the proper training and work environment, customer service employees become a powerful force to turn satisfied customers into loyal advocates who fuel your business.

1. Happy customer service employees will create happy customers.

It’s simple: happy customer service employees create happy customers — and the numbers prove it.

Our annual State of Service report found that when companies invest in their service teams by providing proper training, tools, and support, it leads to better outcomes for both employees and customers.

Motivated, well-equipped reps deliver quicker, more personalized service, which boosts customer satisfaction. In fact, happy employees can lead to a 13% increase in productivity. That kind of boost makes a huge difference in meeting customer expectations, keeping them satisfied, and driving more loyalty. This is true for both B2B and B2C environments.

It’s surprising that so many companies miss this link. In my experience, too many leaders still treat customer service as a cost center instead of recognizing it as a key growth driver.

However, the companies that priortize their teams see real results. Engaged employees are better able to meet the rising demand for fast and efficient service. By investing in your people and the right tools, you’re not only creating a positive work environment but also ensuring happier customers –– leading to long-term success.

2. Happy customers will refer others.

When people have a memorable experience — good or bad — it’s natural to want to shout about it from the rooftops. But, of course, today’s rooftops are review websites and social media, with 55% of consumers sharing their purchases socially on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social sites.

For better or worse, your most impacted customers will do word-of-mouth advertising for you. In fact, 66% of salespeople say that the highest quality leads come from existing customers. Since great customer service translates to happy customers, your customer service team can be a major catalyst for cheap promotion through positive word-of-mouth and referrals.

Much like your most loyal customers, referred customers are a business treasure. Referred customers:

• Refer 30-57% more new customers than others
• Help businesses generate 3-5 times higher conversions
• Are 4x more likely to buy when referred by a friend

Customers who feel genuinely valued are not only more likely to return, but they’ll also actively become your best advocates. A referred customer from a happy one is a trust bridge built on positive experiences, and it’s the kind of growth that’s both organic and sustainable.

3. Good customer service encourages customers to remain loyal.

As we’ve covered, it‘s much cheaper to retain an old customer than to acquire a new one. So, in this sense, the higher a customer’s lifetime value — the total revenue a company can expect a single customer to generate throughout their relationship with that company — the higher the profit for your company.

Compared to hundreds of possible competitors with similar products and services, your company has to do more than relish the exciting features of your products. You can differentiate from your competitors by providing stellar customer service. This is especially true when it’s time to launch a new product or service.

Your existing customers are 50% more likely to try a new product and spend 31% more money on it than new customers. In fact, new customers are only 5-20% likely to buy a product.

For those existing customers to stay long enough to consider a new product, it takes effort via customer service to keep them satisfied. Of customers, 71% cited poor customer service as the reason they ended a relationship with a company.

Conversely, when your company’s customer service is excellent, you’re more likely to see your customers stick around and eventually try more of your offerings.

Loyalty is rooted in trust, and customers can trust real-life humans more than the ideas and values of a brand. So, by interacting with your customer service team, those customers can hopefully build life-long relationships with your business.

What Businesses Need to Improve Customer Service

Beyond understanding how essential it is to put considerable effort into building a solid customer service team, companies need to provide employees with all the tools they need to deliver the type of consistent, proactive customer service required today.

Here are a few areas to keep in mind when improving your customer service team:

1. Customers expect high-quality service.

Your team needs to be world-class and ready to meet customer demands at a moment’s notice.

Research shows that 76% of consumers expect connected interactions across all channels, but a majority, 54%, feel their experiences are often fragmented across sales, marketing, and service teams. On top of this, 58% of customers say their service expectations have increased since the pandemic. Consumers demand service that is personalized and consistent.

This is where businesses can capitalize on their CX strategy. The gap in customer expectations and actual delivery leaves room for improvement. With competition at an all-time high and customers having endless options, it’s clear that meeting these expectations is no longer a luxury.

2. Businesses need omnichannel solutions.

In the past decade, businesses gradually explored new, digital ways to engage and support customers. But, over the past few years, this timeline accelerated significantly. As we pointed out, consumers expect service across all channels.

As we shared in our State of Service report, only 50% of companies have enabled their service teams with the most basic service features a CRM can provide: a help desk, knowledge base, and shared email capabilities.

As a result, many businesses have much catching up to do to provide their customer service teams with the tools they need to serve customers well across every channel.

Considering this is also one of the highest ROI strategies for CS teams, count omnichannel solutions as a major growth area in the future.

The image below explains how omnichannel experiences work:

Source

Rather than having each channel operate independently, the channels link together so they can share messages and information freely. That way, customers don’t have to navigate away from what they’re doing to get help from your business.

Instead, any time they need help, they can reach out on any channel of their choice and will get an immediate, reliable response.

3. Excellent customer service is a competitive advantage.

Excellent customer service has always been a major differentiator, and it’s only becoming more crucial. According to a Zendesk report, when businesses offer quick, effective, and personalized support, they not only keep their existing customers but also attract new customers from competitors.

Personalization is key. Our own research found that 78% of customers expect it, and 44% are more likely to return after a personalized experience. Customer loyalty is tightly connected to how much personalized attention they get. A solid customer service experience can increase revenue, as businesses that understand and meet customer needs build deeper, longer-lasting relationships.

By delivering fast, personalized service and addressing issues quickly, your company can stand out, grow, and gain a competitive edge.

As Jeff Bezos famously said, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

Invest in Your Customer Service Team Today

Writing this has reminded me of the undeniable connection between investing in customer service and driving business success. When businesses prioritize their customer service teams (by recruiting top talent, offering the right training, and equipping them with the best tools), they build a foundation that supports long-term growth.

What I’ve further realized through this process is that customer service is far more than a support function. It’s a core part of your brand and customer experience, capable of shaping perceptions, building loyalty, and driving revenue.

So, now that I’ve seen the impact of these investments, I’m asking you: How will you raise the standard of customer service at your company? How will you invest in your team to create the kind of lasting relationships that keep customers coming back for more?

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2018 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

I’ve been in the trenches of customer support for some of Silicon Valley’s fastest-growing startups, and I’ve seen how a poor digital customer experience can lead to frustration and lost customers.

I recall a time at one of my previous employers when we launched a self-service portal that, while functional, left users frustrated. They couldn’t easily find the actual help they needed, and the experience felt disconnected. It became clear that simply offering a support option wasn’t enough — we needed to create an intuitive, engaging support experience that really empowered customers.

A great digital experience should create an environment where users feel understood and valued at every stage of their journey. In the example of customer support, offering a range of support options — like live chat, self-service tools, and AI-powered solutions — ensures that customers can access help whenever they need it.

With customer expectations constantly rising, building a seamless experience in all areas of your business is essential for staying competitive. Now, let’s dive into what digital customer experience is and why a strong strategy is important for success.

Table of Contents

• What is digital customer experience?
• Digital Customer Experience Best Practices
• Digital Customer Experience Trends
• The Importance of a Great Digital Customer Experience Strategy
• Digital Customer Experience vs. Customer Experience
• Building a Customer-Centric Digital Future: Why It Matters

The Importance of a Great Digital Customer Experience Strategy

Creating a delightful online experience with your product or service has become increasingly important.

Any number of competitors can meet the needs of your target audience, but if they look forward to interacting with you, they won’t look to anyone else.

Digital CX touchpoints, such as chatbots and online forms, are just the beginning of a larger experience structure.

A thorough and thoughtful customer experience strategy gives you more control over how customers perceive your company. It helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, so you can continually improve and keep both existing and new customers happy.

For example, those new leads should be able to easily navigate through the content on your website and understand why they should purchase from you. Returning customers should have access to customer success and support features built into your app’s user interface.

In addition to reaching consumers where they are in their customer journey, a seamless digital experience is crucial when it comes to customer satisfaction.

It lets you anticipate and map out how users move across your different online channels (more on that later!). Plus, great digital CX facilitates a cohesive experience that nurtures customers through every stage of your flywheel.

As part of HubSpot’s “Gain Grow Retain” podcast series, Gainsight Customer Success Evangelist Dan Steinman joined the show to discuss digital customer success. Listen here to Steinman discuss the importance of digital CX for your business.

Digital Customer Experience vs. Customer Experience

Digital customer experience is a key component of customer experience.

We know that customer experience, or CX, is the impression you‘ve left on your customers throughout their entire journey with your brand. It’s a combination of customers’ interactions with your people and your products.

Think of digital CX as the online arm of your company‘s overarching CX strategy. It’s the digital mediums your customers use to interact with those people and products. And, the perception they take away based on their experience.

Let’s review some best practices you can use to optimize digital CX at your company.

1. Know your audience.

Before creating a digital experience that your customers will love, you have to know who your customers are.

Buyer personas are a great way to understand who is buying your product and why. Personas make it easier to tailor your digital CX strategy to meet your target audience’s specific needs and desires.

Collecting online forms from potential leads is the best way to let people interested in your offering introduce themselves and their needs.

Commonalities among answers on initial forms can help you better understand how you are first perceived. They can even indicate what you can provide in the future to meet more of your customers’ needs.

Crafting, tracking, and revising the customer journey from beginning to end is critical for building excellent CX.

Mapping out the customer journey can help you determine which digital touchpoints are most important for your customers so you can optimize those points.

Luckily, there are advanced marketing reporting tools specifically tailored to help you develop your digital customer experience.

2. Create omni-channel customer experiences.

In my experience, a lot of companies confuse multichannel and omnichannel, but the key differences come down to data syncing and CX continuity.

Multichannel vs. Omnichannel

Multichannel just means being present on several platforms, but those platforms often work in isolation, creating a disjointed experience. Customers end up repeating themselves or feel like they’re dealing with different businesses, depending on the channel.

Source

Omnichannel, on the other hand, is all about integration. Picture a customer browsing your website on their mobile app, adding items to their cart, then completing the purchase through a chatbot.

With data syncing in an omnichannel setup, all of these interactions are connected, so the customer’s history and preferences are available across every platform. This makes the experience seamless and personalized.

3. Pay attention to mobile experiences.

Whether you have a detailed website or a handy app, it’s important to focus on the mobile experience. After all, over 90% of the global internet population uses a mobile device to go online.

That’s because smartphones allow customers to compare companies while they shop. They can see how your brand stacks up against your competitors before they make a purchase.

If your website or app doesn‘t seem to fit their needs, chances are your products won’t either.

When designing your digital customer experience, make sure it‘s mobile-responsive. That means when it’s displayed on a tablet or phone, the interface automatically adjusts to the smaller screen.

This dramatically affects the user experience and makes it much easier to navigate through your content.

4. Adopt analytics.

In my web development and social media marketing work, using data-driven insights is critical to shaping an exceptional digital customer experience.

Tools like Google Analytics and social media metrics allow me to understand user behavior on a deeper level. From identifying where visitors drop off during checkout to discovering which social media posts resonate most with audiences, these insights guide every decision I make to optimize the customer journey.

For example, analyzing user flows has helped me streamline navigation for websites I’ve built, reducing friction and improving conversions.

Having the right tools to centralize data and track interactions can make all the difference. Being able to manage campaigns while keeping digital CX front and center has been invaluable in my work. If you’re exploring ways to elevate your strategy, it’s something I’d definitely recommend looking into.

5. Collect customer feedback.

One of my favorite ways to gather information is by asking customers for their feedback. Have them complete a survey after using your website or app and ask if they would recommend it to their peers.

You can use a Net Promoter Score, or NPS, survey to gather both qualitative and quantitative data on your digital customer experience. While there are other metrics you can look into as well, this should give you a good idea of how customers are reacting to your content.

Sample survey questions may include:

• On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our business to a friend or colleague?
• Which product/service features do you value and use the most?
• How can we improve your experience on our app?

6. Conduct user testing.

User testing is another way to determine how much customers enjoy using your digital properties. In this environment, a select group of customers is asked to test your product. Then, they provide feedback on specific aspects of the user experience.

This gives you the chance to tweak your website or app before releasing it to the rest of your customer base. While there are a few different types of user tests, the most popular one is usability testing.

Usability tests assess how easy it is to use and navigate your product. Participants are asked to perform a simple task. Then, they’re evaluated on their ability to complete it. This shows your development team how user-friendly your website or app is.

One easy way to go about this, if you have an active online community, is to ask a segment of that group to participate in a usability test. It benefits both parties in the end to have a quality experience built on real user preferences.

7. Think like a futurist.

This is my favorite part — thinking like a futurist. The digital landscape is advancing faster than ever, and as we approach 2025, staying competitive means rethinking how we use emerging technologies to elevate digital customer experiences.

Consider industries like healthcare, where AI is transforming patient care. Platforms now integrate real-time data from wearable devices, providing physicians with the ability to have continous insights into a patient’s health.

This proactive approach means doctors can anticipate issues and deliver personalized interventions before problems escalate. Patients, in turn, get a more seamless, connected experience – one where their data follows them across devices and systems, creating a sense of continuity (there’s that word again) and care that builds trust.

This isn’t limited to enterprise-level players, either. With the rise of AI marketplaces and no-code solutions, even startups can harness these tools to innovate.

Thinking like a futurist means staying informed about advancements, like how conversational AI is evolving to handle increasingly complex queries, and being bold enough to pilot these technologies in your business.

The key is experimenting, adapting quickly, and creating digital experiences that make customers feel truly understood and valued.

Speaking of trends, let’s review a few digital trends that businesses are following in 2025.

1. Improvements in AI

A great example is how AI is used in email marketing. Businesses can send mass emails that still feel personal and tailored to each recipient.

AI pulls customer data from CRMs and customizes the message, making it appear as though it was written specifically for that person – without burdening employees with the task of doing it manually.

AI is advancing rapidly, and over the next few months, we’ll see new features hit the market. While change can be daunting, leveraging AI now is one of the best ways to stay competitive.

At HubSpot, for example, we’re already rolling out exciting new AI tools to help businesses deliver even more personalized experiences.

