7 Best-Selling Customer Experience Books Millions Love

Explore Customer Experience Books endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith, Tim Ferriss, and Shep Hyken, offering proven insights from top experts.

Marshall Goldsmith
Tim Ferriss
Shep Hyken
Christian Bishop
Updated on June 28, 2025
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When millions of readers and top experts agree on a handful of books, you know they hold something special. Customer Experience is no exception — as companies compete to turn ordinary transactions into memorable moments, these books have become touchstones for those aiming to excel in service and engagement.

Names like Marshall Goldsmith, an executive coach respected for leadership insight, and Tim Ferriss, author and investor known for practical growth strategies, have championed titles such as Delivering Happiness. Meanwhile, Shep Hyken, a customer service authority, endorses works like Experience Economy, highlighting their impact on the field.

While these best sellers provide proven frameworks and inspiring stories, if you want a reading experience tailored to your unique Customer Experience challenges and goals, consider creating a personalized Customer Experience book. It blends validated approaches with your specific needs for maximum relevance.

Best for culture-driven leaders
Marshall Goldsmith, a respected executive coach and management professor, praises this book as one that "could start a revolution!" His endorsement reflects a deep appreciation for how Tony Hsieh redefined corporate culture by placing happiness at the center of business strategy. Goldsmith’s own work in leadership development aligns with the book’s emphasis on culture as a driver of customer experience and company success. This perspective helps you understand why so many have embraced the book’s ideas. Additionally, Tim Ferriss, author and angel investor, highlights its practical insights on scaling a business through passion and purpose, reinforcing its relevance for entrepreneurs and leaders seeking meaningful growth.
MG

Recommended by Marshall Goldsmith

Executive coach, author, management professor

This book could start a revolution! (from Amazon)

What if everything you knew about corporate culture was wrong? Tony Hsieh argues that prioritizing happiness within your company isn't just feel-good rhetoric but a profitable business strategy. Drawing from his journey leading Zappos from a startup to a billion-dollar enterprise, he shares how investing in employee well-being and customer service reshaped the company’s success. You'll explore unconventional practices like paying employees to quit if they don't fit, and how cultivating passion and purpose can transform workplaces. If you're seeking insights on blending company culture with customer experience to drive growth, this book offers a candid blueprint rooted in real-world experience.

New York Times Bestseller
Published by Grand Central Publishing
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Best for service excellence practitioners
Theodore B. Kinni, author of thirteen business books and a prolific business journalist, lends his expertise to this insightful volume. His extensive experience in writing and reviewing business literature informs the thoughtful presentation of Disney's service philosophy. This background allows the book to bridge theory and practice, making it a valuable guide for anyone seeking to understand how Disney's approach to customer service has become a model for organizations worldwide.
2011·224 pages·Customer Service, Customer Experience, Brand Management, Service Excellence, Employee Training

The Disney Institute offers a nuanced exploration of customer service through the lens of Disney's enduring success. This book teaches you how to move beyond basic satisfaction to genuinely exceed customer expectations, drawing on decades of observation and practice across diverse industries. You'll encounter practical frameworks like Disney's signature approach to creating magical experiences, supported by case studies from companies that have adapted these principles. If you're involved in service roles or leadership aiming to transform your customer interactions, this book provides concrete insights into cultivating loyalty through exceptional service.

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Best for personal customer plans
This AI-created book on customer experience is tailored specifically to your background, skill level, and the challenges you face. By sharing what areas you want to focus on and your goals, you receive a book that matches your interests and helps you explore proven methods in a way that feels relevant and practical. Personalizing the content means you avoid sifting through general advice and instead get focused knowledge designed for your unique situation.
2025·50-300 pages·Customer Experience, Customer Journey, Service Recovery, Feedback Analysis, Loyalty Building

This personalized book explores proven customer experience methods that address real-world challenges tailored to your unique background and goals. It examines how successful approaches can be adapted to your specific context, focusing on practical problem-solving and enhancing customer interactions. By combining popular validated knowledge with your interests, this tailored guide encourages deeper understanding of customer journey mapping, feedback analysis, and service recovery. The content reveals key tactics for building loyalty and improving satisfaction, emphasizing insights that match your individual needs and ambitions. This customized approach makes learning efficient and relevant, helping you master customer experience methods that truly resonate with your challenges.

