By
Erica Marois
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Date Published: January 29, 2025 - Last Updated January 31, 2025
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This year, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on each of our Top 25 Thought Leaders. First up, we're thrilled to share a Q&A with Jeff Toister!
From what he's currently reading to his vision for the future of customer service, this 5-minute read is packed with insight and inspiration. Check out the interview below:
What’s the last book you read that inspired your work in CX?
Jeff: I'm reading Magic Words by Jonah Berger. The book reveals how the words we use in our communication can have a tremendous impact on their effectiveness. There are several applications for customer service agents. For example, Berger's research discovered that customers are more confident when you use concrete language to describe how you will help them.
A customer might feel okay if you tell them, "I'll issue that refund." They will feel a lot better if you say, "I'll refund $82.37 to your credit card. The refund should post to your account by 5 p.m. today."
Your weekly customer service tip newsletter is a favorite among contact center professionals. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea and why people should subscribe?
Jeff: A client suggested the idea. I was doing customer service training at the time. We were having a follow-up conversation and my client mentioned it would be nice to have a way to remind her team of the concepts we covered in training. The idea for the weekly email was hashed out over a cup of coffee. It worked so well that I opened it up to anyone who wanted to subscribe.
Today, any customer service professional can sign up to get weekly reminders. Each email is one simple tip that takes less than five minutes to read and implement. Contact center leaders can share the tips with their teams in weekly meetings, one-on-ones, on Teams, via Slack or anywhere else you discuss customer service.
From your books to your speaking engagements, your work is practical. What’s one universal principle that applies to all customer service teams?
Jeff: Everybody has their own idea of what great service looks like. Agents each have their own opinion and customers do, too. That makes consistency difficult.
The best customer service teams have shared purpose. I call it a customer experience vision, though it goes by many other names. It's a shared definition of outstanding customer experience that gets everyone on the same page.
The vision helps agents all work towards the same goal. It also helps customers know exactly what they can expect from a company. And, perhaps just as important, what they should not expect.
Your career is filled with accomplishments. What’s a moment or milestone you’re especially proud of, and why?
Jeff: Aside from getting recognized as an ICMI Top 25 Thought Leader?
I think I'm most proud that more than five million people have been able to take one of my training courses on LinkedIn Learning. There's rarely any budget for customer service training in contact centers, but about half of the contact centers I talk to have access to LinkedIn Learning. That means they can access my training at no additional cost.
Giving people access to tools that can help them grow is a huge win.
You’ve been a key voice in the CX space for years. What’s your vision for the future of customer service?
Jeff: Great customer service will always involve humans. No matter how much we talk about automation, AI, bots, or self-service, there will always be times when a friendly, empathetic and capable human is needed. That's the future I want to be part of — where automation and human service combine to deliver consistently great experiences.