2. Increased Number of Chatbots

Chatbots are about to explode in the retail space. In the past, bots were very limited and could only perform a predetermined series of actions. This made for dull customer experiences that often did not provide the needed solutions.

There’s still a lingering stigma that chatbots are just talkative phone trees that lead nowhere until you ask for a human being to speak with. The good news is that chatbots are improving along with AI like a tide raising the ship. Juniper Research forecasts that global retail spend on chatbots will increase by 470% over the next five years.

This spending trend will significantly reduce the pressure on support teams to answer routine questions. These automated systems will be able to handle tasks like opening support tickets and routing them to the right people, making the whole process more efficient.

With the implementation of chatbots, support agents can refocus their time and energy on complex or time-sensitive cases that are more likely to result in customer churn.

But, like your overall digital CX strategy, chatbots can’t simply be set up and left to do the work. They need guidance on improving the customer experience at key points in the journey, helping the chatbot become more useful and ultimately deliver the best experience possible for the customer. Consider setting aside time daily or weekly to fine-tune your bot based on its user interactions.

Also, spend a few minutes with this video that remains at the heart of the chatbot wave and provides guidance on using chatbots for your business.

3. Enhanced Self-Service Capabilities

Customers don‘t want to wait long (or at all) for support if they don’t have to. More companies are focused on finding ways to help customers quickly help themselves.

In addition to chatbots, this may include:

• Knowledge bases. These searchable databases allow customers to find resources about your products and answers to FAQs. This makes the information-seeking process faster for customers. Plus, it releases some of the burden on your customer service team.
• Workflow automation. This involves setting up self-operating processes that run manual tasks, saving time and resources. For example, a customer requests a return on your website. An email is automatically triggered to send them the return label, rather than waiting for a customer service rep.

4. More Focus on Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics determine how customers will react to changes in your business. These reports help business leaders understand customer behavior and the company‘s role in their customers’ lives.

As AI and machine learning continue to improve, we can expect predictive analytics to become a fundamental tool used by companies with a digital presence.

These reports will be built into the internal user interface and updated with the most recent customer data. That way, business leaders will have all the information they need to confidently make decisions for their company.

5. New Augmented Reality Tools

Augmented reality (AR) presents fun, new opportunities to improve digital customer experience. If you‘re unfamiliar with AR, it’s a technology that supplements real images with digital elements, such as graphics or text overlays. While it’s been around a few years now, it’s still picking up steam.

Here’s an example from a school in Berkshire, England, that is leveraging VR and headsets to learn and expand in a variety of interactive lessons within the metaverse.

There’s a lot of potential for the use of AR in customer service, too. For example, some brands have used it to supplement in-person customer experience by displaying product information as customers shop.

When customers are in the store, they might use their smart devices to scan a product and see data such as customer reviews and product details. This reduces friction during the buying process, making it easier for customers to find the product or service that’s right for them.

Another popular AR trend is the “try-as-you-buy” experience. If your company operates mostly online, you can let customers test your products using an AR version on their computer. That way, customers can avoid the hassle of buying your product or asking for a sample only to return it a few weeks later.

6. Personalized Customer Experiences

According to research, 70% of consumers would willingly provide personal data if they knew it was being used to improve their experience.

This means customers are willing to give you information. In return, they ask that you meet them where they are in their customer journey.

One great way to personalize a customer’s shopping experience is to send them an email with product recommendations based on their recent browsing or purchase history. This communicates to your customers that you are using data to help them, making it easier for them to find what they want and need.

As you continue collecting customer data, creating personalized customer experiences will be easier.

Not only will you strengthen your understanding of your customer base, but you‘ll also have the technology needed to distribute content effectively. What’s more, you’ll be able to automate this personalization to maintain a delightful customer experience as your business grows.

7. Emphasis on Data Security and Privacy

With all of this data comes great responsibility.

Yes, customers are willing to share their data with you, but they expect it to be properly protected and used for the right reasons. Roughly 71% of consumers would stop doing business with a company if it mishandled their sensitive data, highlighting the importance of prioritizing data security and privacy.

These types of violations can also severely damage customer trust and drive them away from your brand. Protecting customer data is vital for maintaining a positive reputation and building long-term relationships.

Keep up with the latest privacy laws and regulations that affect your business relationships with customers. Regularly audit your data practices, update privacy notices, and adopt procedures for handling new consumer rights and opt-out requests.

1. Warby Parker’s Virtual Try-On

Source

Warby Parker, known for its affordable and stylish eyewear, was an early adopter of augmented reality in its digital customer experience. Their app allows customers to virtually try on glasses from the comfort of their homes, tapping into the convenience of online shopping and the growing AR shopping trend.

This forward-thinking approach paid off, especially during the pandemic when in-person shopping became challenging. Suddenly, being able to try on glasses or makeup virtually wasn’t just a cool feature. It was a necessity.

But beyond the obvious benefits, their use of AR has broader implications for accessibility and inclusivity, demonstrating their commitment to serving a diverse customer base.

Their early adoption of AR, combined with their focus on a seamless mobile experience, allowed them to stay ahead of the curve and meet their customers where they were — online and on their phones. This highlights the importance of anticipating customer needs and leveraging technology to create engaging and accessible digital experiences.

What I like: Warby Parker’s approach really caught my attention since they went AR beyond the clear advantages. While digitally trying on glasses is entertaining, what really distinguishes this use of technology is how it makes eyewear more accessible to persons with mobility issues or those without simple access to transportation. It’s a perfect illustration of how digital experiences can propel equity and accessibility, transcending basic convenience.

2. Apple’s Omni-Channel Experience

Source

Apple is a great example of a company that has created a seamless digital customer experience based on the customer’s data.

Through iCloud, customers always have access to their data — like messages, photos, and contacts — and this is true regardless of which Apple device they’re using.

It also extends beyond Apple devices. Users can access their digital storage by simply signing into iCloud from any device with an internet signal.

This has made each iCloud user’s digital life fit more harmoniously with their physical life in ways that affect connectivity and culture.

Consider one service they offer: AirDrop. Once upon a time, you had to store a file on a single, physical device.

Sharing it was a multi-step process that could be tripped up by file size, your recipient not having the right program, and other tedious problems caused by mismatched technology.

So much friction just trying to share a file — all while sitting right there at the same table! Oof.

With two AirDrop-enabled devices, you can just choose a file to send and tap AirDrop. It automatically transfers to the other nearby device, and you can move on with your idea sharing and projects much faster.

Pro tip: Some folks use digital storage far more than others, so Apple’s iCloud storage comes in various sizes and prices. Their goal is to provide what people need to maintain their own continuity of experience.

3. UNICEF’s Chatbot for Societal Change

Source

I’m inspired by how organizations are using chatbots for more than just customer service. UNICEF, for example, has a chatbot-based polling system called U-Report. It gathers crucial feedback from underserved communities worldwide, often young people in developing countries, on important societal issues.

This gives a voice to those who might not otherwise be heard, and UNICEF uses this information to shape policy recommendations and drive positive global change. It’s a powerful example of how digital tools can be used creatively to make a real-world impact and improve lives.

What I like: I’m seeing both retail companies and non-profits finding incredibly innovative ways to use chatbots. It’s exactly this kind of creative thinking that pushes boundaries and shapes the future of digital customer experience.

Building a Customer-Centric Digital Future: Why It Matters

Having worked in customer experience for years, I’ve always understood the importance of digital customer experience. But, as I explored the topic further, I was reminded of just how critical it is for businesses to refine their digital CX strategies continuously.

The deeper I dug, the more I realized that a truly effective strategy goes beyond engaging customers. These days, it’s really important to prioritize seamless and personalized experiences, while leveraging the latest AI tech.

As I revisited best practices, I realized how essential it is to build trust and reliability in every customer interaction. Whether it’s offering accurate, helpful information, providing just a little more personalized support, or ensuring data security is on point, each touchpoint strengthens the relationship between your brand and your customer.

If you’re ready to take your CX strategy to the next level, take a look at our free CX resources or reach out to our team at HubSpot to see how we can help you build stronger customer relationships and drive real business growth.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

As a freelance content marketer, I’ve faced my fair share of difficult clients. And if you’ve worked in a customer-facing role, I’m sure you’ve experienced that internal “ugh!” — the little annoying feeling you get when you know the customer isn’t right.

But that doesn’t mean the phrase “the customer is always right” doesn’t hold any merit. In this piece, I’ll discuss how this philosophy should (and shouldn’t) factor into your customer service strategy, along with inputs from customer-centric professionals.

Continue reading or jump ahead:

• Is the customer always right?
• Origin of ‘The Customer Is Always Right’
• 5 Reasons Why the Customer Is Always Right
• What To Do When the Customer Isn’t Right
• How to Maintain a Customer-First Mentality

What does “the customer is always right” mean?

While ‘always right’ usually translates to “never wrong,” this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to customer service.

Customers aren’t going to be right in every situation, but they are entitled to have support and service teams do everything in their power (within reason) to satisfy their needs.

Here’s an interesting video that offers more perspective on this age-old question.

Who came up with ‘the customer is always right’?

Marshall Field first introduced the concept when he founded Chicago’s first department store, Marshall Field’s, in 1893.

Overseas, Henry Gordon Selfridge followed suit when he opened the first department store in London.

Almost 100 years later, César Ritz introduced the motto to the hospitality industry when he founded The Ritz Carlton Hotels.

His mantra was “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which means the customer is never wrong.

In all cases, these pioneers instructed their employees to give priority to customer satisfaction, no questions asked.

Although it was a novel idea at the time, their strategy worked. Customers were not used to being treated with that level of care, and they flocked to both these businesses in response.

Subscribing to the mindset that the customer is always right means that businesses shouldn’t spend time questioning the legitimacy of customer complaints.

Instead, employees focus their energy on troubleshooting issues and delighting customers with solutions.

In my opinion, when you think of “the customer is always right,” don’t think of it in the context of “customers can do no wrong.”

Here are five reasons why this phrase should hold true.

1. The customer always has the right to have their voice heard.

Customers want to feel like you’re actively listening to their pain points and concerns. That’s why even the angriest of customers deserve to feel seen and heard by a business.

You should always give your customer the platform to share their opinions — both the positive and the negative. Customer feedback surveys are a great way to make this happen.

2. The customer always deserves to have their issues resolved.

Your job is to provide a seamless experience for your customers. If there’s too much friction throughout the customer journey, those customers are more likely to churn.

You should always strive to resolve customer issues quickly and effectively. Customer journey mapping can help you proactively mitigate these issues along the way.

3. The customer always has the privilege to feel empowered.

Empowered customers are happy customers. Happy customers are loyal customers. And loyal customers are most likely to stick around and promote your business to others.

You should always create an environment where customers feel comfortable using your products on their own. Knowledge bases and FAQs are two solid places to start.

4. The customer always deserves to be treated with dignity and professionalism.

Basic values go a long way. A quote by the American poet Maya Angelou comes to my mind, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Customer interactions are no different. It’s important to maintain a professional demeanor throughout, even with tough customers.

5. The customer has the right to expect consistent and timely support.

Imagine you send a complaint via email to two businesses. One responds within an hour and solves your issue, while the other takes over four days to get back to you. Which one would leave you feeling satisfied?

I know which one I’d purchase from again.

82% of customers expect immediate problem resolution from customer service agents.

Customer service software, such as HubSpot’s Service Hub, can help businesses by providing a platform to manage customer support and service interactions smoothly.

What To Do When the Customer Isn’t Right

It’s natural to have situations arise where the customer isn’t right, yet they feel they are. So, how do you handle such scenarios?

I spoke to four customer-centric leaders, and this is the advice they offered.

1. Understand the “why” behind the customer complaint or request.

Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Director of Corporate Strategy and Operations at Twilio, highlights the importance of uncovering the deeper reasons behind a customer’s request. He shares an example of working with a telecommunications client whose preferred solution initially seemed suboptimal. Instead of dismissing their stance, his team discovered that confidential business model changes and regulatory requirements drove the client’s position.

Ramsinghaney explains that by building trust and showing curiosity, they co-created a solution that addressed both immediate technical needs and future constraints.

“Success in these situations comes from reframing the conversation from ‘right versus wrong’ to ‘good versus better,’” he says. “When we truly understand the context behind a customer’s perspective – whether it‘s internal pressures, resource constraints, or undisclosed strategic shifts — we often find they’re not wrong, just operating within a different set of parameters.”

His advice? “The art lies in becoming a trusted thought partner who can navigate these nuanced constraints to find an optimal path forward.”

2. Use the “Acknowledge, Relate, Offer” method.

Lasandra Barksdale, Founder & Principal at Kompass Customer Solutions LLC, says that, in customer-centric roles, “the golden rule to follow when the customer isn‘t right is to lead with clarity, not conflict.” Customers often bring misinformation, unrealistic expectations, or demands that go against your company’s values or policies. Instead of mirroring their frustration, you can guide them toward the right solutions.

Barksdale shares an example: Imagine a hotel guest demanding a refund for rain ruining their vacation. Is it the hotel’s fault? Absolutely not. But a thoughtful response can turn frustration into loyalty.

“I train customer-facing teams on my A.R.O. Method (Acknowledge, Relate, Offer), which is a modern twist on the classic “feel, felt, found” approach,” she says. Here’s how it might sound in action:

• Acknowledge: “I completely understand how disappointing it can be when weather affects your plans.”
• Relate: “Honestly, I had a similar experience myself when visiting Panama City. Imagine being disappointed about rain in a rainforest when rain is practically guaranteed!”
• Offer: “While we can’t control the weather, we’d love to make it right for you. How about a complimentary upgrade?”

“Of course, even this approach may not satisfy every customer, but saying ‘no’ isn’t the opposite of being customer-centric. Sometimes, the best service you can provide is guidance, not compliance,” Barksdale adds. “Customers don’t always want to win, but they do want to feel heard. By respectfully steering the interaction, you can turn moments of frustration into opportunities to strengthen the relationship.”