Tailored Guide
CX Problem Solving
1,000+ Happy Readers
Shep Hyken, a widely recognized customer service and experience expert and bestselling author, endorses this book, underscoring its relevance for anyone serious about customer experience. His expertise in helping companies elevate service strategies aligns with the book’s focus on transforming transactions into memorable moments. Hyken’s recommendation signals this work as a cornerstone for understanding how to captivate customers through well-crafted experiences in today’s competitive landscape.
SH

Recommended by Shep Hyken

Customer service and experience expert, bestselling author

1999·Customer Experience, Branding, Marketing, Experience Design, Customer Loyalty

B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore challenge the conventional wisdom that customer loyalty stems solely from products or services, instead emphasizing the power of staging memorable experiences. You’ll explore how companies like the U.S. Army and Heineken craft immersive encounters that resonate deeply with customers, transforming transactions into lasting impressions. This book breaks down the concept of the "experience economy," providing fresh examples and frameworks for designing engaging moments that differentiate your brand in a crowded marketplace. If you’re responsible for customer engagement or brand strategy, this book offers insights that shift your focus from selling to creating value through experience.

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Best for leaders scaling service excellence
What's the Secret? offers an insider’s perspective on how some of the world’s best companies maintain consistently exceptional customer experiences. John R. DiJulius III draws from real examples at Disney, Nordstrom, and The Ritz-Carlton to illustrate how thousands of employees stay aligned to deliver world-class service every day. This book’s approach combines practical frameworks with detailed case studies, making it valuable for companies aiming to elevate their customer experience. It addresses the challenge of scaling service excellence across large organizations, providing insights directly applicable to leaders and managers focused on customer-centric growth.
2008·336 pages·Customer Service, Customer Experience, Employee Engagement, Service Culture, Leadership

John R. DiJulius III draws on decades of experience consulting with top-tier companies like Disney and The Ritz-Carlton to reveal how they consistently deliver exceptional customer service. You’ll explore detailed strategies behind engaging 50,000 employees to uphold world-class standards, with practical examples that break down complex organizational culture into actionable insights. The book walks you through replicating these proven methods in your own company, emphasizing the internal systems and leadership mindset required. If you want to deepen your understanding of customer service excellence beyond surface tactics, this book offers a clear window into how industry leaders cultivate memorable experiences.

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Best for leadership in hospitality
The New Gold Standard offers an inside look at how The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company crafts legendary customer experiences through focused leadership principles. Joseph Michelli gained unprecedented access to the company’s executives, staff, and training centers, sharing their approach to service excellence and employee empowerment. This book distills those practices into five leadership principles designed to help any organization raise their customer experience standards. For leaders aiming to build consistent, high-quality service cultures, this work reveals methods that have shaped one of the world’s most respected hospitality brands.
2008·304 pages·Customer Experience, Leadership, Service Excellence, Employee Empowerment, Training Programs

After analyzing the inner workings of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Joseph Michelli developed a clear framework centered on five leadership principles that shape unparalleled customer experiences. You learn how to understand evolving customer needs, empower employees through respect, anticipate unspoken concerns, and implement rigorous training programs. The book provides real examples from Ritz-Carlton staff worldwide, revealing how these principles translate into memorable service moments. If you’re leading a service-oriented team and want to embed excellence in customer interactions, this book offers practical insights grounded in a proven hospitality model.

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Best for rapid CX improvements
This AI-created book on customer experience is crafted based on your background, current knowledge, and the specific outcomes you want to achieve. You share your skill level and particular areas of interest, and the book is tailored to focus on rapid, step-by-step actions to improve your customer interactions quickly. This personalized approach makes sure you get straight to the points that matter most for your goals, avoiding generic advice and unnecessary content.
2025·50-300 pages·Customer Experience, Customer Journey, Service Design, Customer Feedback, Employee Engagement

This tailored book explores the dynamic process of rapidly enhancing customer experience, focusing on your unique background and aspirations. It examines key principles and practical steps that align with your specific interests, blending widely recognized knowledge with tailored insights. By concentrating on quick, actionable actions, this book reveals how to accelerate improvements in customer interactions and satisfaction. The approach matches your goals, emphasizing effective ways to make measurable progress within thirty days. Combining proven concepts with personalized focus, it encourages a clear path toward elevating your customer experience outcomes, making the learning highly relevant and immediately useful.

