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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, were moving beyond the age of reactive service, where customer satisfaction was measured by stale, bi-annual surveys. Were entering an era of proactive, predictive customer care. Companies missions today should be to transform every interaction into a moment of loyalty and growth, a goal we are working to achieve through our latest in-house innovation: the Customer Experience Index, or CXI. While many companies talk about focusing on customer experience, we wanted to move beyond buzzwords and create a framework that allows for proactive, real-time management of our customer relationships. Traditional methods of measuring customer satisfaction, like the bi-annual surveys mentioned earlier, often fall short. They only provide a snapshot in time, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of daily customer sentiment and needs. To truly drive change and speak to our customers on their current standing, we needed something morea tool that could provide real-time, actionable insights at a massive scale. UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCE WITHOUT ASKING THE QUESTION This is where the Customer Experience Index comes in. It is an AI-powered, real-time measurement framework that transforms raw customer sentiment into predictive, actionable insights, which in turn works to enhance loyalty, reduce churn, and drive business growth. Its not just a metric; its a predictive engine built on over 200 AI/machine learning models and generative AI insights. The CXI evaluates a wide range of factors, including customer behavior, network performance, service interactions, and even external market signals like mergers and acquisitions. With a 98% accuracy rate compared to traditional NPS surveys, CXI gives us near instant, account-level insights that allow us to anticipate and address issues before they escalate for our business customers. The ability of CXI to understand the experience without asking the question, is a game changer. It enables us to shift from a reactive to a proactive customer experience model. For example, our service teams no longer just react to inbound service calls. Instead, an AI-powered tool called “Right to Sell,” fed by CXI data, provides real-time guidance to agents during a service call. A green light might signal that a customer is satisfied and an agent can suggest a new product or service, while a red light indicates the customer is frustrated, and the agent should focus on resolving their issue and building brand loyalty. This allows our service team to transition from a cost center to a value-driving part of the business. This shift also frees up our dedicated sales teams to focus on more strategic selling opportunities. This approachs impact is already clear. In the first half of 2025 alone, around 20% of our accounts saw an improvement in their CXI scores. These customers are more likely to stay with us, buy more from us, and even become evangelists of our services. These results demonstrate how we are translating customer insights into tangible business outcomes. PERSONALIZATION MATTERS Beyond the numbers, the CXI represents a deeper, more empathetic understanding of our customers’ journeys. By integrating conversational intelligence that analyzes interactions across all communication channels (with the customer opting in)including phone calls, chat, and emailwe can score customer sentiment and track our commitments in real time. This allows our specialized teams to proactively engage with customers, sometimes even before the customer is aware of the problem, and provide a higher level of care. Ultimately, our ability to deliver winning customer experiences is tied to this level of personalization. By understanding our customers both rationally and emotionally, we can anticipate their needs, offer proactive solutions, and provide a seamless, intuitive experience across all touchpoints. Our work with CXI is not just about tracking satisfaction; it’s about actively shaping a future where every interaction strengthens customer loyalty and fuels growth, propelling us toward our customer goals and solidifying our position as a leader in customer experience. Iris Meijer is chief product and marketing officer of Verizon Business.
Category:
E-Commerce
Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad, whose notoriously brutal rule over the country earned him the nickname The Butcher, was deposed in 2024 after years of bloody civil war. Now, in a surreal cyberpunk twist, according to a report in German newsweekly Die Zeit, the former dictator is largely holed up in a luxury high-rise in Moscow, where he routinely spends hours playing online video games. Assad, who practiced as a physician and was reportedly thought of as geeky during his medical training years, also appears to enjoy stunning views of Moscow landmarks from his apartment, and has access to a villa outside the city. He also reportedly makes occasional visits to a shopping mall below his apartment. Assad apparently resides in Russia under President Vladimir Putins protection, according to Die Zeit. Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, as president of Syria in 2000. Despite there being initial hopes for reform, Bashar al-Assad ultimately presided over a brutal crackdown on dissent and a 13-year civil war, in which his Russian-backed forces were accused of deploying chemical weapons and bombarding the civilian population with so-called barrel bombs. The German publication didnt specify what video games the former Syrian leader enjoys, nor whether he plays against online opponents who might be unaware of his identity.