3. Set better boundaries and prepare your team for these situations.

Mark Levy, Publisher of the DCX Newsletter that provides inspiration, education, and coaching for customer-obsessed leaders, says, “I once had a customer demand we change a policy just for them. They weren’t just asking — they were furious about it. My team was stressed, unsure how to respond without causing a scene.” Sound familiar?

Here’s the deal: not every request is fair, and trying to please everyone is exhausting. It drains your team and sets a bad precedent.

So what do you do? “Start with empathy — acknowledge the issue and let the customer feel heard. But then set boundaries,” Levy recommends. “Teach your team to say something like, ‘I get where you’re coming from, and here’s what we can do.’”

Prep your team for these moments. Run role-plays during meetings — it’s awkward but worth it. And create a cheat sheet for handling tough situations, so they’re never caught off guard.

“Backing your team while handling tricky customers isn’t easy, but it works,” he adds. “Happy employees handle tough calls better, and that benefits everyone. Trust me, your sanity will thank you.”

4. Practice deep listening, then educate and focus on solutions.

Stijn Smet, head of customer success at Whale and the Founder of the Customer Success Hotline, says, “Let’s face it: the customer can be wrong. But how do we handle that? That’s where the magic happens.”

“Start by deeply listening,” he recommends. “Often, the ‘wrong’ stems from misaligned expectations or misunderstanding. Dig into their perspective and validate their concerns: ‘I hear you, and I understand why this feels frustrating.’ This shows respect and diffuses tension.”

Next, educate with confidence. Be clear and bold in explaining why their request isn’t feasible or aligned. “Here’s how this approach benefits you in the long run.” You’re not shutting them down; you’re empowering them with knowledge.

Finally, shift the focus to solutions. Can you offer an alternative? A workaround? By reframing the conversation toward value, you keep the trust intact — even when saying “no.”

“Handling tough moments with bold empathy and a focus on partnership transforms challenges into growth opportunities — for the customer and for you,” Smet says.

How to Maintain a Customer-First Mentality

The “customer is always right” way of thinking is all about the customer-first mentality.

I’ve noted down a few ways you can lead with this mindset at your business.

Set customers up for success.

I believe strongly that customer interactions shouldn’t revolve around who is right and who is wrong.

Instead, reps should center the conversation around guiding customers down the best path to success and showing them allyship.

In practice, this looks like:

• Sympathizing with customer pain points.
• Redirecting the conversation toward more achievable solutions.
• Acknowledging the customer’s frustrations.
• Reaffirming that you’re on their team.
• Offering up something you can solve.

For example: “I understand that you’re not seeing the results you want here — I know that can be really frustrating. However, I really think we should consider X as an alternative solution.”

Realign customer expectations.

Customers can sometimes have unrealistic expectations about how a product works.

These misunderstandings can lead them to become frustrated because they feel like your product isn’t meeting their needs.

I feel that it’s important to make sure the customer has full knowledge about how a product is intended to operate and how they can make it work for them.

In practice, this looks like:

• Zooming out on the goal to ensure everyone’s working together.
• Helping customers understand what they need to change to ensure their expectations are met.

For example: “It looks like you’re having trouble with our analytics tool. Can you clarify what you’re hoping to gain? Then we can figure out where the disconnect may be.”

Build a customer-centric culture.

Even if a customer is technically not correct, maintaining a customer-centric culture is crucial.

There are going to be times when the customer isn’t right, but it’s still important to understand where they are coming from.

In practice, this looks like:

• Aligning with them during customer calls.
• Provide insight and concrete action items you can take together.
• Putting their needs first regardless of right or wrong.

For example: “I understand you’re frustrated about this issue, and it’s not your fault. It’s us against the issue — let’s start with X so we can tackle this together.”

Be as straightforward as possible.

Dissatisfaction can sometimes stem from confusion.

A customer may not understand how to use a product, and their confusion can lead them to believe that it’s malfunctioning.

Situations like this require extreme clarity.

In practice, this looks like:

• Confirming whether or not the customer understands what’s going wrong.
• Taking the time to provide in-depth insights for the customer.
• Sharing helpful information and resources for further education.

For example: “I found this topic confusing at first, too, but this article was really helpful for me. If that doesn’t help, I have a couple of other resources we can try.”

Understand that customer experiences can vary.

Customers have a right to voice their thoughts, ideas, and opinions about whatever is frustrating them.

And in most cases, the customer has one idea based on their individual experience that is very real to them. It’s important to acknowledge that.

In practice, this looks like:

• Recognizing that each customer experience is real and valid.
• Actively listening to the specific issue or situation at hand.
• Not directly comparing one customer’s journey to another.

For example: “I see where you’re coming from, and you’re making some really good points. It sounds like X might make the most sense for you moving forward.”

The Bottom Line

I’ve learned that there likely will always be a never-ending debate over the ‘customer is always right’ strategy. But, in my opinion, it’s a balance between taking time to understand customers’ issues and providing them with solutions that will bring the most success.

What was true for early retail pioneers is still true now: customer retention revolves around solving customer issues, even if they aren’t always right.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2020 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

Call center tools are essential to delivering great customer service.

Once, I spent what felt like forever trying to resolve a billing issue — endless automated prompts and no clear answers. When I finally connected with a live agent, they already had my account details pulled up, solved my issue in minutes, and left me thinking, Wow, this is how it’s supposed to be.

While AI and chatbots are great for quick fixes, there’s no replacement for the speed and comfort of talking to a live agent. For businesses, call center tools make it possible to deliver that seamless experience by routing calls to the right agents, providing key customer insights, and helping management execute an omni-channel strategy.

In this post, I’ll share the must-have call center software features and share the best tools for 2025. Read on to discover:

• How to Choose the Right Call Center Tool
• Types of Call Center Software
• Call Center Software Features
• 10 Call Center Tools You Should Try
• Why Call Centers are Still Essential in the Age of AI

How to Choose the Right Call Center Tool

Here are the questions I consider when shortlisting call center tools:

1. Does it handle all channels seamlessly?

Customers aren‘t just calling anymore. They’re emailing, chatting, and DMing — sometimes all in the same day. That’s why I’d go for a tool that pulls everything into one platform so agents can hop between channels without skipping a beat. If someone starts on chat and decides to call, the agent should see the chat history instantly. No awkward pauses.

Integrations matter, too. I’d want it to work with my CRM — whether that’s HubSpot, Salesforce, or something else — so my team has the full customer story at their fingertips.

2. Can it grow with me?

Scalability is another must. If I’m starting with five agents today but aiming for 50 next year, the tool needs to keep up. And it’s not just about size. Maybe today I only need call routing, but a year from now, I might want predictive dialing or AI chatbots. So, it’s best to pick something that can expand when I’m ready, without forcing me to switch systems.

3. Will my team actually use it?

Fancy tools are useless if no one knows how to use them. Prioritize something intuitive — think: clean layout, drag-and-drop workflows, and easy-to-find features. If setting up call queues or pulling reports feels like a coding challenge, I’m out.

I also recommend built-in training, such as tutorials or onboarding guides that get new agents up to speed fast. If my team spends more time learning the software than using it, it’s not the right fit.

Pro tip: Train and onboard your new customer support hires with HubSpot’s Free Customer Service Training Manual Template. Customize it with your company’s training processes, employee resources, and product information.

4. Does it give me real-time insights?

Data drives decisions, and I’d want a tool that serves up insights in real time. Think dashboards with metrics like wait times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores — all in one glance. Bonus points if it lets me schedule reports and email them straight to my inbox.

If I can spot issues, like a spike in wait times during lunch, I can fix them before they become problems. That’s the kind of flexibility I’d expect.

5. What’s the support like?

Stuff happens — outages, bugs, glitches, etc. When it does, I want 24/7 support that’s quick and reliable. Whether it’s chat, email, or a good old-fashioned phone call, I’d want someone on the other end who knows their stuff.

Resources like how-to guides and dedicated account managers also make a difference. If I’m rolling out software across multiple locations, having a go-to person for questions could save me a lot of trouble.

6. Is it secure and compliant?

Call centers deal with sensitive info, so security isn’t optional. I check for compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS (depending on my client’s industry) and features like encryption, data masking, and access controls.

Audit trails are next on my list. They help me track changes and keep everything above board if I ever need to prove compliance.

Types of Call Center Software

1. Inbound Call Center Software

Think of inbound call center software as your front line for handling customer calls, whether they’re seeking help, airing complaints, or making service requests.

Features like automatic call distribution (ACD) match customers with the best available agent, while interactive voice response (IVR) lets them solve simple issues or connect with the right department faster.

Best for: Support teams and businesses that want to focus on resolving customer issues quickly and efficiently. For example, a retail company might use inbound call software to manage returns and exchanges without the chaos.

2. Outbound Call Center Software

Outbound call center software flips the script — it’s all about reaching out. Perfect for sales calls, follow-ups, or surveys, it often includes tools like predictive dialers (no more wasted time dialing numbers) and call scripting to keep conversations smooth and professional. Bonus: campaign management features track performance to boost results.

Best for: Sales teams and companies conducting market research. A telecom company could use outbound software to upsell data plans to existing customers.

3. Cloud-Based Call Center Software

Say goodbye to clunky hardware! Cloud-based call center software runs entirely online, so agents can work from anywhere while staying connected to the same system. It scales with you, integrates with CRMs, and updates automatically — all with secure cloud storage.

Best for: Remote teams and growing businesses looking for flexibility. A startup, for instance, might choose cloud-based software to set up a cost-effective remote support team.

4. On-Premises Call Center Software

On-premises call center software is for those who want full control. It’s hosted on your own servers, making it a go-to for businesses with tight security or compliance requirements. While it requires upfront investment, the payoff is complete customization and data control.

Best for: Organizations in highly regulated industries or those with in-house IT teams. Think: a bank that wants to keep customer data secure and comply with regulations.

5. AI-Powered Call Center Software

AI-powered call center software takes automation to the next level. Think chatbots for instant answers, predictive analytics to optimize workflows, and sentiment analysis to gauge customer mood. It even assists agents in real time, suggesting responses or solutions.

Best for: Teams swamped with high call volumes or looking to boost efficiency. A tech company, for instance, might use AI to resolve basic troubleshooting via chatbots, leaving agents free to handle tougher cases.

6. Virtual Call Center Software

Virtual call center software is a lifesaver for distributed teams. It’s designed for remote work, with features like VoIP, cloud storage, and real-time tracking to keep productivity on point — even without a central office.

Best for: Remote-first companies or businesses with seasonal staffing needs. An insurance company might rely on virtual call center software to onboard temporary agents during peak claims season.

Call Center Software Features

The best call center software for your team depends on your specific needs. Every tool has benefits and drawbacks depending on how you plan to use it. To understand which tool is right for you, create a list of desired features and then focus on your top choices.

Below are a few features I recommend considering in your search.

1. Omnichannel

If you‘re looking for call center software, you’re likely supporting your customers through other communication channels (like email, live chat, or social media). So, consider how well your new call center software will integrate with your other channels.

HubSpot found that a unified customer service experience reduces customer friction and increases frontline efficiency.

Ideally, incoming calls should be logged on your help desk, which will allow agents to follow up via email. Everyone on your team can see the context of previous customer interactions — regardless of the channel they took place on. As a result, you’ll create a consistent customer experience no matter which channel the interaction begins on.

2. Call Routing

When customers call your team, how do they get connected to the right person quickly?

Whether your software offers automated call routing or if customers need to select a department after listening to a set of options, you should understand how your call routing will work. Many systems are complicated to update on the fly.

So, try setting up and changing your workflow during your trial period so that you’re not stuck with one configuration.

3. CRM Integration for Customer Context

One thing I know is that no customer wants to repeat their issue to different support reps.

When agents have more context about the customer who‘s calling, they provide more effective support. They can quickly reference past interactions with the customer, which prevents customers from repeating themselves. Agents can look at trends in product usage and take steps to ensure the customer doesn’t need to reach out again about the same issue.

What’s more, many call center tools provide context through CTI (computer-telephony integration) pop-ups that identify a customer through their phone number and surface previous interactions through the browser. Understanding how the software you’re evaluating logs calls and integrates with other systems (like your CRM) is critical to providing your agents with enough helpful context.

For example, a unified platform that blends customer service tools with sales and marketing features gives service reps all the customer details necessary to adjust their approach and create more personalized experiences — from details regarding your prospects’ position in the buyer’s journey to previous interactions they had with your company, and so on.

4. Cloud-Based Calling

Call centers operating on cloud networks require a cloud-based calling system to align with their online databases. There are tons of advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. Cloud-based calling, or a Voice over Internet Protocol, (VoIP), is a phone system that runs through the internet instead of a phone line.

While a third-party provider typically offers this service, it‘s usually cheaper to install and maintain than regular landlines. That’s because VoIP doesn’t require on-premise hardware, which removes the typical maintenance and infrastructure costs that traditional phone lines have.

5. Reporting

Running a call center requires managers to have a finger on the pulse of call center metrics like incoming call volume, call trends, call monitoring, and agent efficiency. It’s impossible to manage scheduling and plan for the future without knowing how your team is handling fluctuations in traffic. Reporting can identify common issues that customers are calling about, demonstrate gaps in your support coverage, and highlight potential training opportunities.

6. Outgoing Calls

Call center software isn’t just for inbound customer service. Agents might need to make outbound calls if you offer proactive customer support options. Sales teams might work through your call center software to place calls to prospects.

If your contact center also requires agents or sales teams to place outgoing calls and bulk sms, look for software that includes an automated dialer and easy-to-use call logging features so your CRM stays up to date.

7. Usage Pricing

Take a close look at the software‘s pricing per phone call or per use. Depending on how your chosen software assigns your phone numbers, you might be charged more than expected for each minute on the phone. Before committing to new phone lines, confirm what’s included in the package and how much each call and minute will cost.

