CX Book Gems #29: "The Amazement Revolution" by Shep Hyken
Book summary of "The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experience" by Shep Hyken.
Today’s newsletter feature is The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experience by Shep Hyken.
📘 Book Summary
Customer service isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about creating memorable, amazing experiences that turn customers into loyal fans. In The Amazement Revolution, Shep Hyken presents seven powerful strategies to elevate both customer and employee experiences, helping companies build a culture of continuous service excellence.
Always think: How will it affect my customer?...Do what’s right for the customer – and you have done what’s right for the organization.
💎 3 CX Gems
1. Customer experience (CX) starts with employee experience (EX)
How you treat your employees directly affects how they treat your customers. Companies with a culture of Amazement understand that employee engagement and satisfaction drive customer satisfaction. This is the foundation of what Hyken calls the “Employee Golden Rule”: treat employees the way you want them to treat customers—maybe even better.
Treat employees the way you want them to treat customers—maybe even better.
2. Go beyond transactions—create emotional connections
A business that treats its customers like members rather than mere consumers builds loyalty. Whether through personalized service, surprise perks, or simply knowing a customer’s name, companies that foster emotional connections inspire advocacy and long-term commitment. Harley-Davidson, for example, transformed its customers into a passionate community of brand evangelists by deeply engaging with them beyond the point of purchase.
3. Build partnerships, not just customer relationships
Customers don’t want to feel like they’re being sold to; they want to feel valued as partners. Companies that prioritize solving their customers’ problems, rather than just pushing products, position themselves as indispensable allies. A great example is Contegix, a web-hosting company that proactively fixed a client’s server overload issue before they even reached out for help.
Trust is nonnegotiable.
7 Amazement Strategies
Provide membership. What if you treated the people you serve like members instead of customers?
Instead of treating customers as mere buyers, offer them an exclusive and personalized membership-like experience. Companies like Four Seasons Hotels excel at this by greeting guests by name, ensuring seamless check-ins, and making every visit feel like a return to a familiar, welcoming home.Have serious FUN. What if your employees felt a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment that made them loyal to you and your customers?
Engaged and happy employees create better customer experiences, making the workplace enjoyable and energetic. Organizations like Baptist Health South Florida prioritize employee well-being, communication, and engagement to cultivate an uplifting work culture.Cultivate partnership. What if your customers thought of you as a partner rather than just another vendor?
Treat customers as partners by consistently exceeding their expectations and proactively solving their problems. Contegix, for example, stepped in to resolve a client’s crisis before the client even asked, proving its commitment to customer success beyond transactions.Hire right. What if you could implement innovative hiring processes to support your customer-service mission?
Employees shape the customer experience, making it essential to hire for attitude as much as skill. The Fudgery hires energetic, extroverted performers rather than experienced fudge-makers, ensuring that customers receive an entertaining, interactive retail experience.Create a memorable after-experience. What if you could create a memorable, positive experience after someone did business with you?
The best companies don’t stop at the sale—they leave a lasting impression through personalized follow-ups. Premiere Speakers Bureau’s Brian Lord demonstrated this by sending a Lou Brock-autographed baseball to a client, reinforcing the value of their relationship.Build community. What if you could create a community of evangelists—loyal customers who brag about you to their friends and associates?
Involve customers in your brand’s culture and decision-making to create deep loyalty and advocacy. Harley-Davidson survived economic downturns by listening to its customers, incorporating their design suggestions, and fostering a devoted customer community.Walk the walk. What if every person in your company didn’t just deliver, but lived and breathed your vision for amazing customer service?
A company’s values must be reflected in its hiring, culture, and customer interactions to build genuine trust. Zappos ensures its commitment to service by hiring only those who are passionate about its customer-centric mission, creating a workforce aligned with its core values.
✅ 3 Quickstart Tips
Create an internal culture of appreciation. Recognize and reward employees for delivering exceptional service, and empower them with the tools and autonomy they need to create meaningful customer interactions.
Focus on moments of magic. Identify touchpoints in your customer journey where you can elevate interactions from functional to memorable—whether it’s through a warm greeting, a thoughtful follow-up, or a small but meaningful surprise.
Shift your mindset from selling to serving. Instead of asking, “What can we sell them next?” ask, “How can we add value?” Make it easy for customers to trust that you have their best interests at heart.
The companies that embrace The Amazement Revolution don’t just provide good service—they create unforgettable experiences that customers can’t stop talking about. Whether it’s through investing in employee engagement, creating emotional connections, or building true customer partnerships, every interaction is an opportunity to turn a simple transaction into a lifelong relationship.