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Shep Hyken

Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations

Customer serviceCustomer experienceCustomer loyalty

Shepard Presentations and speaking

Shep Hyken is a customer service and customer experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations[2]. He founded Shepard Presentations in 1983[2]. His HDI contributor biography says he has worked with clients ranging from Fortune 100-size organisations to companies with fewer than fifty employees, and names American Airlines, AAA, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T and American Express among them[2].

On his own site, Hyken writes that he has more than 30 years in the field and has worked with over 1,200 organisations[1]. The National Speakers Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the professional speaking industry[1]. His keynote topics include a programme on using AI to improve customer experience and support employees[7]. In the description of that talk, he argues that using AI only because the technology is available is not a customer experience strategy[7]. The same programme covers how to use AI and automation to make experiences faster and more convenient while knowing when human contact is still needed[7].

Books

Hyken is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author[3]. His books are Moments of Magic, The Loyal Customer, The Cult of the Customer, The Amazement Revolution, Amaze Every Customer Every Time, Be Amazing or Go Home, The Convenience Revolution and I'll Be Back[1]. The Cult of the Customer describes five phases that customers go through in their relationship with a business[12].

The Convenience Revolution argues that reducing friction and being more convenient is a way to out-serve competitors or disrupt an industry[5]. The book sets out six strategies for creating convenience, with case studies from Fortune 50 companies to small local businesses[5]. I'll Be Back focuses on turning customers into repeat customers and then into loyal ones[6]. It covers the difference between repeat and loyal customers, why many loyalty programmes fail to create loyalty, and why self-service and digital service options are a necessity[6].

Customer service research

Hyken runs an annual study called Achieving Customer Amazement (ACA) on customer preferences, habits and wants[4]. Its 2026 report, The State of Customer Service and CX, was based on two online surveys of 2,226 US adults aged 18 to 70, conducted on 5 to 9 January 2026[3]. The report found that 68% of customers still preferred the phone to digital self-service when they had a problem[3].

On AI, the 2026 report found that 50% of customers had resolved a customer service issue with AI or ChatGPT-type tools without human help, the same share as the year before[3]. It found that 71% of customers felt companies using AI made it harder to reach a human agent, and that 84% thought such companies should always offer the option to speak to a person[3]. Hyken wrote that he had predicted greater acceptance of AI self-service, that the 2026 findings did not show the increase he expected, and that he would still make the same prediction[3]. His advice in the report is to balance AI with human-to-human support[3]. The report includes a statement explaining that he used AI to help organise and summarise the survey data, while the interpretation and final text were his own[3].

Podcast, television and training

Hyken hosts Amazing Business Radio, a weekly podcast of interviews with business leaders and customer experience experts[8]. He also hosts the television show Be Amazing or Go Home, which his site says is available on Amazon Prime and other platforms[9]. He writes The Shepard Letter, a weekly newsletter of customer service and CX insights sent every Wednesday[1].

His site says he has written hundreds of articles for publications including Forbes and The Huffington Post, and has appeared on television, in print and on podcasts[10]. He created The Customer Focus, a customer service training programme aimed at building a service culture and loyalty mindset[2]. Shepard Presentations runs Customer Focus workshops on site and as online training[11].

Known for

Sources

  1. Shep Hyken: About — checked 6 Nov 2026
  2. HDI (Informa TechTarget): Shep Hyken contributor profile — checked 6 Nov 2026
  3. Shep Hyken: 2026 State of Customer Service and CX report, March 2026 — checked 6 Nov 2026
  4. Shep Hyken: Customer Service and CX Research (ACA study) — checked 6 Nov 2026
  5. Shep Hyken: The Convenience Revolution — checked 6 Nov 2026
  6. Shep Hyken: I'll Be Back — checked 6 Nov 2026
  7. Shep Hyken: Keynote topics — checked 6 Nov 2026
  8. Shep Hyken: Amazing Business Radio — checked 6 Nov 2026
  9. Shep Hyken: Be Amazing or Go Home TV show — checked 6 Nov 2026
  10. Shep Hyken: Media — checked 6 Nov 2026
  11. Shep Hyken: Customer Service Training — checked 6 Nov 2026
  12. Shep Hyken: Interview questions — checked 6 Nov 2026
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