8. Interactive Voice Response

An interactive voice response feature will allow your customers to speak with an automated system before reaching your support team. While your customer might not enjoy talking to a machine, they may resolve some of their issues through this option or provide basic information that will allow your team to serve them better.

An IVR feature will help manage your team‘s call volume and automatically collect relevant information from the customer. When the customer gets to a human, all the information the representative needs is already available, and the customer won’t have to repeat themselves.

9. Call Scripting

If you handle a high volume of calls that pertain to similar issues, you‘ll want to consider a call center software that offers a call scripting feature. Like a chatbot, a call script picks up on certain keywords in the customer’s email and provides troubleshooting instructions based on a common answer. You should be able to look at the script history and personalize your response to the customer.

A call scripting feature could also come in handy because it allows you to create common scripts that all your agents can use. That way, the customer has a consistent experience regardless of the agent they’ve reached.

10. Escalation Management

The best call center software will allow you to manage the escalation process for urgent customer support queries. From the moment a customer calls with an issue, they should be able to move forward to the appropriate party at each step of the process.

Your call center software should also allow your agents to de-escalate issues by granting vouchers, discounts, or refunds through the software, especially in that single call.

11. Call Monitoring and Quality Assurance

With call monitoring, your supervisors can listen in on live calls, whisper suggestions to agents without the customer hearing, or even join calls when necessary. It’s particularly helpful for training new agents or providing real-time feedback.

Advanced call monitoring tools often include call recording capabilities, enabling teams to review past interactions and pinpoint areas for improvement. You can then use these recordings for compliance purposes or as examples for training sessions.

12. Workforce Management Tools

Workforce management tools within call center software can help you plan and optimize staffing by forecasting call volumes and tracking agent availability. Managing schedules in real-time becomes easier, too.

Additionally, these tools can integrate with reporting features to provide insights into your busiest times so that the right number of agents are always on duty. This reduces wait times and prevents agent burnout from being understaffed during high-demand periods.

10 Call Center Tools You Should Try

Now that you know what to look for when evaluating call center software, let’s look at the best options available.

1. HubSpot

Get Started with HubSpot’s Call Center Tools

HubSpot’s VoIP software integrates seamlessly with its CRM, offering a powerful solution for managing customer interactions. Your agents can make and receive calls directly from HubSpot, with features like automatic call logging and recording that reduce manual effort.

What’s more, comprehensive analytics allow managers to track call outcomes, agent performance, and customer engagement metrics.

HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform consolidates sales, marketing, and customer service tools into one, providing a 360-degree view of the customer journey. Its ease of use and extensive feature set make it a top choice for businesses looking to streamline workflows and improve efficiency.

Best For

• Call log management and prioritization
• CRM integration
• Reporting and analytics
• Teams needing a scalable platform

Pros

• Free plan available for small teams
• Intuitive interface with minimal learning curve
• Detailed customer insights via CRM

Cons

• Pricing can be prohibitive for startups
• Can feel complicated with the tons of features available

Pricing: Free; $45/month (Starter); $450/month (Professional); $1,200/month (Enterprise)

2. Dialpad Ai Contact Center

Dialpad Ai Contact Center allows you to access all your customer interactions — regardless of channel — from a single app, accessible from anywhere, on any device.

What makes Dialpad unique is its AI, powering built-in features like hyper-accurate voice transcription, sentiment analysis, agent coaching, chatbot self-service functionality, and more, all in real time.

Dialpad also integrates with popular CX tools, like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk, tying them all together into a single pane of glass. Setting up a new contact center with Dialpad takes just a few minutes.

You can also add and remove agents, manage phone numbers more quickly and easily, right from your Dialpad account. This allows your business to scale easily with DialPad.

Best For

• Outgoing calls
• Workforce engagement management
• Sentiment analysis
• CRM integrations
• Call routing

Pros

• Exceptional AI capabilities
• Centralized interface for all communication channels
• Quick setup and user-friendly design

Cons

• Pricing details require consultation
• May need training for advanced AI features

Pricing: Pricing available on request

3. Nextiva

I like how Nextiva combines robust contact center software features with affordability, making it a suitable choice for small to mid-sized businesses.

Its IVR system streamlines call routing, while virtual agents can handle repetitive tasks. With cloud-based infrastructure, it ensures reliable performance and remote accessibility. Nextiva also includes detailed reporting tools. Your managers can use them to monitor KPIs such as average handling time and call resolution rates.

Ease of use and flexible pricing plans make the software ideal for teams looking to enhance productivity without breaking the budget.

Best For

• Interactive voice response
• Call recording
• Cloud-based calling
• Call routing
• Reporting

Pros

• Competitive pricing
• Scalable solutions for growing teams
• Virtual agent capabilities

Cons

• Lacks advanced workforce management features
• Some customization limitations

Pricing: $20/user/month (Digital); $30/user/month (Core); $40/user/month (Engage); $60/user/month (Power Suite),

4. Aircall

Speaking of Aircall, this cloud-based call center can help your support team transform customer experiences.

This software includes some of the top features mentioned earlier, including IVR, cloud-based calling, call routing, and more. Additionally, the software boasts features such as skill-based routing, call queuing, queue callback, live call monitoring, and call whispering.

With the call whispering feature, managers can advise teammates behind the scenes and make an impact right at the moment. This is great for the customer experience and training purposes as well.

Aircall also has call center analytics so you can monitor your agents’ performance, either individually or as a team.

Best For

• Cloud-based calling
• Interactive voice response
• CRM integrations
• Call monitoring
• Shared call inbox

Pros

• Strong focus on training features like call whispering
• Easy setup and excellent integrations
• Advanced reporting capabilities

Cons

• Higher per-user cost compared to competitors
• Limited customization in some workflows

Pricing: $30/user (Essentials); $50/user (Professional); Custom (Enterprise)

5. JustCall

Being a comprehensive contact center solution designed for customer-facing teams, you can count on JustCall for voice and SMS solutions. Expect features like call recording, SMS automation, and post-call surveys. As for your sales teams, they can benefit from tools like power dialers and conversation intelligence, which boost productivity during outbound campaigns.

JustCall integrates with 100+ CRM, help desk, and business tools, simplifying communications and workflows for contact center teams. Its analytics dashboard provides insights into campaign performance, helping you make data-driven decisions.

Best For

• Cloud-based calling
• Bulk SMS and drip campaigns
• Custom workflows
• Multi-level IVR
• Intelligent call routing
• Real-time analytics
• CRM integrations

Pros

• Wide range of integrations
• Powerful tools for sales teams
• Competitive pricing

Cons

• Advanced features require higher-tier plans
• Limited support for advanced workforce management

Pricing: $19/user/month (Essentials); $29/user/month (Team); $49/user/month (Pro); Custom plan.

6. CloudTalk

CloudTalk provides you with various unique tools. For example, its custom queue feature allows support teams to dictate where incoming calls will be distributed. With CloudTalk, inbound calls are routed to agents best suited to solve the customer’s issue. This eliminates call transfers, which can add friction to the customer experience.

Another customizable feature that CloudTalk offers is personalized voicemails.

If your team is unavailable, customers can leave voicemails that agents can respond to later. That way, customers aren’t stuck on hold waiting endlessly for your team to answer. Instead, they can simply leave a message, return to their work, and wait for your team to reach out with a prepared solution.

Best For

• Skills-based call routing
• Post-call tagging
• CRM integrations
• Advanced reporting
• Real-time analytics

Pros

• Highly customizable call queues
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Flexible integration options

Cons

• Higher-tier plans may be expensive for small teams
• Learning curve for advanced features

Pro tip: CloudTalk’s HubSpot integration lets you leverage its advanced reporting and real-time analytics across both CloudTalk and HubSpot. Use it to drive better business outcomes, faster.

Pricing: $25/user/month (Starter); $30/user/month (Essential); $50/user/month (Expert); Custom

7. Aloware

Aloware is the AI-powered phone system designed for HubSpot users to drive faster, more meaningful sales conversations. You can click to call contacts, automate sales workflows, and respond to leads instantly.

With tools like the sales power dialer, bulk SMS, and a conversational AI chatbot, Aloware boosts connection rates while avoiding spam labels. The chatbot acts like part of your team, answering customer questions and leveraging your existing knowledge base or support materials for smooth, immediate follow-ups.

Sales managers benefit from Aloware’s AI voice analytics, which provide conversation highlights, summaries, and transcripts to track performance without listening to every call. By unifying your phone system with HubSpot, Aloware empowers your team to dial less, connect more, and personalize every interaction effortlessly.

Best For

• Outbound calling
• Inbound call routing
• CRM integrations
• Compliant calling and texting
• Sales workflow automation
• AI-powered reports and analytics

Pros

• Comprehensive communication channels
• Seamless CRM integration
• Real-time analytics and reporting
• User-friendly interface with mobile accessibility

Cons

• Advanced features may require a learning curve
• Pricing may be higher compared to basic call center solutions

Pricing: $30/user (iPro + AI); $60/user (uPro + AI); $80/user (xPro + AI).

8. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a comprehensive help desk and call center solution that consolidates multiple communication channels into a single platform. You get features like automated call distribution, IVR, and call recording.

Its ticketing system integrates emails, chats, calls, and social media messages, giving you a unified view of customer interactions. The platform also supports real-time live chat, which is great for enhancing customer support responsiveness.

LiveAgent’s robust reporting and analytics tools mean you can monitor performance metrics and improve service quality. With a user-friendly interface and customizable workflows, it caters to businesses of all sizes seeking to enhance their customer support operations.

Best For

• 24/7 customer service support
• Outgoing calls
• Automated callbacks
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Integrations and APIs

Pros

• Unified platform for multiple communication channels
• Robust ticketing and live chat features
• Comprehensive reporting and analytics
• Customizable workflows and user-friendly interface

Cons

• Advanced customization may require technical expertise
• Some features are available only in higher-tier plans

Pricing: Free; $15/agent/month (Small Business); $24/agent/month (Medium Business); $39/agent/month (Large Business); $59/agent/month (Enterprise).

10. RingCentral

RingCentral offers a flexible, cloud-based phone system suitable for desktop and mobile users. Its standout feature, “RingOut,” lets your agents make one-touch calls from any device. The platform also supports HD video calls, SMS, and omnichannel communication. Teams can connect with customers on their preferred channels.

Advanced features like call delegation and escalation management make RingCentral a versatile option, especially if you want customizable workflows. Integration with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot is another great addition for seamless operations.

Best For

• Omnichannel support
• Escalation management
• HD video calls
• Integrations and APIs
• Cloud-based calling

Pros

• Highly mobile-friendly with robust integrations
• Reliable for hybrid and remote teams
• Flexible APIs for custom workflows

Cons

• Pricing details are not always transparent
• Some features may require additional setup

Pricing: Pricing starts at £52 (RingCX)

Why Call Centers are Still Essential in the Age of AI

AI is everywhere in customer support, but that doesn’t take away the spotlight from call centers.

Sure, chatbots and virtual assistants are great for quick, routine questions, but they’ll never match the empathy of a real human. When I’m frustrated or dealing with a tricky issue, the last thing I want is to get stuck in an endless loop of AI prompts. I want to talk to someone who can actually help.

Even from a business perspective, putting all your eggs in the AI basket feels like a gamble.

Nearly half of customers will switch a brand after even one bad AI experience, and that says a lot. AI might streamline processes and save time, but it doesn’t cut it when people need emotional understanding or tailored solutions. That’s where call centers help, offering the human connection AI just can’t replicate.

That doesn’t mean AI doesn’t have its perks, of course. I’ve seen how it can boost call center efficiency, handle repetitive tasks, and give agents real-time insights. But the real magic is in the mix: Let AI take care of the simple stuff and let skilled agents handle the complex, high-stakes, or emotional cases.

It’s this balance — speed plus a personal touch — that will keep customers coming back.

Use Call Center Software to Supercharge Your Support Team

Modern customers expect excellent support on all channels, including live chat, email, and phone. But this can overwhelm your support team — especially if these channels are on different software systems that don’t integrate with each other. With call center software, your team can unify their omnichannel service efforts into one tool, resulting in a better experience for both the customer and your frontline representatives.

For me, great customer support goes beyond solving problems. It’s about making interactions feel effortless. And I’ve found that the right tools are what make that possible.

Call center software empowers teams to work smarter. By unifying communication channels, automating repetitive tasks, and delivering real-time insights, these tools help you deliver outstanding service without hitting burnout. Think: happier customers, confident agents, and a business set up to thrive — that’s the kind of impact you can achieve.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in March 2019 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

Running a customer experience workshop is the key to truly understanding what your customers want and need. It’s where you discover their frustrations and create effective solutions — because it’s all from their perspective.

Here’s why I swear by it: 80% of customers say a company’s experience is just as important as its products or services. By conducting this workshop, I can align my team, fuel creative problem-solving, and, most importantly, deliver experiences that keep my customers coming back.

If you’re ready to up your CX game, stick with me. I’ll break down what a customer experience workshop looks like, why it’s worth the effort, and how to run one for your team, including hands-on customer experience activities.

Table of Contents

• What is a customer experience workshop?
• Why a Customer Experience Workshop is Important
• Customer Experience Workshop Activity Ideas
• What You Need to Run a Customer Experience Workshop
• How to Run a Customer Experience Workshop

Considering that companies focusing on CX see up to 3.4 times more returns, it’s a no-brainer for you to keep a pulse on customer needs and rapidly innovate journeys to meet these needs.

To build a great customer experience, all departments must collaborate to understand the whole customer journey better.

CX workshops get everyone on the same page.

A CX workshop puts the participants in the customer’s shoes.

Through the exercises, the team maps out, step by step, what the customer experiences from the brand, including how they feel at specific touchpoints, the value they receive, and so on — which can be very revealing.

It’s an eye-opener. You’ll quickly spot gaps in their experience and, better yet, brainstorm practical solutions as a team.

CX workshops help to set priorities.

