Customer experience is entering the sci-fi age: knowing and understanding customers on an individual level, providing personalized service, and dedicated moments. All of this is becoming possible thanks to technological innovation. And as it shifts, we're moving beyond the age of reactive service, where customer satisfaction was measured by stale, bi-annual surveys. We're entering an era of proactive, predictive customer care.
Today's customers don't separate their lives into channels, and they don't expect brands to either. They want experiences that feel relevant and personal, whether that's confirming a delivery, getting a reminder about an appointment, or receiving an offer they actually care about. Imagine a shopper who adds items to their cart but never checks out. Hours later, the reminder email arrives, but by then it's buried in a crowded inbox. The opportunity to recapture their attention has passed.
Offense, meanwhile, involves anticipating needs and planning for various scenarios. Defense looks like sitting still. Defense looks like reacting to rates, [and it] looks like expanding and contracting to every market term. So we're not necessarily just in a turbulent market right now. Our market and our industry are evolving faster than any of us can really reorganize our orgs to keep up. So what offense looks like is trying to anticipate those needs and being ready for anything, Snow said.
Getting ready for a new business year is a crucial time. It presents the opportunity to reflect and make a list of a strategic changes to the way your company works. Small and simple tweaks in your approach can set your business up for sustainable growth and success. With so much in the pipeline and a lot to play for, it's worth getting the early preparations off to a strong start.
At AskNicely, we're on a mission to help service businesses grow by empowering teams to deliver consistently amazing customer experiences. Our platform makes it simple to collect real-time customer feedback and turn insights into everyday action, powering over 1,300 companies worldwide. Our culture is guided by three non-negotiables we call "living in the purple": Play to Win: We bring our best, collaborate closely, and move fast - progress over perfection. Love Your Feedback: We model curiosity and openness so we can keep learning and improving.
Now, Honig is bringing her innovation-first mindset to Samsung in the newly created role that puts her at the helm of the tech giant's customer experience and AI transformation. Her remit? Help customers understand how they can use AI more day-to-day. "I believe we are going through the most exciting phases of change in our history," she adds. "The AI revolution is one of the most important technological shifts we'll experience in our lifetime."
This week, Florida-based fiber provider Summit Broadband announced the implementation of a new brand promise. According to the company's announcement, "This strategic direction marks a significant step for Summit Broadband, reinforcing its investment in network infrastructure and its relationships with both residential and commercial customers across Florida. The company's renewed focus aims to drive innovation, foster stronger community ties, and ultimately deliver an unparalleled customer experience."
Poorly designed support flows frustrate users, but smart, intentional redesigns can turn a help center into an intuitive, self-service space that feels like a natural extension of the product. This improves the customer experience while reducing live support needs and helping internal teams spot common problems and solutions. Help centers are no longer afterthoughts; they're now core to digital product experiences and key drivers of user satisfaction, retention, and brand trust.
In 2025, businesses must think beyond the old ways and embrace new strategies for growth and efficiency. A key component of this shift is enhancing value through creativity, whether that means refining service delivery, optimising customer experience, or using tools like a collage editor to visually engage with clients. These small, but effective innovations can set service based businesses apart in a competitive market.
I started my career working for the Philippines tourism board. At that time, the Philippines - and its 7,000 islands - as a destination was relatively unknown in UK and Europe. In my 10 and a half years there, I had all sorts of roles learning about the industry and learning about marketing in general. My first task was to build the website, at a time when online travel portals were pretty much in their infancy.