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E-Commerce
Michelle, a 42-year-old marketing executive, was scrolling through her grocery app when she saw the total: $87. A year ago, her weekly cart never dipped below $200. Chips, late-night snacks, and bottles of wine had given way to produce, yogurt, and lean proteins. But that same morning, a $900 charge for her GLP-1 prescription landed on her credit card. Whatever she was saving at the supermarket felt dwarfed by the cost of her medication. Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are being hailed as medical breakthroughs. Theyre not just changing waistlinestheyre changing household budgets. And as these shifts ripple through everyday spending, the financial industry has an important role to play in helping people rethink, rebalance, and plan for this new reality. THE PRICE TAG OF TRANSFORMATION GLP-1s arent cheap. Out-of-pocket, they run $500 to $1,300 a month. Thats as much as a car payment, or a mortgage in some parts of the country. People using them are often reshuffling their budgets to afford the drugs. Many think about it like another utility bill: essential, non-negotiable, and something they can plan their whole month around. Still, users often find savings elsewhere: fewer restaurant meals, less alcohol, smaller grocery runs. Some even report that the math comes closer to breaking even than expected. WHERE THE MONEY GOES NOW Losing weight changes more than the number on a scale. People cycle through three or four clothing sizes in a single year. Gym memberships and boutique fitness classes suddenly feel worth the money. Trips once avoided now get booked. GLP-1s arent just about shrinking waistlines. They open doors people may have kept shut for years, and with that comes a new set of financial decisions. Affluent households can absorb both the prescriptions and the lifestyle upgrades that follow. But for families living paycheck to paycheck, these medications arent just expensive. Theyre simply out of reach. THE EMOTIONAL ECONOMICS With new health often comes new confidence. People may invest more in savings accounts, 401(k)s, or long-delayed experiences. But the flip side is anxietythe fear of relapse or losing access if coverage changes. That can drive spending on coaches, supplements, or nutrition programs to try to lock in results. This duality is real. Weve seen people feel free enough to book the beach trip theyve dreamed about, and weve seen others overspend chasing every add-on that promises to make results last. When health changes this dramatically, peoples money habits have to change too. Thats where financial education comes in, helping people build financial resilience so the gains arent just physical, theyre sustainable. WHEN HEALTH EQUITY MEETS FINANCIAL EQUITY The GLP-1 boom highlights a blunt truth: Wealth buys health. GLP-1s have created a new form of inequity. Those that can afford them have a better chance of living healthier and perhaps longer. Those that cant afford them, nothing changes. Access to health shouldnt depend on access to wealth. Theres a role for financial institutions here. Banks and credit unions can make innovation work for people looking to live a healthier life. Budgeting tools, fair loans, more transparent buy-now-pay-later programs, even text alerts for prescription rebatesthese are the kinds of things that can close the gap, and allow for better health. Financial institutions cant make the drugs cheaper, but we can give people more room to breathe financially. RIPPLE EFFECTS ACROSS INDUSTRIES Food companies are already adjusting as grocery carts shrink. Fashion retailers are expanding sizing in both directions. Resale sites are buzzing with transitional wardrobes. Wellness clinics and med spas are seeing record demand. The open question is whether financial institutions will adapt in the same way, stepping in as partners in resilience. They can, if health and finance leaders are willing to work together. GLP-1s dont just change bodies. They change what shows up on a credit card statement. For some, thats empowering. For others, its destabilizing. If GLP-1s are the health revolution of our time, then financial literacy and inclusion have to be the companion revolution. Edwin Endlich is president of the National Association for Financial Literacy and Inclusion (NAFLI). Ana Reisdorf, MS, RD is founder of GLP-1 Hub.
Category:
E-Commerce
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