Once you see the big picture, it’s easier to focus on what really matters. A workshop helps you zero in on the experiences that make the biggest impact. No more guesswork — just clear priorities that put your customers first.

CX workshops break down silos.

When marketing, sales, support, product, and other teams sit at the same table, something magical happens. Communication improves, and everyone aligns toward the same goal: delivering a seamless customer journey. Silos crumble, collaboration strengthens, and your CX strategy becomes everyone’s responsibility — not just one department’s.

CX workshops help to spot hidden issues.

Sometimes, the biggest problems in your customer’s journey are the ones no one sees. A workshop brings fresh perspectives from across your team, making it easier to uncover those sneaky pain points. With everyone’s insights in one place, you’ll walk away with actionable steps to smooth out friction and elevate the experience.

CX workshops build a customer-first culture.

Dedicating time to a CX workshop sends a powerful message: customers matter. It’s more than a meeting; it’s a mindset shift. These sessions inspire your team to think like your customers, driving long-term changes that make your brand truly customer-centric.

With these advantages in mind, let’s now see how you can create a customer experience for your team.

What You Need to Run a Customer Experience Workshop

Here is everything you need to get your customer experience workshop up and running.

Preparation

“He who fails to plan has planned to fail.” That old saying rings true when creating a customer experience workshop.

To prepare effectively, start by defining clear, SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). Examples might include:

• Training customer-facing employees to handle complex scenarios.
• Cultivating a “customer-first” mindset across the organization.

Next, focus on logistics:

• Decide on the duration of each session and schedule breaks.
• Assign roles, such as moderators or facilitators.
• Choose a workshop format (in-person, hybrid, or virtual) that works best for your team.

Such organized preparation sets the stage for a productive session.

💡Use Service Analytics in your workshop to spot trends, measure team performance, and identify ways to improve service. Align your team with these insights and create actionable strategies to elevate customer experience.

Workshop Moderator

Every workshop needs a strong moderator to guide the discussion and ensure objectives are met. Moderators should:

• Facilitate group activities.
• Keep the workshop on schedule.
• Ensure everyone feels heard.

Be sure to assign experienced team members to this role. Additionally, you’ll need the right set of participants. You can include anyone who is a part of any touchpoint across the customer journey, such as:

• Representatives from customer-facing teams like sales, marketing, support, and UX.
• Decision-makers or senior leaders who can champion outcomes.

I also recommend including customers or users in the workshops to get firsthand insights on interacting with your brand.

Workshop Supplies

Depending on your workshop format, you’ll need specific supplies to keep things running smoothly.

For in-person workshops, organize:

• Seating and workspaces for small groups.
• Post-its, pens, and flip charts.
• Screens or projectors for visual aids.
• Water, snacks, and sound systems.

For virtual workshops, ensure:

• A reliable video conferencing tool.
• Passwords and access to necessary applications.
• Digital collaboration tools like whiteboards or journey-mapping software.

Alignment of Expectations

Everyone involved should have common goals and outcomes and realize what’s asked of them. Participants can engage deeply when clear about the requirements and expectations.

Before the workshop, share a repository of resources with participants. It should ideally include:

• Customer feedback (e.g., reviews, ratings).
• Case studies or success stories.
• Performance metrics, such as revenue numbers or satisfaction scores.

Icebreakers and Creativity Boosters

Icebreakers make it easier for everyone to participate freely. For example, you can have each team member share a short story about their best or worst customer experience.

I also encourage role-playing scenarios where participants step into a customer’s shoes to promote creative thinking.

How to Run a Customer Experience Workshop

Here’s a quick rundown of how you can run a successful customer experience workshop:

1. Define clear objectives and success metrics.

Decide what you want to achieve — and make it specific. For example:

• If your goal is to uncover pain points, your success metric can be to identify the top three issues customers face.
• If you’re brainstorming solutions, create a shortlist of implementable ideas ranked by impact and feasibility.

Before the workshop, share these objectives and metrics with participants. This preps their mindset and avoids meandering discussions. For instance, if “improving post-purchase communication” is the focus, have team members review email sequences, chat logs, or survey feedback related to that phase.

2. Assemble a cross-functional dream team.

Don’t just invite the usual suspects. Your CX is touched by multiple departments, so include:

• A customer service rep to provide firsthand knowledge of recurring issues.
• A marketer to highlight campaign touchpoints.
• A product manager to connect feedback with product iterations.
• Someone from operations who understands backend workflows affecting CX.

Aim for 10-12 participants max, and assign roles to avoid redundancy. For example, designate a facilitator (you or a neutral leader), a note-taker, and a timekeeper. This keeps the session efficient.

3. Start with a quick, interactive icebreaker.

To set the tone, begin with an activity that places participants in the customer’s shoes. For instance, you can:

• Share anonymized customer feedback and ask each attendee to respond as if they were the customer.
• Run a quick empathy exercise, like “What would a first-time user feel at checkout?”

These exercises shift the focus from “us” (the business) to “them” (the customer).

4. Create and analyze a customer journey map.

Use tools like Miro, Lucidchart, or good old sticky notes to map out the customer’s full journey. Divide it into stages, such as:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Purchase
• Onboarding
• Post-Purchase Engagement

I tend to add detailed examples to each stage, such as:

• Awareness: “Customer clicks an Instagram ad but bounces after 5 seconds.”
• Post-purchase: “Customer receives product but finds the manual confusing.”

Label specific pain points (e.g., high bounce rates) and emotional moments (e.g., “delight” at a surprise thank-you email). Also, encourage each department to share where they excel and where they could improve.

5. Zoom in on pain points and prioritize by impact.

Use a prioritization framework like an Impact vs. Effort matrix:

• High impact, low effort: Quick wins, like simplifying a confusing FAQ page.
• High impact, high effort: Larger projects, such as revamping the onboarding process.

For example, if customers frequently complain about delayed shipping notifications, a quick win could be implementing automated tracking updates.

6. Brainstorm solutions with focused prompts.

Set aside 30-45 minutes for brainstorming solutions. Keep it structured with prompts like:

• “How can we reduce friction at checkout?”
• “What would surprise and delight a loyal customer during renewal?”

A good tip here is to use frameworks like SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) and Six Thinking Hats (exploring ideas from different perspectives).

Encourage creative ideas, but always connect them to customer feedback or journey insights. For instance, if post-purchase engagement is low, consider ideas like sending a video tutorial series after a purchase.

7. Assign ownership and immediate next steps.

No workshop is complete without action. Before wrapping up:

• Assign ownership for each identified action item.
• Use SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) for each task. For instance: “Update product pages with comparison charts by the end of Q1 (Owner: Marketing Team).”
• Schedule a follow-up meeting within two weeks to track progress.

Make sure these steps are documented in a tool everyone can access, like Notion, Trello, or Asana.

Here are customer experience workshop ideas you can use for your next customer experience journey mapping workshop. These activities are divided into three main parts:

Activity 1: Empathy Mapping

Empathy mapping is all about stepping into your customer’s shoes. It helps you see what they think, feel, say, and do — making it easier to align with their needs. Here’s how I make this work:

1. Set the stage: Hand out templates with sections labeled “Says,” “Thinks,” “Feels,” and “Does.” Quickly explain how these categories reveal different parts of the customer’s experience and why they matter.
2. Introduce personas: Share detailed customer personas so everyone’s on the same page about who you’re focusing on.
3. Facilitate brainstorming: Pull in insights from feedback, research, or even gut instinct to fill out the map. This often sparks some eye-opening conversations.
4. Discuss insights: When the maps are done, review them together. Spot patterns, identify gaps, and decide what to tackle next.

Activity 2: Journey Mapping

Journey mapping gives you the big picture of your customer’s end-to-end experience with your brand. Consequently, you can pinpoint rough spots and hidden opportunities to enhance your customer-facing strategy.

Here’s how to go about this:

1. Prepare materials. Provide participants with journey mapping templates and outline real-life customer scenarios to contextualize the exercise.
2. Map key touchpoints. Break down the customer’s journey step by step — actions, emotions, and interactions included. This makes it easier to see how everything flows.
3. Identify pain points. Use color-coded markers or symbols to flag areas where customers might face difficulties. This visual representation can reveal the biggest trouble spots.
4. Discuss opportunities. Brainstorm fixes as a group. Focus on changes that make an immediate difference and set the stage for lasting improvement.

Activity 3: Role-Playing

Role-playing puts your team in the customer’s shoes — literally. It’s a hands-on way to build empathy and improve responses. To start, you should:

1. Create scenarios. Base them on real feedback or common issues so they feel authentic. I make sure these scenarios reflect a variety of experiences to ensure broad learning of customer behavior.
2. Assign roles. Divide participants into groups and assign roles, such as customer, employee, or observer. Each participant should have a clear understanding of their role’s objectives.
3. Act out scenarios. Run the scenarios while observers take notes. The goal isn’t to perform perfectly but to uncover insights.
4. Debrief. After the role-playing sessions, I always have a group discussion to talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what you learned. Then, use these takeaways to refine future interactions.

Activity 4: Collaborative Brainstorming

Brainstorming is where creativity meets action. It’s your chance to tackle the most pressing customer challenges with fresh ideas. Here’s how I approach this process:

1. Set goals. Be crystal clear about what you want to achieve — solving a specific problem or refining a touchpoint, for example.
2. Use creative techniques. Try methods like mind mapping, “How Might We” statements, or even flipping problems upside down to spark new ideas.
3. Prioritize solutions. Rank ideas based on feasibility, impact, and alignment with goals. Focus on the ones that pack the biggest punch.
4. Develop action plans. Turn top ideas into concrete plans with assigned roles and deadlines to make sure they actually happen.

Activity 5: Feedback Reflection

Feedback reflection is essential for translating customer insights into actionable improvements. This activity ensures your team learns from customer feedback and accordingly applies those lessons.

Follow these steps:

1. Review feedback. First things first, share what you’ve learned from interviews, surveys, or observations with the team.
2. Identify themes. Group feedback into categories — think: positives, pain points, and surprises. This is the stage where I start paying attention to any emerging patterns.
3. Reflect as a group. Talk about how this aligns with or challenges what you thought you knew. Encourage open conversations to dig deeper.
4. Document takeaways. Write down lessons learned and turn them into action items. Make sure these insights shape your next steps.

Improving Everyone’s Experience

And there it is — the structure and activities you can tweak to fit your customer experience workshop. With this solid foundation, I’m confident you can create a memorable workshop that makes a difference.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Customer service training courses can help boost customer satisfaction rates, enhance employees’ confidence in their roles, and increase overall sales.

I’m no stranger to customer service courses. Over three decades, I’ve worked in a host of client-facing positions, each of which needed its own approach to customer service and support.

Not sure where to get started? I’ve compiled a list of 14 top certifications and courses to help take your customer service to the next level.

Table of Contents

• 7 Types of Customer Service Certifications
• Best Customer Service and Support Training Programs
• Why do you need a customer service certification?

Customer service training is essential because it helps your business retain and satisfy what keeps your business running — your customers. If support reps couldn’t communicate with customers, answer questions, find solutions, and be there for general support, customers would go to a business that met their needs and expectations.

When applying for customer service jobs, a great way to demonstrate your expertise in customer service and solving for the customer is with a customer service certification.

Why do you need a customer service certification?

A customer service certification gives employers confidence that whoever they hire has a higher-than-average ability to do the job, and a certificate from a reputable organization demonstrates competency in customer service that a non-certified rep wouldn’t be expected to deliver.

Certifications aren’t a one-time commitment. They typically require ongoing training to stay up to date with the latest best practices and trends.

Aside from the professional competence associated with certifications, many employers and hiring managers also place a monetary value on them. If you’re looking for a raise or seeking new opportunities, I recommend certifications as a tool you can leverage to negotiate pay, benefits, and responsibilities.

1. Customer Service Certification

Whether you’re new to customer service or an experienced rep, a customer service certification offers a real-world environment to hone your skills. Many certifications are offered online or in person with instructor-led classes tailored to your organization’s specific goals. This certification helps you become a better problem solver and communicator through role-playing exercises and group discussions about concepts you’ll rely on to serve customers.

Earn your support services certification from:

• Service Strategies

2. Help Desk Certification

When choosing a help desk certification, prioritize options offered by your help desk software provider. It’s a tactical certification with an immediate return on investment as you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned fairly quickly and spread that knowledge among your team.

Once you’ve mastered your help desk software, you can take advanced courses like HDI-CSR which explains the strategy behind using customer service tools to enhance soft skills in communication.

Earn your help desk certification from:

• HubSpot
• Axelos

3. Call Center Certification

Many customer service professionals begin their careers working in call centers, and a call center certification validates the technical, communication, and service skills of reps working with inbound and outbound calls.

To earn this certification, you’ll establish a baseline assessment of your skillset, improve your performance, and substantiate your skills with an assessment. Companies like Microsoft use this certification to manage call center metrics, implement best practices, and increase performance within their teams.

Earn your call center certification from:

• Management and Strategy Institute
• The Call Center School

4. Client Services Certification

The client service specialist certification (CCSS) is ideal for entry-level professionals as it provides a foundational understanding of the customer service industry. To earn this certification, you’ll need to demonstrate the right blend of knowledge and skills in both customer service and sales functions, and it will mold you into a well-rounded and key player on your team.

Earn your client services certification from:

• COPC
• CCPC

5. Client Service Manager Certification

The client service manager certification is offered from a leadership point of view. If you’re a customer service rep, you can forge a path to a leadership position with this certification. It certifies your skills in applying best practices for customer service, sales, coaching, and leading.

Earn your client service leader certification from:

• Service Institute
• Business Training Institute

6. Customer Experience Certification

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the customer experience transcends any one function and is often the responsibility of every team, but customer service reps champion that experience by becoming certified customer experience professionals. When a company can craft processes and responses that make the customer feel valued, seen, and appreciated the entire business benefits. With this certification, you can help lead a key function within your organization.

