DCX Links | November 9, 2025
Something interesting is happening right now.
Welcome to the DCX weekly roundup of customer experience insights!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the gap between what companies think customers want… and what customers are actually doing.
Because right now, something subtle — but significant — is shifting.
A few days ago, I came across a robot named NEO folding laundry in someone’s house. Not a demo. Not a prototype. A real product. Then I built a Spotify playlist, designed a deck, and almost booked a trip — all by having a single conversation with ChatGPT. No tabs. No forms. Just words.
And it made me realise: we’re entering an era where the best experiences don’t need to be clicked. They just need to be understood.
This changes everything.
The website? Optional.
The app? Maybe irrelevant.
The brand? It has to show up in the room — in the moment — in a way that feels human.
Your customers are no longer following your path.
They’re creating their own.
And the question we should all be asking is: Are we meeting them there — or are we still trying to pull them back into our system?
This week’s stories aren’t just about AI, automation, or clever integrations.
They’re about rethinking what it means to serve — and what it will take to earn loyalty in a world where expectations are being rebuilt, in real time.
Let’s get into it.
This week’s must-read links:
The Housekeeper from the Future Is Here
ChatGPT Can Now DJ, Design, and Book Your Next Trip
You Don’t Control the Customer Experience — They Do
Zillow Just Moved Into ChatGPT — and Built the App in 6 Weeks
DCX Stat of the Week: 85% of CX pros say quality and experience now outrank price in driving loyalty
DCX Case Study of the Week: MedStar Health trims handle time and scales patient access
The Housekeeper from the Future Is Here
Let me ask you something.
What happens when artificial intelligence stops living inside your screen… and starts walking around your house?
NEO isn’t science fiction. It’s a real robot. 66 pounds of soft fabric, tendon-driven actuators, and quiet, intelligent movement. It can fold your laundry. Turn off your lights. Even remember your grocery list.
More importantly, it doesn’t feel like a machine. It feels like presence.
This is the shift we’ve been talking about — where AI becomes embodied. Where help isn’t digital, it’s physical. And it changes the stakes for CX.
Because if your customer expects this kind of intelligence at home…
What will they expect from you?
💡 CX Reflection:
Start imagining what service looks like when it’s not on a screen.
Start imagining it standing in the room — responding, anticipating, learning.
That’s where we’re heading.
🔗 Order one today: Neo
ChatGPT Can Now DJ, Design, and Book Your Next Trip
Here’s something that caught me off guard in the best way: ChatGPT just became best friends with Spotify, Canva, Booking.com, and half the apps you probably use daily.
You don’t need to open a tab or click through menus. You just ask — and it does.
“Make me a playlist for Sunday mornings.”
“Design a slide deck for our product roadmap.”
“Find me a hotel in Lisbon with a rooftop pool.”
No learning curve. No training. Just flow.
And I couldn’t stop thinking — this is what customers want now:
Frictionless. Functional. Familiar.
CX used to be about guiding people through our systems.
Now? It’s about stepping into theirs.
💡 CX Reflection:
Ask yourself this: are you still designing menus, or are you designing conversations?
Because customers won’t wait for you to catch up.
They’re already asking.
🔗 Go Deeper: TechCrunch
You Don’t Control the Customer Experience — They Do
This one hit hard.
For a long time, we thought the brand was the main character.
But it turns out, your customer’s journey isn’t something you own. It’s something they build.
With your tools, sure. But also with influencers, communities, plugins, and other brands.
PwC calls it the experience supply chain. I call it reality.
Think about it: people are remixing your product every day in ways you never intended.
That’s not a threat — it’s an invitation.
💡 CX Reflection:
Stop trying to control every moment.
Start asking: how can we empower the people, the platforms, and the partners that shape this experience with us?
When you let go of ownership, you gain momentum.
🔗Go Deeper: PwC, Letting Go to Move Forward
Zillow Just Moved Into ChatGPT — and Built the App in 6 Weeks
Let’s get practical.
Zillow saw 800 million ChatGPT users and asked a bold question:
Why make people come to us… when we can show up where they already are?
So they built a version of Zillow that lives inside ChatGPT.
You say, “Find me a two-bed condo in Brooklyn.”
It replies with listings, maps, price data — everything. In the chat.
What’s wild? They built it in just six weeks.
Because they knew the future of search isn’t typing. It’s talking.
💡 CX Reflection:
Could your brand respond to: “Hey [Your Brand], can you help me with this?”
Because that’s what people are going to say — and if your answer is friction… you lose.
🔗 Go Deeper: Inc. Magazine
DCX Stat of the Week
85% of CX pros say product quality and experience now outrank price in driving loyalty.
Let that sink in.
People don’t stay because it’s cheaper. They stay because it works — beautifully.
Because it feels effortless. Seamless. Respectful of their time and energy.
Price is no longer the lever we once thought it was.
Experience is the product. And the product is the experience.
💡 CX Reflection:
Don’t discount to earn loyalty.
Design better. Serve better.
That’s the new retention strategy.
🔗 Go Deeper: Medallia & Ipsos “Top 2025 Customer Loyalty Statistics CX Professionals Need to Know”
🔗 MORE STATS: Daily Stats on Substack Notes
DCX Case Study of the Week
MedStar Health trims handle time and scales patient access
This one’s for the operators in the room.
MedStar Health runs a 600-agent contact center. 15,000+ calls a day.
And like many of you, they needed to reduce wait times, streamline access, and enable remote work — without dropping the ball on care.
What they did was simple, but powerful:
Deployed Webex Contact Center
Added dashboards and real-time visibility
Prepped EHR integrations for automation
Started chasing small wins — shaving seconds, not minutes
Result? Over 80 hours of agent time saved per day.
10,000+ appointments booked every week. Hybrid staffing, fully functional.
💡 CX Reflection:
Big wins often come from small, boring optimizations.
Start with visibility. Remove the swivel-chair tasks.
Then let AI do the heavy lifting — after the foundation is solid.
🔗 Further Reading: Webex x MedStar Health case study
Got a case study to share? Reply and let me know!
🔚 Final Thought
What connects all of this — the robot, the playlist, the real estate bot, the experience supply chain — is something deeper:
Customers don’t just want service anymore.
They want to be seen. Understood. Empowered.
And in a world full of noise, the brands that win will be the ones that feel quiet, intelligent, and incredibly human.
As always — it’s not about the tech.
It’s about what the tech lets us become.
Until next week.
Thank you!
I hope you found value in this week’s links. See you next Sunday at 8:15 am ET!
If this edition sparked ideas, share it with a colleague or team member. Let’s grow the DCX community together!
👋 Let’s Talk
I didn’t create this newsletter to just push out ideas. I created it because I believe the people building experiences — the ones in the trenches, solving real problems — don’t get nearly enough space to think, reflect, and connect.
And if I’m honest… the part that matters most to me isn’t the writing. It’s you — the person reading it.
So if something in here resonated, challenged you, or even just made you pause — I’d love to hear from you.
Got feedback? Tell me what landed, what didn’t, or what you wish I’d cover next.
Facing a tough challenge? Reach out. Whether it’s strategy, team dynamics, or just feeling stuck — let’s talk it through.
Just want to say hey? Please do. I genuinely enjoy connecting with people who care about this work as much as I do.
No ego. No fluff. Just real conversations with real people trying to build better things.
DMs, emails, comments — they’re always open.
— Mark
www.marklevy.co
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Couldn't agree more. This piece trully captures the shift from 'clicking' to 'understanding.' It's a fundemental change in how we interact with technology and brands. How do companies adapt to meet customers on their own evolving paths, rather than just chasing new tech? Such an insightful perspective.