Customer experience (CX) has become a breeding ground for overhyped buzzwords and exaggerated claims.
Unlike industries where technical jargon is necessary (e.g., medicine or engineering), CX is riddled with vague, feel-good terms designed more for marketing than for meaningful progress.
The reason? Whether they realize it or not, every company has a CX function, which means vendors are constantly competing to sell their “revolutionary” solutions to an ever-growing market.
Customers...just want a smooth experience without frustration.
The result? A vocabulary filled with flashy but often meaningless words that sound impressive but mean little in practice. In this article, I’ll rip apart the biggest offenders in this “hall of shame”, expose their flaws, and reveal what these words should mean if they were used honestly.
1. “Omnichannel”: The Overused Messiah of CX
Few words in CX are as overhyped as “omnichannel.” Supposedly, it means delivering a seamless, integrated customer experience across all channels.
But reality tells a different story.
- Most so-called “omnichannel” experiences still force customers to repeat themselves when switching between channels.
- Vendors slap this label on basic integrations (like phone plus email) and call it groundbreaking.
- Many businesses implement a patchwork of disconnected tools and claim it’s an omnichannel approach when it’s just a duct-taped mess.
- Customers don’t care about the terminology; they just want a smooth experience without frustration.
What it should mean: A truly connected, data-driven experience where every interaction builds on the last, with no repetition, no gaps, and most importantly, no customer frustration.
2. “AI-Powered”: Just Sprinkle Some Magic on It
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the golden child of CX right now. But let’s be real: most “AI-powered” solutions aren’t as smart as they claim to be. The term is slapped onto everything, from chatbots to analytics, often with little evidence of real artificial intelligence.
- Many “AI-powered” chatbots are just glorified scripts that can’t handle complex interactions.
- “AI-driven analytics” is often just automation, not real machine learning.
- The dream of fully AI-powered contact centers? Still far from reality.
What it should mean: A self-learning system that actually improves over time and can handle customer issues without constantly deflecting to a human. AI is powerful when used correctly.
...most “AI-powered” solutions aren’t as smart as they claim to be. The term is slapped onto everything...often with little evidence of real artificial intelligence.
3. “Customer-Centric”: The Buzzword That Shouldn’t Exist
Every company loves to claim they’re “customer-centric,” but if that were true, we wouldn’t have:
- Long hold times and confusing IVRs that make customers jump through hoops.
- Robotic service responses that prioritize scripts over real conversations.
- A focus on cutting costs over improving service quality.
What it should mean: Prioritizing actions over marketing fluff measuring success based on customer satisfaction, not internal KPIs. A real customer-centric strategy means investing in technologies and processes that improve CX from the inside out.
4. “Next-Gen”: The Marketing Trick That Never Ends
“Next-gen” is a favorite for vendors that don’t actually have much to show. It’s an empty promise that tricks buyers into thinking they’re getting something futuristic when, in reality, they’re just getting an updated version of something that has existed for years.
- “Next-gen cloud contact centers.” Switching from on-premise to software-as-a-service (SaaS): which happened ages ago.
- “Next-gen analytics” = a prettier dashboard, but the same old data.
- “Next-gen” is always shifting because it never actually means anything specific.
What it should mean: If the application (or hardware) is truly next-generation, prove it with real results instead of a shiny new logo.
...Truly frictionless experiences where customers never have to repeat themselves or start over.
5. “Seamless”: The Word That Hides a Broken Experience
Everyone claims their service is “seamless,” but customers know better. Most so-called seamless experiences include hidden frustrations:
- “Seamless integrations” often require months of IT work to function properly.
- “Seamless chatbot-to-agent transfers” often result in agents having no idea what the customer just said to the bot.
- “Seamless self-service” usually means endless FAQ pages with no real help.
What it should mean: Truly frictionless experiences where customers never have to repeat themselves or start over.
The Verdict: Less Fluff, More Real Talk
Buzzwords aren’t inherently bad, but they lose their value when overused or misrepresented. The next time you hear a vendor claim they offer a “next-gen, AI-powered, seamless, customer-centric omnichannel solution,” ask them what it actually means.
CX leaders should demand clarity and substance over marketing fluff. At the end of the day, customers don’t care about fancy terminology, they care about experiences that work.