Earn your customer experience certification from:

• Disney
• Service Institute

7. Customer Service Leadership Certification

A customer service manager certification is worthwhile for any service rep working towards senior leadership positions. In these certifications, you’ll learn strategy, technical skills, and practical ways to apply your knowledge of customer service. You can use this type of certification to leverage a promotion, transition into a new role, or boost your resume if you’re considering a career in consulting.

Earn your customer service leadership certification from:

• Service Strategies
• American Public Power Association

Customer service and support training programs come in a variety of formats. Some can be extremely extensive and provide in-depth coverage of a topic, while others discuss general knowledge of customer service fundamentals.

This list features a diverse group of options that are helpful for any customer service team.

1. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy offers customer sevice training courses that provide useful customer service lessons, like the Inbound Certification course that features recent updates to the Inbound Methodology.

Other courses include the “Customer Success & Account Health Check“ course that covers the steps to nurturing and delighting customers over time, or There’s also a ”Managing Your Sales to Customer Success Handoff” course that helps Sales and Customer Success teams work better together.

HubSpot Academy also offers training specific to HubSpot’s users. For example, its “Service Hub” course explains how to use Service Hub tools throughout the reps daily workflow, like setting up a knowledge base and connecting your support inbox to the conversations tool.

Pricing

HubSpot Academy courses are free. It includes comprehensive certifications, single-topic courses, and targeted lessons to help enhance customer service skills.

“One of the standout features is the integration with other HubSpot tools. The platform teaches you not just marketing theory, but how to apply that knowledge using HubSpot’s own CRM and other software, which can be a big productivity boost for teams already using these tools. It’s also incredibly flexible in terms of pacing—you can take a few minutes here and there to chip away at a course, making it ideal for busy professionals.” — Carlos G.

Learn more about our Free Customer Support Training Template

2. Customer Service Training by Alison

Alison’s customer service training program is for all stages of customer service careers. It introduces the basic concepts of customer service through an online course, and the goal is to teach reps how to handle difficult customer interactions while understanding why they occur in the first place.

The course also dives into creating a customer-focused approach, handling inquiries and complaints, and reading stressful situations to determine the best outcome. The skills and fundamentals obtained from this training program are essential for delivering consistent customer satisfaction.

Pricing

Alison courses are free. They require users to register with the Alison community — after that, you have access to more than 50 free courses.

“This was my first online study with Alison.com. I enjoyed the flexibility to studying at my pace. The course content was easy to understand. Also studying for free was a bonus as tuition fees can be very expensive. I will certainly recommend Alison.com to everyone I know. I look forward to studying more courses this way. I look forward to starting my new career too. Thank you Alison.” – Nomantshintshi Dube

3. Support Professional Training by Service Strategies

Service Strategies helps technical support reps provide high-quality customer service by training effective communication techniques when providing technical solutions. Sometimes technical concepts can be challenging to explain and understand, so it’s important to know how to communicate these solutions clearly.

Service Strategies offers three ways to attend the training: on-site, public, or online. For on-site training, Service Strategies sends an instructor to the company to administer the course, while public training occurs at various locations in groups of 15 attendees. Its online course is self-paced and available for 60 days after registration.

Pricing

Virtual training classes from Service Strategies cost $1,395.

Self-paced classes range from $199 for service representatives to $399 for field service engineers. On-site courses are also available; contact Sevice Strategies directly for pricing.

“This course certainly did take a bit of work; that only made the final result that much more satisfying. Excellent content, and a real pleasure to have a course geared towards my profession in my own industry. Excellent networking with peers from other companies. Great teaching style as delivered by Steve Brand – highly recommended.” – Matt Furlong

4. Call Center Customer Service by Universal Class

Universal Class offers a notable course called “Call Center Customer Service” that covers the different responsibilities of a customer service rep, as well as the skills needed to succeed when working in a call center. It also discusses common call center etiquette and the roadblocks that a service or support rep can expect to experience in a customer service position.

The course is taken online for six months and concludes with a cumulative final exam.

Pricing

For $95, you can take the course but won’t receive a certification or any continuing education units (CEUs). For $125, you get the course, certification, and CEUs. You can also purchase a platinum subscription for $189 which gives you access to all courses and certifications for one year.

“I have to give this class and the instructor five plus stars. It was a great learning tool and the instructor was very informative and encouraging.” – Rachel R.

5. Customer Service Advantage by Bonfire Training

Bonfire offers team training that “uniquely personalizes[s] the development experience for each person.” Its “Customer Service Advantage” course helps customer service teams come up with an action plan for addressing tricky customer interactions with the goal of motivating reps to find effective solutions instead of offering apologetic explanations.

Bonfire’s customer service training courses are consistently updated and can get attention in-person, 90-minute real-time virtual training sessions with an instructor, or an online course with unlimited access over a 60-day period.

Pricing

On-demand online training from Bonfire Training is $224 per course. You get 60 days of access to training materials and can download the modules to your LMS network. Live remote training is $1,700 per session, and in-person training comes in at $3,200 per day.

“Bonfire training is an integral part of customer service training for our CSRs. They crave and need the tools that Bonfire provides them. What’s more, our customers expect and deserve the superior level of service that Bonfire provides to our internal and external customers.” – Citizens Energy Group

6. Customer Service Refresher Training by Business Training Works

The “Customer Service Refresher Training” by Business Training Works aims to re-energize depleted customer service and support workers by explaining how customer service is changing over time, and discussing evolving customer expectations.

The training program is a three-hour session on-site at a business or in a virtual classroom, and the topics covered range from best practices for routine interactions to problem-solving.

Pricing

For in-person training, expect to pay $4,200 for up to six participants. Virtual training is less than half the cost at $1,750 for six participants.

“All attendees provided very positive feedback and have been looking for opportunities to apply what they learned, as soon as we came back to our workplace. – Luz-Elena G

7. 7 Essentials to Excellent Customer Service by GoSkills

GoSkills offers a variety of online career development programs. This one covers the fundamentals for providing excellent customer service and is great for people who don’t have much experience in the customer service field.

This course is 90 minutes long and has 22 practice tutorials. It reviews concepts like creating positive interactions and engaging with customers by focusing on verbal and nonverbal cues. At the end of the program, participants are given a certification for completing the course.

Pricing

Individuals can access GoSkills training for free with a 7-day trial, then pay $27 per month or just $13 per year for access to all courses.

Organizations can get a free plan that offers limited course access, pay just over $9 per learner per month for full LMS access, or $13 per month for access to all GoSklils courses.

“This course was very helpful and the instructor provided great examples to explain his customer service techniques. Thanks.” – Patricia Debassige

8. Online Customer Service Courses from Coursera

Online learning platform Coursera offers a host of customer service courses focused on service fundamentals, customer relationship management, and enhancing the customer experience. The company also offers solution-specific courses such as those from HubSpot or Google.

For example, the Customer Service Fundamentals course is composed of modules which take approximately 23 hours to complete at your own pace.

Pricing

Coursera for individuals is available from $199 for a year of access. For companies with between 5 and 125 users, Coursera is $399 per user, per year.

“With Coursera, we’ve cultivated a well-rounded, competitive technical workforce that is passionate about professional development.” – G. Wetze, VP of Data and Analytics, Equifax

9. CSM Certification Program by The Success League

For most customer service reps, becoming a customer service or customer success manager is a logical next step in their career. So, if you‘re looking to build the skills you’ll need for professional development, this comprehensive course can provide you with everything you need to land your next job.

This 15-class course takes a deep dive into the fundamentals of becoming a customer success manager. Classes are one hour long and cover an extensive range of customer service and business management lessons. This includes topics like driving customer advocacy, creating long- and short-term customer goals, and preventing customer churn.

Pricing

The CSM full certification program is $1,795 per person. While it’s among the more expensive courses on our list, it also includes expert Q&A for each session..

“I truly appreciated the thoughtful care and attention Kristen dedicated to tailoring the program to my team’s unique needs. The sessions struck an excellent balance between reinforcing familiar tactics we already knew and introducing fresh, practical strategies for us to implement.” – Tess Gibson J.

10. ITIL® Training and Certification by Skill Soft

If you’re a part of an internal customer support team, like an IT team, you may be interested in completing your ITIL certification. This is a widely recognized, entry-level qualification that most reps earn before or during their IT careers.

Skill Soft offers an approved ITIL training program that’s recognized by Axelos. Participants learn about the link between IT and business strategy and how to improve their service skills to provide the best output for the company.

Pricing

For individuals, SkillSoft offers a 45-day trial. If you choose to continue the cost is $20 per month. For teams (up to 50), the cost per user is $55 per month, along with a 30-day free access period.

“I like the wide range of courses that Skillsoft offers. It offers the great benefit of saving your progress in each course. I really believe that it has a course for everyone. I’ve recommended several trainings from Skillsoft to my team members to improve their work performance.” – Salman Khan

11. Communication Toolkit: Conversing with Customers by BizLibrary

BizLibrary provides courses that range between 10 minutes and one hour, depending on what you want to learn. For example, the Conversing with Customers Toolkit is just 7 minutes long, while more in-depth courses such as Email Essentials clock in at 47 minutes.

Other topic areas include leadership and management, business skills, and workplace safety.

Pricing

BizLibrary offers three tiers — BizComply, BizEssentials, and BizSkills. BizComply is the most basic, providing access to 200 courses and a best-practice curriculum. BizEssentials focuses on upskilling and self-directed learning, while BizSkills is all about career pathing and succession planning. Pricing for all three tiers is quote-based.

“BizLibrary is allowing us to complete employee compliance training virtually, but also offer professional development.” – Dustin H.

12. How to Become a Better Communicator by SkillPath

SkillPath’s How to Become a Better Communicator course provides valuable lessons about communication skills that are imperative to customer service. Topics include building rapport and credibility, developing clear and assertive communication skills, and polishing your image and professionalism.

Learning about these skills is great for employees who may lack professional experience, and courses are offered both online and on-site at varying prices and duration.

Pricing

The price for this webinar course is $149. Businesses or individuals can also choose SkillPath annual passes. The SkillPath Unlimited pass is $249 per year and gives access to all online courses. The SkillPath Unlimited + LIVE pass is $499 per year and includes live instructor-led virtual seminars and broadcast webinars.

“As a busy working professional, SkillPath Unlimited offers a terrific means of on-the-go learning on topics that are relevant and substantive for my professional development. SkillPath’s offerings, including its instruction and materials, are excellent and serve as a key element in my training journey.” – Daniel B., SELCO Community Credit Union

13. Attitudes for Service by Dale Carnegie

Most customer service training courses focus on technical skills and high-level communication concepts. These are great for introducing people to the basics of customer service, but they don’t teach them how to put these practices to best use.

Dale Carnegie‘s “Attitudes for Service” course focuses on attitude over aptitude. The idea is that it’s more important for reps to be personable and friendly than it is to be technically savvy. This three-hour course teaches reps how to increase their self-awareness and how to ask questions that will return meaningful responses. That way, they‘ll find the information they’re looking for, while still generating a delightful customer experience.

Pricing

Attidudes for Service is offered as a live online session. The course is 1.5 hours long and costs $399 to attend.

“Getting outside my comfort zone to better understand both the people & situations I find myself in on a routine basis. Speaking in front of a group, sharing with those whom which you know very little about, thinking more about others & the lives they live outside of your interactions with them; these were all things I learned that I feel are unique to Dale Carnegie training.” – John Y.

14. A+ Customer Care by WorkLifeBalance

This 5-step training program is designed to help reps identify customer needs and resolve service problems in a timely manner. It’s built around five customer-centric steps that are focused on sharpening internal and external customer service skills. This makes it an excellent choice for training both customer-facing and internal support teams.

WorkLifeBalance offers its courses both on-site and online. It also provides options to sign up for courses as individuals or as a sponsored group.

Pricing

To get more pricing details for onsite or online course options, contact WorkLifeBalance by filling out their contact form or getting in touch directly at 1-877-644-0064.

“There is a clear ROI from the 5 Steps Training. Turnover is down. Performance is up. It has strengthened our culture of respect and appreciation. It has moved us higher as an employer of choice and strengthened the results in our employee surveys…There is a sense of less stress in the organization and people are happier.” – VP, Fortune 50 Company

Enhance Your Customer Service Skills With a Certification

Customer service certifications are a great way to enhance your skills and help move your career forward.

If you’re considering a certification or customer service training course, I’ve got two pieces of advice. First, not all courses are created equal. Take your time, do your research, and find one that is both recognized in your industry and offers reputable training.

Second, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to training. Different industries have different sales and service priorities — for training to be effective, it needs to align with business goals and deliver on customer expectations.

Ready to get started with customer service courses? Enroll at HubSpot Academy today.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Outsourcing is a tightrope walk for businesses. Choosing not to outsource can slow growth, but handing your customers over to outsourced call center agents (also called BPO) who you haven’t personally hired takes a lot of trust and certainty.

As a customer, I can vividly recall my worst BPO call center experience. That patience-testing 6-hour conversation with customer support has been burned into my memory; it also ended without resolution. I canceled my plan after only being a customer for two days — even though I paid for three years upfront.

That company lived every business‘s biggest BPO fear: a poor outsourcing experience that causes customers to leave. So, is it worth it for companies to partner with a BPO vendor? For some companies, the answer is a resounding yes. For others, the drawbacks will outweigh the benefits. Let’s look at the pros and cons of this path, plus how to tell when you’re ready to take the plunge.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What is a BPO experience?
• What is a BPO call center?
• Pros of BPO Centers
• Cons of BPO Centers
• When to Use a BPO Center

What is a BPO experience?

BPO stands for business process outsourcing, which involves outsourcing individual business tasks.
A BPO experience is a more holistic approach to business outsourcing with a focus on long-term partnerships. A good BPO experience helps improve core business functions and usually cuts costs by outsourcing services for your business to lower-cost areas, though this must be done ethically.

