December 23, 2025
The Customer Experience Highlights of 2025
2025 has been a tumultuous year for customer experience, but as we end the year it is time to focus on the positive outcomes across the business landscape and at the sharp end where consumers and customers need the industry to be at its best.
We’ve already asked our tame CX experts for their CX best of… stories, but these are our highlights from across the year that show the power of good CX.
The Big Business CX Stories of 2025
1. Businesses Proved They Can Recognise Their Automation/Offshoring/AI Failures
The likes of Klarna went heavily into AI and automation, but have learned their lesson after strong negative customer feedback. Similarly, just this week, VodafoneThree, announced the reshoring of 400 contact positions back to the UK to improve the quality of their specialist care and sales support service.
2. AI‑Driven Automation Reaches Across the Customer Lifecycle
Practically every B2B CX organisation is rapidly embedding AI into sales, service, and operations to streamline complex workflows and deliver faster, more consistent experiences. The speed of delivery means AI is less of a differentiator, meaning end user companies have to seek specific market or vertical value for users and customers.
3. Proactive, Predictive Engagement Models
As with AI, every CX is fast becoming a predictive platform. B2B buyers expect issues to be resolved before they escalate. Proactive communication, automated alerts, and predictive service can add valuable insights, but customers want their needs met immediately.
4. Unified, Omnichannel Relationship Management
The onmichannel promise horse has been pretty well flogged, but fragmented communication remains a major B2B and B2C pain point. Companies are investing in unified platforms to consolidate their herd of Slack, email, ticketing and product updates into a single experience.
5. Consumer‑Grade Simplicity in Enterprise Buying
The power of consumer software sees business apps ditching the complexity and quirky to create tools that just work, most of the time. Decision‑makers increasingly expect B2B purchasing to feel as intuitive as consumer shopping, providing simple interfaces, transparent pricing (ignoring the move to AI-related pricing structures) and frictionless digital journeys.
Consumers Welcome Technology and the Human Touch in 2025
The customer is still king, no matter if they are synthetic, augmented or a figment of your AI’s imagination. And those customers are a little happier with NiCE’s 2025 Global Happiness Index reporting that customer service happiness rose 5 points year‑over‑year, reaching a new high. Some examples from around the world include:
1. Southwest Airlines’ CX Comeback
After years of operational failures, and making silly passenger-annoying decisions, Southwest delivered a major CX turnaround focused on reliability, transparency, and digital improvements.
2. Starbucks’ AI‑Driven Order Customisation
Starbucks is trying to keep ahead of the hectic pavement coffee market by expanding its AI‑powered personalization engine, enabling more accurate, context‑aware drink recommendations and reducing friction in mobile ordering.
3. IKEA’s Omnichannel Reinvention
IKEA’s has been on something of a transformation journey across CX. From new digital planning tools, faster fulfilment, and redesigned store journeys, it even offers easier furniture assembly guides, all of which makes it something of a beacon for retailers.
Hopefully the needs of customers and ambitions of businesses will all be met by great CX tools in 2026. If not, do let us know!
