Reigning supreme in today’s competitive market is not just about having a great product or service. It’s about crafting an unmatched customer experience (CX).

In fact, 86% of customers will pay more for excellent customer service. 

Many experts have written books on exceptional customer experiences. But which books are the best?

In this article, we have helped you curate the best 20 books by experts on customer experience. These books are rich with practical strategies to boost your customer satisfaction. 

Let’s take you through them, shall we?

Why should you read the best customer experience books?

Reading the best books about customer experience has several benefits. But these seven benefits stand out:

• Boost your CX IQ: You learn from the experts and become a CX whiz quickly.
• Turbocharge your business: Watch your company soar as you apply CX’s best practices like a boss.
• Unleash customer bliss: You can make your customers happy. Life’s too short for unhappy customers.
• Profit like crazy: Discover the best ways to boost your revenue. It’s almost like stealing candy from a baby (almost).
• Crush the competition: Leave your rivals in the dust as you embrace the CX revolution.
• Lead with swagger: Impress everyone with your CX savvy and be the day’s hero.
• Get inspired: Become a world-changer by listening to CX stories and insights.

They’re not just books. They are game-changers.

In their books, these best authors covered different topics related to customer experience.

Different topic books for multiple customer experience angles

The books cover the following highlighted angles:

• The power of customer feedback: how to listen, learn, and improve customer loyalty.
• How to wow your customers throughout the customer journey.
• Designing experiences along the customer journey.
• Customer-centricity 101: how to design and deliver effective strategies for your customers.
• The secrets of customer psychology and behaviour.

Let’s review these books per category.

Note: We’re not in any way affiliated with the authors of these books. And the links shared here are not affiliate links.

The power of customer feedback: how to listen, learn, and improve customer loyalty

Below are the 5 best books on customer experience and mastering customer feedback.

Book #1. A Complaint Is A Gift

Customer complaints are not curses but blessings.

They reveal gaps in your products and services. 

That’s an opportunity to reconnect with and earn your customers’ trust.

This book will show you how to handle customer feedback skillfully and turn critical feedback into customer loyalty. Because who doesn’t love a witty comeback?

Book #2. Hug Your Haters

In business, your haters can become your best allies. 

All you need to do is find their soft spots. And that’s what this book reveals. It’s a must-read.

It’s one of the best books on customer experiences that focuses on feedback. It shows you how to turn critics into fans. 

You’ll also learn how to respond gracefully to negative feedback on social media, embrace complaints and keep your customers. Trust us, you’ll thank your haters later.

Book #3. The Customer Rules

This book isn’t simply a list of rules. It’s a guide to creating a culture of sensational customer service.

You’ll learn everything from hiring the right people to solving problems with a smile. Grab this book today.

Book #4. The Guaranteed Customer Experience

Want to wow your customers and guarantee their satisfaction? This book shows you how.

Learn how to use customer data to fine-tune your service.

Book #5. Winning on Purpose

Can you leverage love as a weapon to increase your profits? 

Absolutely. 

This book will show you how.

You’ll learn how to woo your customers and make them purchase repeatedly.

These five are the best books about using feedback to enhance customer experiences.

Next up: the customer journey.

How to wow your customers throughout the customer journey

The customer journey is not a one-time event. 

It’s a continuous process that shapes your relationship with customers.

These books include real-life examples and case studies from successful companies that will help you boost customer experiences. 

Read on and WOW your customers like never before.

Book #6. The Experience Economy

How do you apply drama, surprise, and emotion to create unforgettable experiences? 

That’s the question this book answers.

Read this book to learn how to create irresistible offers to your customers that boost their experiences. 

Book #7. The Power of Moments

How do you create memorable experiences that stick? That’s what this book is about.

It shows you how to design and deliver unique moments. 

You’ll find practical tips and examples to make it happen. You don’t want to miss this one.

Book #8. Mapping Experiences

This book is not just a guide. It’s a map to success.

By reading this book, you’ll learn how to use visual tools to map customer journeys. 

You’ll also learn how to align your stakeholders, teams, and processes with your customers’ goals.

Book #9. The Service Innovation Handbook

Are your customers bored of the same old service? 

Do you want to surprise them with fresh and innovative solutions? Then, you need this handbook.

Learn how to use practical tools and exercises to develop, test, and execute new ideas for your customer experience.

Next up is creating experiences based on your customers’ needs.

Designing experiences along the customer journey

Do you want your customers to love you? 

Then, you must know your customers, feel their pain, brainstorm solutions, try them out, and make them happen.