BPO vendors can cover core competencies like:

• Market research.
• Customer support.
• Manufacturing.
• Supply chain management.
• Order processing.
• Human resources.
• Technical assistance.
• Content creation.
• Data entry.
• Graphic design.
• Accounting.
• Legal services.

It’s a wide umbrella, but the BPO industry often focuses on customer service operations (email, chat, and voice support).

What is a BPO call center?

A BPO call center is an outsourcing provider that specializes in phone support for businesses. This can cover both inbound and outbound calls. Call centers have been popular outsourcing choices for decades.

Despite customers having abundant contact options online, phone support is still an essential point of contact for businesses in 2025. More than half of call centers saw an increase in inbound voice calls from 2022 to 2023.

In terms of juxtaposition to your company, there are three specific types of BPO call centers:

• Onshore outsourcing — local outsourcing, which often reduces cost savings but reduces language, culture, and timezone barriers.
• Nearshore outsourcing — nearby outsourcing, such as a French company outsourcing to Morocco. This offers geographic flexibility, but it reduces timezone conflicts.
• Offshore outsourcing — outsourcing anywhere around the globe, offering great potential cost savings, plus language and timezone availability.

Pros of BPO Centers

Let’s look at the primary advantages of choosing a BPO experience.

Scalability

Company growth often comes hand in hand with a difficult question — when are you ready to hire additional staff? And how can you handle onboarding them yourself if you’re already stretched too thin?

Working with a quality BPO center allows you to strategically scale your operations. A good provider will be a partner with you and will alleviate a lot of the pains of scaling independently.

Focused Expertise

Customer service reps have to deal with increasingly demanding customer expectations and, more importantly, with clientele that are increasingly vocal about their experiences. One bad customer service interaction can result in a poor review on TrustPilot or an angry video on TikTok.

According to our State of Service report, 21% of customer service representatives find it challenging to keep up with increasingly demanding customer expectations.

Source

Why not hand it over to the pros? Enlisting the services of a BPO provider means you hand over your customer service needs to a larger team that is more specialized and more capable of dealing with today’s customers.

Cost Efficiency

According to the Deloitte Global Outsourcing Survey, cost savings are the top motive for outsourcing business operations. This is probably the most well-known reason for outsourcing, but the desire to cut costs alone isn’t a good enough reason to pursue BPO services.

“There are serious risks in allowing cost savings alone to guide your outsourcing decisions,” Vidya Plainfield penned in Forbes. She goes on to cite ethics concerns that we’ll dive deeper into in a minute.

Language Availability

If your company operates beyond your country’s borders, it’s very likely to run into customers who prefer to speak multiple languages. With the large selection of BPOs on the market, you can have your customers be answered by native speakers in almost any language.

Cons of BPO Centers

Some companies will choose a BPO experience and lose customers as a result, like the company that I had a negative experience with. Here are the disadvantages that you face when choosing BPO.

Growth Challenges

What‘s your company’s service philosophy? Do you have tried-and-true SOPs and service scripts? Clearly defined roles? If you don‘t have those already, you’ll have to make something up to onboard the center agents.

Established companies will have fewer issues with setting up their BPO team for success, but some businesses will discover a lot of holes during this process. In particular, startups that have scaled quickly may find themselves needing to quickly develop service level agreements (SLA) on the fly to hand over to the BPO center.

Growing too quickly is a hole that many companies have fallen into.

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Quality Challenges

Quality assurance is integral to a positive customer experience. It’s a challenge for all large companies, especially those choosing offshore outsourcing. There are a few specific quality challenges with business process outsourcing:

• Cultural differences can present misaligned expectations.
• Lack of hiring control, as BPO companies hire the call center agents instead of your company.
• Indirect supervision may result in different managerial decisions being made.

If customer satisfaction is impacted by these factors, the choice to outsource can become a liability.

Time Zone Challenges

Offshore outsourcing often results in a team that’s spread across the globe. This creates challenges for managers who like to have overlapping working hours.

Important note: Time zone differences could be a pro for your company instead of a con. For example, a Canada-based company may choose to handle customer operations during their business hours. Then, after hours, customer communication is handed to BPO agents in the Philippines. Opposite time zones can be extremely valuable when leveraged strategically.

Security and Regulatory Compliance

Working with third-party vendors always creates holes where information and data can be mishandled. This is rarely done on purpose; the larger the team, the more opportunities there are for systems to get infected with malware.

According to the Deloitte Global Outsourcing Survey, three of the top five global business services are finance, information technology, and taxes. Those are all highly regulated industries that require flawless security.

Companies that process sensitive customer information, such as healthcare and banking, will need to weigh the risk-benefit heavily.

When to Use a BPO Center

While the outsourcing opportunities are endless, it‘s not right for everyone. Here are five signs that you’re ready to use a BPO center.

You can afford ethical outsourcing.

Companies that can‘t afford to pay workers fair wages aren’t ready to outsource. While you might be able to find BPO service providers with very low prices, you have to be critical of their ethics before choosing a partner.

Outsource-Philippines warns that unfair wages, poor working conditions, and graveyard shifts are some of the biggest issues.

“The outsourcing culture has drowned us economically, especially writers from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India,” shares Muhammad Hamaz, who’s located in Pakistan. I met Hamaz on LinkedIn, and we spoke about the outsourcing issues he faces as a freelance writer.

He‘s had his work published in major publications, but he was paid low wages. He wasn’t even listed as an author. “BPO companies take advantage. There needs to be recognition of writers’ work,” he says.

There are ways to outsource morally — the ethical outsourcing guide from Outsource-Philippines covers this point in-depth.

Another great resource is this piece in Forbes by Vidya Plainfield on why ethical outsourcing should matter for your business. “If you wish to truly enjoy the lasting benefits of a strong outsourcing partnership, I believe ethics should be high on your list of considerations,” Plainfield wrote.

Quality is going down on your own.

When business is booming, and you can‘t keep up, it can feel less like fireworks and more like dynamite. If you feel like you’re exploding with customer service requests, you’re not alone.

In fact, 75% of CRM leaders say they’re getting more customer service tickets than ever before.

Are these numbers increasing?

• Customer churn rate
• Average response time
• Customer effort score

And are these numbers decreasing?

• Net Promoter Score
• Ticket resolution rate
• Customer satisfaction score

These signs might be pointing to a capacity issue that needs to be addressed. Poor service is a costly road for a business to go down.

88% of customers in our State of Service report say that the experience a company provides is as important to them as its product or services.

Source

Pro tip: Choose scalable BPO center services to avoid hitting another ceiling with your growth.

“Evaluate how the BPO scales during busy times. Understand how they handle sudden demand spikes without sacrificing quality,” shares Aljay Ambos, head of marketing and AI expert at Twixify.

“Ask about their contingency plans, how flexible their staffing is, and the technology they use to ensure smooth scaling. A BPO that’s prepared for the unexpected can help your business maintain high standards and keep customers satisfied, even when things get hectic,” Ambos says.

You know your customer’s needs.

When you choose to outsource part of your business, you let go of following the day-to-day minutiae. It‘s a good thing: you don’t need to hear about every complaint that your call center operations have handled.

But moving customer-related services out of your house means no more overhearing parts of outgoing customer calls or the water cooler chatter about customer interactions. Businesses risk becoming disconnected from customers by outsourcing their communication. If you’re still figuring out your customer or your product, then this is a huge gamble.

AI has already been leveraged.

Artificial intelligence has a lot of applications that should be addressed before searching for a BPO provider. It’s a piece of low-hanging fruit to improve customer satisfaction — one that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later if you intend to keep up with your industry.

Our research shows that 84% of CRM leaders consider AI to be instrumental in interacting with modern customers.

Source

BPO providers can help you with this, if you choose correctly.

“When selecting a BPO partner, look beyond the immediate cost savings and evaluate their technological capabilities, particularly their investment in AI and automation — these will determine their ability to scale and evolve with your business needs,” shares Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Director of Corporate Strategy and Operations at Twilio.

“Based on my experience leading Fortune 100 transformations, the most successful BPO partnerships are those where the provider acts as a strategic partner in modernizing operations rather than simply a cost arbitrage play,” says Ramsinghaney.

Your SOPs work well.

SOPs, or standard operating procedures, are the lifeblood of productive teams. Some BPO providers will help you develop SOPs, but a specific concern comes to my mind when I think about outsourcing without a roadmap already in place.

Have you ever been a part of a disorganized team that could handle growth? I know I haven‘t been. I’ve worked on teams that have chosen outsourcing as a bandaid on the bullet wound of disorganization, and I’ve never seen it go well.

Statistic: 85% of organizations say that having a clear definition of roles and accountability is their top factor for success.

Create a working system with well-defined roles before you try to outsource operations.

When BPOs Work

Outsourcing is nothing new, but I admit I didn’t realize the depth of the BPO world until I researched this topic more deeply. The opportunities to find a trusted partner and scale together are unlimited.

In a perfect world, every business would take this step ethically and build a global team where all parties are compensated fairly for their contributions. Let’s make that a reality.

Customer segmentation matters. Take it from someone with an email inbox filled to the brim. I only click if the product advertised is something I’d actually use, and I appreciate the companies that take the time to learn about me and send me relevant offers.

The challenge? Customer segmentation is a big undertaking, and it can take your team a lot of time to sort your customer data manually. But with the right AI tool, you can get it done in no time.

Here’s a look at the benefits AI customer segmentation, the results of my AI experiment, and some of the top tools you can use to streamline segmentation.

In this article:

• The Benefits of AI Segmentation
• Testing AI Segmentation
• AI Tools for Customer Segmentations
• AI Segmentation Best Practices

The Benefits of AI Segmentation

Customer segmentation breaks your customer base into various subgroups. These subgroups can be based on multiple characteristics like:

• Demographics.
• Geographic location.
• Behaviors.
• Lifestyles, values, and interests.
• Needs.

This segmentation helps you better understand their needs and preferences. Then, you can create targeted messages that are more likely to resonate with your audience.

Here are the biggest benefits of AI customer segmentation.

Download Free Customer Segmentation Templates Today

1. Better Data Analysis

AI quickly sorts large data sets to provide an in-depth analysis. These in-depth analyses better inform your research. In fact, 63% of marketers use AI for market research today.

Think about that concerning customer segmentation. It’s likely your company has various groups of customers, each with their own needs and preferences. You can quickly and easily sort your customers using AI based on various defining characteristics.

Plus, AI can provide you with sentiment analysis, which helps you better understand how these customers feel about your product or service.

2. Bigger ROI

It’s no secret that personalization and segmentation are key to better marketing. Beyond that, with more advanced technology on the market, it’s expected. As technology advances, 73% of customers expect a personalized experience with a company.

Moreover, over half of consumers say they’ll become repeat buyers after a personalized experience. Using AI to segment your customer lists accurately can help your marketing and sales teams with revenue-driven strategies.

3. Improved Customer Retention

If customers are more likely to become repeat customers after personal experience with your brand, you also have a better chance of increasing customer retention. In fact, 62% of business leaders agree that improved customer retention is a benefit of personalization efforts.

AI can help you determine what your customer segments care about and how they feel about your product or service. Appealing to their preferences, interests, and needs is a great way to keep customers on your accounts.

4. Enhanced Predictions

Segmenting your customers into various groups can help you learn more about their behaviors and patterns and predict how they’ll behave. However, this can be a huge undertaking for one person, especially since it requires a large amount of historical data.

AI tools use historical and real-time data to predict your customers’ behaviors. This is especially helpful for planning proactive measures rather than reactive ones.

5. Saves Your Team Time

The amount of time saved by using AI tools might be the number one benefit of customer segmentation using AI. According to a Salesforce survey, marketers who use AI tools save an average of five hours per week.

Sure, that time likely accounts for content creation and other tasks, but it also accounts for market and customer research, including customer segmentation. What used to take hours to complete by hand now takes only a few minutes.

Not convinced? I ran a test to see if AI customer segmentation actually works — and it passed with flying colors.

Testing AI Segmentation

If I learned anything from my favorite professor in college, it’s this: always test things out. To see if AI can segment customers, I used ChatGPT. Here’s what happened.

The Scenario

I created a fictional health and wellness business to get the most out of using ChatGPT for customer segmentation. Then, I described my client base. Here are the most important details about my business, Fitness for You.

• The gym is open to:

• Enthusiasts and beginners
• Recreational members

• Age range: 18 to 80+
• Programs offered:

• Weight training
• Aerobics and water aerobics
• Yoga
• Cardio, including spin and treadmill classes
• Corporate programs

• There are more female clients than male clients.
• Some clients are members because of the social aspect of the programs offered.

Using this information, I want ChatGPT to sort my customers into the appropriate segments, including segments concerning:

• Fitness levels.
• Attitudes toward the gym.
• Program interests.

Running the Experiment

I first entered my company’s information to use ChatGPT for customer segmentation. The nice thing about ChatGPT is that it stores information, meaning there’s no need to keep reminding it of previous inputs.

After entering my company’s information, I asked ChatGPT to segment my customers based on fitness level. The key to using AI tools is to be specific. This is the prompt I used:

• “Using my business information, segment my clients into groups based on their fitness level. Provide a description of my clients and their fitness level. Deliver the results in a table.”

Pro tip: I’ve found that asking ChatGPT to deliver results in a table makes them easier to read. Plus, copying and pasting the results into Google Sheets is easy.

Next, I asked ChatGPT to separate my customers into groups based on their attitudes toward the gym. This is the prompt I used:

• “Using the same information about my customers and the segmented list, please segment them into groups based on their attitudes towards the gym.”

Here’s ChatGPT’s response:

I like that ChatGPT continues to deliver the results in the table. I also appreciate that the response gives a description of my client segment and a guess about their preferences.

The final segmentation I want ChatGPT to generate is groups based on my clients’ gym program interests.

This is the prompt I used:

• “Using the segmented groups, perform another segmentation. This time, segment my clients into groups based on their program interests.”

