As we look back on CX Day last week and Customer Service Week this week, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the essential role that customer experience (CX) and frontline service teams play in driving business success. While both events share a common focus on delivering excellence to customers, they highlight distinct aspects of the customer journey and the people who power it.
CX is the strategy, Customer Service delivers the product or service, and Hospitality drives emotional connection.
The employee experience will ultimately drive your customer and guest experience.
A strong people-centric culture not only enhances the team experience but also leads to better customer outcomes.
This year, Customer Service Week’s theme is “Above and Beyond,” and it couldn’t be more fitting. Whether it’s tackling complex customer issues, offering empathetic support, or creating meaningful connections, the efforts of frontline teams often go unnoticed and unrewarded. This is not a sustainable model.
CX Day 2024 was themed around proving the tangible impact of CX initiatives on business outcomes, especially in terms of bottom-line results, employee engagement, and customer loyalty.
The History: CX Day and Customer Service Week:
Let’s start with the origins. CX Day, founded by the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) in 2013, gives us a chance to recognize the impact of CX professionals and share best practices worldwide. CX day is a more recent event that centers around the strategic and structural elements of customer experience. Celebrated globally, CX Day puts a spotlight on the professionals and organizations that make customer-centric strategies a cornerstone of their operations. CX Day is a reminder that great customer experiences don't happen by accident—they're a direct result of deliberate strategies and dedicated teams.
Customer Service Week began in 1984 and was officially recognized by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 through a proclamation honoring the vital role customer service professionals play in building stronger businesses and better experiences for consumers. Since then, companies across industries have used this week to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and innovation of the front line teams getting it done every day.
Themes for 2024:
This year’s themes for both CX Day and Customer Service Week revolve around a common principle: the interconnectedness of customer experience, employee engagement, and business outcomes.
For CX Day 2024, the focus is on how "Good CX delivers better outcomes for customers, employees, and organizations." This theme emphasizes that well-executed CX strategies not only lead to satisfied customers but also engage employees and drive better financial results.
A study by Qualtrics found that companies with above-average CX scores see an average revenue growth of 7% annually compared to those lagging in CX, highlighting its direct impact on the bottom line.
Similarly, Customer Service Week 2024 is themed "Above & Beyond." This theme encourages organizations to recognize the front line enables of customer service, reinforcing the idea that when employees feel valued, they’re more motivated to deliver exceptional service.
Research by Gallup supports this, showing that companies with highly engaged employees see a 20% increase in productivity and a 21% boost in profitability.
Why These Days Matter
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running a business, but CX Day and Customer Service Week offer opportunities to step back and recognize what truly drives success—people.
When we put people at the center of everything we do, the most amazing things are possible.
The reality is that businesses with strong CX and hospitality programs are more likely to see financial growth, greater customer loyalty, and improved employee retention.
What’s the Difference?
While CX Day focuses on high-level strategies and customer experience management, Customer Service Week zooms in on the individuals on the front lines. Both are equally important. One can’t function without the other—strategic vision without execution leads to a disjointed customer journey, while flawless execution without a larger strategy can miss the mark.
Remember that CX is the strategy, Customer Service delivers the product or service, and Hospitality drives emotional connection
It’s clear that CX isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a business imperative.
How To Activate In Your Business
Organizations can leverage both Customer Service Week and CX Day as catalysts for creating a culture of appreciation, continuous learning, and excellence. Here are a few ideas:
Recognize Your Frontline Teams: A simple but powerful way to celebrate is by acknowledging the hard work of your customer service staff. Personalized shout-outs, team lunches, or even a thank-you note can go a long way in boosting morale. After all they are the face of your business and brand. This is more than just a pizza party, though. Leaders must be visible and make this an event, not an empty gesture. And this is not a replacement for a solid compensation and pay model.
Create Professional Development Opportunities: Use these celebrations as a chance to offer skill-building sessions or seminars focused on improving service and CX skills. Remember, investing in your employees’ growth leads to better customer experiences.
Engage Your Customers: Use CX Day to showcase your commitment to the customer. Run surveys, conduct live Q&A sessions, or even offer special promotions as a way to connect with your audience. Reach out and drive connection.
