Support EXP Releases The CX Turning Point: New Behavioral Analysis Reveals Why Traditional Loyalty Metrics Are Losing Predictive Power
Where loyalty, strategy, and leadership face their next test
Centerville, OH — Support EXP has
released a new executive insight report, The CX Turning Point. Drawing on a multi-year
behavioral dataset of more than 150,000 customer interactions aggregated across
multiple channels and financial institutions, the analysis reveals early
loyalty-stability patterns that traditional sentiment metrics often fail to
detect — especially when customer effort rises.
The findings suggest that while sentiment-based indicators such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) continue to offer valuable perspective, they may no longer reveal the earliest indicators of stability or risk in today’s faster, more digital environment.
“Loyalty didn’t disappear. Our visibility into it did,” said Rhonda Sheets, Founder and CEO of Support EXP. “Financial institutions now need earlier, clearer signals of customer stability. This research shows where those signals are actually forming.”
Key Findings:
1. Ease — not sentiment — more often aligns with early loyalty stabilityAcross the multi-year dataset, higher ease of doing business frequently corresponded with more stable likelihood-to-refer outcomes. When effort increased, early behavioral instability often appeared — even for institutions performing in Excellent or World-Class NPS ranges (as defined by Bain & Company, co-developer of Net Promoter Score).
The earliest signs of loyalty stability — and early signs of potential growth — often appear in behavioral patterns long before they show up in traditional scorecards or financial results.
2. High NPS cannot consistently buffer the
effects of friction
The analysis suggests that effort operates
as an independent behavioral signal. When customers experience elevated
effort, willingness-to-refer often declines, regardless of sentiment.