Tailored Guide
Rapid CX Methods
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for building customer loyalty
What makes this book stand out is its focus on moving beyond mere satisfaction to amazement in customer experience. Shep Hyken draws on 25 years of research and dozens of case studies to show how companies can cultivate a culture that turns customers into enthusiastic advocates. The book’s practical framework guides you through the internal and external shifts necessary for long-term customer loyalty, making it a valuable read for anyone aiming to elevate their customer service to a new level.
2009·256 pages·Customer Experience, Customer Service, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Customer Loyalty

Shep Hyken's decades of experience in customer service led him to explore how companies transform ordinary customer interactions into memorable experiences that build loyalty and advocacy. In this book, you learn how to guide your organization through five cultural phases—from uncertainty to amazement—supported by real case studies that reveal how internal changes fuel external success. Hyken breaks down the journey of creating a customer-focused culture that not only satisfies but excites both customers and employees alike. If you're responsible for shaping customer interactions or company culture, this book offers insights on elevating your customer relationships beyond the usual.

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Best for elevating customer service
The Celebrity Experience offers a unique approach by merging insights from the celebrity world with business customer service strategies. It stands out for its practical guidance on delivering star treatment to customers, a concept that has resonated widely and inspired businesses to rethink their service models. Anyone looking to infuse their customer interactions with a sense of exclusivity and care will find this book a helpful resource. By focusing on both internal and external service, it addresses the whole customer journey and the team effort required to create standout experiences.
2008·256 pages·Customer Experience, Service Excellence, Client Relations, Employee Engagement, Brand Loyalty

Donna Cutting's decades of experience in customer service led her to explore how the luxurious treatment of celebrities can inform everyday business interactions. The book reveals specific techniques to elevate both internal and external customer service to a red-carpet level, emphasizing repeat business and strong word of mouth. You’ll find practical insights on creating memorable experiences, from personalized attention to proactive problem-solving, illustrated through examples that blend celebrity hospitality with business acumen. This book suits anyone aiming to differentiate their service culture by making customers feel truly valued and pampered.

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Popular Strategies That Fit Your Situation

Get proven popular methods without following generic advice that doesn't fit.

Customer-centric insights
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Tailored solutions

Validated by experts and thousands of Customer Experience enthusiasts

Customer Experience Blueprint
30-Day CX Accelerator
Strategic CX Foundations
CX Success Formula

Conclusion

Across these seven books, a few themes stand out: leadership shapes experience, culture drives loyalty, and thoughtful design creates lasting impressions. If you prefer proven methods grounded in iconic brands, start with Be Our Guest and The New Gold Standard. For validated approaches blending culture and innovation, combine Delivering Happiness with The Cult of the Customer.

For tailored insights addressing your industry or role, you can create a personalized Customer Experience book that aligns expert wisdom with your unique context.

These widely adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed in elevating customer relationships and driving business growth — now it’s your turn to put them into action.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with Delivering Happiness to understand culture’s role in customer experience, or Be Our Guest for practical service excellence insights. Both offer accessible frameworks recommended by top experts like Marshall Goldsmith and provide a solid foundation.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Customer Experience?

Not at all. Books like What's the Secret? and The Celebrity Experience break down concepts with clear examples, making them approachable for beginners while still valuable for experienced professionals.

What’s the best order to read these books?

Begin with Be Our Guest or Delivering Happiness for culture and service basics, then explore Experience Economy and The Cult of the Customer to dive deeper into designing experiences and loyalty strategies.

Can I skip around or do I need to read them cover to cover?

You can definitely skip around. Many of these books are structured in chapters that focus on distinct ideas or case studies, so you can target sections most relevant to your current needs.

Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?

What's the Secret? offers detailed strategies from companies like Disney and Ritz-Carlton, giving you practical steps to implement world-class customer experience quickly.

How can I get Customer Experience insights tailored specifically to my role or industry?

Great question! While these expert books provide valuable frameworks, creating a personalized Customer Experience book lets you combine proven methods with your unique goals and challenges. Check out this option for tailored insights.

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