In recent years, there has been a steady decline in key Customer Experience (CX) indicators, such as Forrester’s CX Index (down for the fourth consecutive year), a decrease in customer loyalty reported by KPMG, and a deterioration in both the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and Gartner’s Customer Effort Score (CES).
The data does not point to a crisis, but to greater scrutiny
These figures should not be interpreted as a failure of CX, but rather as a signal that customer expectations are continuously rising and that the quality of the experience delivered must constantly improve in order to remain competitive.
- CX scores are relative, not absolute: customers evaluate their experience based on expectations and comparisons with other companies or even other industries.
- Service expectations increase year after year. What was considered excellent just a few years ago is now seen as the baseline.
- A decline in CX scores does not necessarily mean that service quality has worsened, but that expectations have grown faster than actual improvements.
Why CX matters for business
- A one-point increase in CX score generates a 3.2% increase in revenue (Forrester).
- CX leaders have delivered shareholder returns 5.4 times higher than CX laggards (Watermark Consulting).
- Between 2016 and 2021, CX-leading companies grew revenues at more than twice the rate of followers (McKinsey).
- Loyal and satisfied customers spend more, stay longer, and recommend the company, while dissatisfied customers tend to criticize and discourage potential new customers.
- Recent studies show that customer loyalty contributes between 13% and 26% of total revenue.
Final thoughts
The decline in CX scores is a clear signal that experience quality has become even more critical. Customers are more demanding, and differentiation through CX is essential to stand out in an increasingly commoditized market.
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