Here’s the final response:

ChatGPT’s response categorizes my fictional clients based on their potential program interests and describes why those clients may be interested in the program. Knowing this information, I could easily create marketing campaigns based on their interests and preferences and, hopefully, gain loyal clients to my gym.

What I Learned

ChatGPT’s customer segmentation of my fictional clients was spot on.

If I wanted to create customer personas and hadn’t already done that, I could use the information provided to me by ChatGPT to create a persona for each customer segment. Or, if I was short on time, ChatGPT could create the user persona for me.

With more information, like age range and fitness goals, I could segment my clients further into more detailed groups. This would help me narrow down my focus for more accurate personalization and a better customer experience.

Key Takeaways

• Using the data provided, AI segmentation was accurate
• AI performs best with specific prompts and directions (use X data, display the output in Y format
• AI was capable of multiple levels of segmentationn and classification

AI Tools for Customer Segmentations

Looking for the best AI tools for customer segmentation? We’ve got you covered.

1. HubSpot AI

Source

If you’re already a HubSpot CRM user, what are you waiting for? HubSpot AI is an easy-to-use AI tool that you can use throughout the customer platform.

With HubSpot’s CRM capabilities and HubSpot AI, you can create customer segments using historical and real-time data. Use this tool to create effective marketing campaigns, inform product development, and turn your customers into loyal fans.

What I like: I like that HubSpot AI is available at all points of the HubSpot customer platform. This means users get up-to-date information about their customer segments.

2. Optimove

Source

The more information you can obtain about your customers, the better. Optimove is a multi-channel engagement platform providing a comprehensive overview of your clients from four sources.

The platform uses cluster analysis and algorithms to separate customers into similar groups. Once the initial groups are identified, Optimove takes it further and creates sub-segments based on behaviors, demographics, and real-time interactions.

What I like: The nice thing about Optimove is that once you’ve segmented your audience, you can use control and test groups to A/B test marketing campaigns.

3. BlastPoint

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BlastPoint is an AI customer segmentation tool that provides optimized marketing solutions. It’s designed to help you understand your customers at a household level, meaning you’ll gain insights into their behaviors, demographics, and values.

The best part about BlastPoint is that, using its AI technology and your customer data, you can create as many filters as you need until you feel you have the appropriate customer segments.

What I like: I appreciate BlastPoint’s mission to help you become a more customer-centric company, regardless of industry.

4. Heap

Source

When considering customer segmentation, you might think of grouping clients based on characteristics, like demographics. Heap thinks about customer segmentation differently. Instead of segmenting customers based on their characteristics, Heap’s algorithm groups your audience based on their actions with your website.

Heap easily integrates with your existing technology, allowing you to create segments wherever your customers are. Heap also enables users to conduct A/B testing, create personalized campaigns, and build targeted user guides based on customer segment data.

What I like: I like that Heap focuses on actions rather than characteristics. Knowing this information is useful for creating user guides and a better knowledge base.

AI Segmentation Best Practices

Using AI for customer segmentation is an excellent way to identify the various customers on your accounts quickly. By understanding their actions and behaviors, you can boost conversions by providing relevant information and messages to your audiences.

If you plan to implement AI into your customer segmentation strategy, follow our experts’ and our best practices.

1. Define your goals.

You might choose to create a customer segmentation strategy for several reasons. For example, you might use it to redefine your marketing strategy or inform your business processes like Chuck Schaeffer, CEO of Johnny Grow.

Schaeffer’s team uses AI to dynamically map each customer into a customer segment. The segments can then be used to allocate resourcing and align business processes based on customer contribution.

For example, Schaeffer notes that the team may deliver high-touch customer support for high-contribution customers. Meanwhile, self-service support is available for low-contribution customers.

“Defining business processes by customer type or segment is extremely effective in growing revenues and margins from high-contribution customers and lowering cost-to-serve for low or negative-margin customers,” Schaeffer says.

Schaeffer’s team also uses AI to rank customer segments from most to least profitable.

“Identifying customers that contribute negative profits to the company creates an opportunity to plug those profit leaks. Reducing costs to serve these customers creates an alternative to discontinuing these customer relationships,” Schaeffer says.

2. Provide your AI tool with the most accurate data.

AI tools work best when your data is clean, error-free, and accurate. In my experiment asking ChatGPT to segment my fitness clients, I realized more data would have provided me with better results.

If you have the data available, use it. You might be surprised at the information you learn about your customers and their behaviors and preferences.

3. Catch customer interactions early and often.

Customer behavior will change throughout the customer journey. Collecting behavioral data when customers first interact with your company is best.

Ricardo Madan, senior vice president of TEKsystems Global Services, notes that these interactions — from inquiries, issue resolution, bill pay, order reconciliation, and problem — can inform AI and ML predictive analytics tools.

These insights “make these experiences more seamless for the users and more efficient or profitable for the companies they’re working with,” Madan says. “All of this is optimized when the analytics effectively segment users earlier in the customer experience.”

4. Personalize, personalize, personalize!

One of the main reasons you should create a customer segmentation strategy is to provide relevant information to your audiences. Once you understand them, use what you’ve learned to your advantage.

Lisa Richards, CEO and creator of the Candida Diet, uses AI tools to help her create segmented lists. She sends better, more personalized messages to her audiences using the information about her lists.

Richards says, “Our AI engine uses customer data, such as transaction history, quiz responses, and browsing behavior, to segment customers by their candida severity and unique needs and prepare content chunked for their context.”

For example, those who are new to the Candida diet may receive easy-to-follow meal plans, while those who are already used to the diet may be served a different recipe recommendation.

“Implementing AI-powered segmentation has resulted in a 20 percent uplift in customer engagement with content, as users are now served up resources that are most relevant to them,” Richards says.

Can AI Segment Your Customers? Yes!

Customer segmentation helps grow your company and better understand your customers. You can uncover meaningful insights using AI and your company’s valuable data in a few minutes. Talk about time saved for your teams!

The trick to using AI is to ensure your data is clean and error-free. AI tools are only as good as your data, so keep that in mind when running customer segmentation prompts!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2024 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Customer service and customer experience are critical aspects of your business. They both significantly impact your ability to satisfy and retain customers — but they’re not interchangeable. Each means something entirely different to your business and your customers.

I’ve pulled examples of these principles being executed masterfully for us to learn from (and one really bad one). You know you’re curious! Let’s go.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Customer Experience vs. Customer Service
• What is the difference between customer service and customer experience?
• Which is more important: customer service or experience?
• Customer Experience Examples
• Customer Service Examples

What is the difference between customer service and customer experience?

Although different, customer service sits under the customer experience umbrella. The way you help customers when issues arise contributes to their level of satisfaction. The faster you can help bring customers a resolution, the faster you can help them succeed and have a positive experience.

Continuation vs. Single Touchpoint

Customer experience doesn’t require interaction with a representative, but customer service usually does. Great customer service happens one interaction at a time, and the customer experience is a summary of that entire customer journey.

Proactive vs. Reactive

Customer service is reactive: your customer service team will respond to a help ticket or inquiry when a customer initiates a conversation. There are also proactive elements of service, though. Customers expect quick response times, an awareness of their previous touchpoints with the support team, etc.

Is each customer service representative well-trained? Do they have tools that help reduce customer wait time? That’s where the customer experience comes in: your proactive back-end investment in the customer experience sets the stage for what kind of reactive service you can provide.

Satisfaction Metrics vs. Service Metrics

Experience metrics are the sum of many touchpoints. They represent all the interactions customers have with your business across departments. A few metrics for your customer experience are:

1. Net Promoter Score (NPS®). A measure of how likely a customer is to recommend your business. This is a key metric for evaluating your business’s customer experience.
2. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT). Your customers’ answer to the question “How satisfied were you with your experience?”
3. Customer retention. Are you meeting customers’ needs and keeping them satisfied enough for them to keep choosing you over your competitors?

Customer service metrics show how quickly you help customers resolve their issues. A few metrics for your customer service are:

1. Average Response Time: How much time does it take for your support team to solve customer problems?
2. Customer Effort Score (CES). This measures how much work it takes for your customers to use your product or get support.
3. Ticket Resolution Rate: Are customer problems solved the first time they reach out for support, or does it take numerous touchpoints?

Service metrics in a nutshell: Are you able to delight customers with your support and customer care?

Which is more important: customer service or experience?

Experience is more important than support. Customer service is like icing on top of a cake. If the cake itself (the experience) is bad, then no amount of icing (service) can make it good.

It’s a bit crude, but I suppose this old adage says it more succinctly: “It’s like putting lipstick on a pig.” Or the vintage version: “You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.”

Bad customer support can ruin your reputation … but some loyal customers will use your product for years without ever having a single customer service interaction. If you have a bad product, you’ll never earn loyal customers in the first place.

I can think of one paid software I’ve used for 6+ years without ever needing customer support. My customer lifetime value (CLV) for that company has been enormous. My needs are met by that software because the customer experience is excellent.

Bad support can still ruin a good experience.

Customer expectations have never been higher:

• 82% of customers expect their issues to be resolved immediately.
• The #2 challenge service representatives are struggling with is adapting to increasingly demanding customer expectations.
• 95% of consumers report that customer service impacts brand loyalty

Instead of focusing on one practice over the other, create an all-encompassing strategy that ensures you provide satisfactory customer service and, in the process, create an experience that leaves customers satisfied.

Customer Experience Examples

Let’s discuss the difference between customer experience and customer service with the example scenario of a customer visiting a storefront.

Say a customer walks in, makes a return with a representative, and continues with their day — this is a singular customer experience. That single interaction, though, makes up a small portion of their entire experience with your business that day.

For example, the directions they found on your Google My Business page helped them get there, the setup of your storefront made it easy for them to find your customer service desk, and your customer service rep helped them seamlessly make a return and process a refund.

Everything they did that day related to your business made up their entire experience, and customer service was one of those touchpoints. Here are some other popular examples.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs reward repeat business and offer an incentive for repeat customers. This is often in the form of “buy 3, get 1 free” or “20% off every 5th order” promotions. Even though these programs are mass-implemented, it can create the feeling of personalized experiences for customers.

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Brand Perception

Monitoring brand sentiment on social media to understand the perception of your brand. This is known as social listening. The story of a bad customer experience can spread like wildfire online, making it important for brands to listen and react to their reputation online. Curious about the perception of your brand? Try asking ChatGPT.

What’s the reputation of [brand name]? Summarize what people think in one paragraph).

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Product Design

Produce design, packaging, and branding all contribute to how customers feel about your business. Thoughtful, comprehensive product design helps customers feel valued by the company. It also contributes to (or detracts from) a business’s reputation of being a luxury brand.

An example of product packaging design that I love is the Notabag. A small piece of recycled paper teaches you how to use the product and shares company information. I‘ve purchased several Notabags, and I always find myself reluctant to throw the packaging into the recycling bin because it’s so thoughtfully designed.

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Customer Support

This is where customer support and experience come together. Let’s zoom in specifically at customer service examples and how they impact the overall customer experience.

Customer Service Examples

Every customer service experience is a single event that contributes to overall memorable experiences with a company (either good or bad). Here are some examples.

Response Time

When a customer contacts your customer service team, how long does it take for them to get a reply? The overall perception of your customer service team starts with how quickly queries are addressed.

Fast customer service makes customers feel valued — it has a huge impact on customer satisfaction. Quick responses are an integral part of a modern customer support system.

One of the fastest customer support teams I‘ve ever encountered is GreenGeeks. I’ve messaged them at every hour of the day with website issues, and they always reply immediately with an exact solution to my problem. It’s the kind of customer attention that successful businesses should all aspire to.

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Support Channels

A customer interaction can take place on almost any channel these days (yippee, right?). Yes, it’s a bit more work, but with tools like HubSpot’s CRM you can consolidate all of your customer communication into one place.

Omnichannel support options allow customers to reach out using their preferred medium. This may be email, live chat, phone, or social media. Maybe even the odd snail mail (stranger things have happened).

Just be sure to provide support to everyone. Some companies hide customer support behind a paywall and leave customers on free plans out in the cold. HubSpot provides multiple direct lines of communication to everyone — including those using their free products.

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Self-Service

Creating self-service tools for customers to help themselves helps improve many aspects of your service. A few popular self-service options are:

• Conversational AI chatbots.
• Knowledge bases.
• Detailed tutorials.

You can find a lot of exceptional self-service options online, and also a lot of half-baked ones. My favorite example is Canva’s knowledge base.

Not only does it use semantic search to understand the intent behind your query, but it also uses AI to communicate in your language. Canva automatically detects your language and uses AI to send a response in your language. Heel erg bedankt, Canva!

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Customer Feedback

Collecting and acting on customer feedback is a key part of maintaining customer satisfaction. But did you know that some huge companies don’t accept customer feedback?

For me, Pinterest comes to mind. Users LOVE Pinterest. But they have a very hard time contacting them when something goes wrong. You can find angry comments from ignored users on every single social platform. Remember the analogy of the cake and the icing? Pinterest’s product is the cake; the icing, though, people hate.

My blog post on how to contact Pinterest has sparked dozens of comments and emails from customers who have been scammed on the platform or locked out of their accounts. Their TrustPilot score is a raging 1.4/5 stars as a result. I‘ve been a Pinterest marketer since 2018 and I’d bet anything that this is the direct result of no investment in customer support.

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I still love Pinterest, but it’s a cautionary tale for brands. Alright, enough about the rage of scorned customers. Let’s end this on a positive note.

You Need Great Customer Service and Customer Experience

Both customer service and customer experience are required to scale your business. By understanding these two concepts, you can ensure customers’ needs are met throughout the entire journey, building long-lasting relationships.

Make customers feel valued enough, and they may even brag about the customer experience you’ve invested in (looking at you GreenGeeks, Notabag, and Canva).

Exceptional customer service starts with the right software — see if HubSpot’s Service Hub can help lighten your load.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.