These books are the best guides on designing customer experiences.

Book #10. Designing for the Digital Age

This book is a complete guide for designing products and services. 

It covers everything from research and analysis to prototyping and testing.

Book #11. The Design of Everyday Things

Bad product design can cause frustration, confusion, and errors. 

This book explains how to use good design to create easy-to-use products and services.

Book #12. This Is Service Design Doing

Find out how to use service design thinking to beat the competition.

Sounds too good to be true, right? 

Well, it’s not.

This is service design doing, not just talking. 

You’ll learn practical methods to co-create with your customers and stakeholders.

Book #13. Sprint

Want to validate your ideas quickly and cheaply? 

This is one of the best books about enriching customer experiences.

The author gives you a complete five-day process to build and test prototypes with real customers. 

You’ll get honest feedback, learn from your mistakes, and improve solutions.

Book #14. The Non-Designer’s Design Book

Want to design like a pro? Then, read this book.

It will teach you four key principles: contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity. 

You’ll learn how to choose clear, attractive, and effective designs.

It’s worth your time.

Customer-centricity 101: how to design and deliver effective strategies for your customers

Your business must revolve around your customers’ needs and wants. 

That’s the meaning of customer-centricity.

But how do you do that? By creating customer-centric strategies that align with their expectations and desires.

You might need some inspiration. So, check out these books on creating customer-centric experiences.

Book #15. The Customer Centricity Playbook

Customers are not created equal.

Some are more valuable than others. And you need to know who they are.

This book teaches you how to focus on customer lifetime value. 

You’ll discover how to find and target your most profitable customers.

Book #16. The Service Culture Handbook

This book teaches you how to make your staff care about giving exceptional customer service.

You’ll learn how to build a service culture that makes them do whatever it takes to please your customers.

The secrets of customer psychology and behaviour

What makes customers tick? 

How do they choose what to buy and who to buy from?

To answer these, you must get inside their heads and hearts. 

You must learn the science and art of customer psychology and behaviour.

It’s not just about what they do but why they do it. And how you can use subtle tricks to sway their decisions in your favour.

Here are some of the best books about customer experience that cover this topic:

Book #17. Influence

Want to make your customers do what you want? Learn the six secrets of persuasion from this book.

You’ll get practical advice and examples on how to use them in any situation.

Book #18. Predictably Irrational

Do you think you’re 100% immune to error and bad decisions? Think again.

This book shows you how hidden factors fool you and your customers into making bad decisions. 

Learn from this book how to avoid these traps and make smarter choices.

Book #19. Hooked

How do you make your customers addicted to your products and services? 

This book has the answer. 

You’ll learn to create habits that make your customers return for more. It also gives you a framework and tools to do it right.

And last but not least, we have a featured book on our list.

Book #20. “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

There are two ways of thinking that drive our decisions:

• The fast gut-feeling way.
• The slow, logical way.

How do they affect your customer’s behaviour and judgement? Find out in this book. 

This is one of the best books about customer experience.

What are the common channels customers use for sharing feedback or to connect?

Customers use different channels to connect with your businesses and share their feelings. This includes phone, email, chat, social media, and surveys.

However, managing these channels can become time-consuming. 

That’s why you need TelebuHub. 

With TelebuHub, you can:

• Manage your customer interactions from one dashboard.
• Automate your customer service workflows and responses.
• Analyse your customer feedback and sentiment.
• Improve your customer retention and loyalty.
• Grow your business and revenue.

Talk to sales now to learn more and get started. 

Or schedule a free demo today to experience TelebuHub first-hand.

FAQs

What are the top 3 customer experience books recommended?

According to various sources, some of the most recommended customer experience books are:

• “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
• “Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centred Products and Services” by Kim Goodwin
• “A Complaint Is A Gift: How To Turn Critical Feedback Into Customer Loyalty” by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller.

What is the difference between customer service books and customer experience books?

Customer service books focus on how to provide satisfying support to customers. Meanwhile, customer experience books cover how to design, deliver, and optimise a customer’s entire journey with a brand.

What is the most important part of the customer’s experience?

There is no definitive answer to this question. Different customers may value different aspects of their experience.

However, some common factors that are often considered important are:

• Empathy
• Effortlessness
• Personalisation
• Consistency 
• Value

What are the six pillars of customer experience?

The six pillars of customer experience are:

• Personalisation
• Integrity
• Expectations
• Resolution
• Time and effort 
• Empathy.

Customers use these dimensions to evaluate their experience with a brand.