Tie Celebrations to Broader Business Goals: Rather than viewing these events as standalone initiatives, think of them as springboards for the year ahead. Use them to set the tone for long-term goals like improving your Net Promoter Score (NPS), reducing churn, or driving employee engagement.
Host Recognition Events: Create opportunities to celebrate employees’ achievements through awards or shout-outs, highlighting specific instances where they went above and beyond for customers.
Conduct Workshops and Training: Invest in skill-building sessions that focus on enhancing service techniques and customer engagement strategies.
Encourage Team Building: Organize team-building activities that foster camaraderie and collaboration among service teams, enhancing their ability to work together effectively.
Gather Customer Feedback: Use this time to actively solicit feedback from customers about their experiences, and share insights with your team to drive improvements.
Springboard into the future:
Here’s the key takeaway: Don’t let the momentum from these celebrations stop when the week is over. Instead, use these events as a foundation to improve CX and hospitality throughout the year.
Establish Ongoing Training Programs: Leverage the excitement from Customer Service Week to kickstart ongoing training. Whether it’s empathy training or scenario-based learning, continuous improvement is critical.
Implement Regular CX Audits: Conduct quarterly CX reviews to ensure your customer journey aligns with your strategic goals. This helps to measure improvement and identify gaps. If you haven't done a journey map recently, now is a great time.
Invest in Employee Engagement: Keep the energy high by fostering a culture of recognition year-round. Recognized employees are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged at work, according to research from O.C. Tanner.
Celebrate Small Wins: Don’t wait for the next Customer Service Week to appreciate your team. Find moments throughout the year to celebrate small successes, whether that’s hitting customer satisfaction targets or simply going above and beyond.
CX Day and Customer Service Week are not just isolated events. They provide a springboard for ongoing improvement and engagement throughout the year. Here are actionable steps organizations can take:
Set Clear CX Goals: Use insights from these celebrations to define specific, measurable goals for enhancing customer experience and service delivery.
Engage Leadership: Secure buy-in from executives to support CX initiatives, ensuring that service excellence remains a priority at all levels of the organization.
Regularly Measure Impact: Implement tools and metrics to assess the effectiveness of customer experience strategies, focusing on both qualitative and quantitative outcomes.
Promote Employee Engagement: Foster a culture where employee feedback is valued and acted upon, leading to higher engagement and retention rates.
As we celebrate CX Day and Customer Service Week this October, let's recognize the incredible value that exceptional customer service brings to organizations and it's impact on growth. By honoring our frontline teams and committing to outstanding customer experiences, we pave the way for lasting success and meaningful relationships.
While it’s great to celebrate during CX Day and Customer Service Week, the real value comes from leveraging these events as a springboard for ongoing improvement.
CX Day and Customer Service Week serve as critical reminders of why customer experience should be at the heart of everything we do. But it’s not just about a week of celebrations—it’s about leveraging these moments to drive sustained focus on creating exceptional experiences for both customers and employees. When you prioritize CX, you set your business on a path to increased profitability, customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction. In short, going “Above & Beyond” doesn’t just make a difference this week—it drives success all year long.
The Bottom Line: Experience, Service, and Hospitality Are Non-Negotiables to driving sales growth.
As we move into the final quarter of the year, now is the time to double down on CX and service excellence. Recognize your teams, celebrate their hard work, and use these events as a catalyst for improvement. Whether it’s through better training, enhanced communication, or a renewed focus on customer empathy, the effort you put in today will drive results tomorrow.
And as President George H.W. Bush’s 1992 proclamation reminds us, great service is essential not just to business success but to the foundation of a thriving economy.
Let’s continue to champion it—this week and well beyond to keep customers at the center of everything we do.
Tony Johnson
* Written by a real human, not A.I.
Tony is an award winning speaker and author on the topics of sales growth, customer experience, and leadership. Tony speaks to thousands annually and has been featured on ABC News and Fox News. He is available for business planning, motivational keynotes, leadership workshops, and employee service skills training.
Tony is the founder of Ignite Your Service and the Chief Experience Officer for 4xi Global Consulting.
Tony is available to help with your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Strategies, inspirational keynote talks, team training and development, and executive leadership coaching.
Comments