10 Customer experience tools for 2025

Customer experience tools help businesses more efficiently and effectively reach consumers. In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI), including generative, agentic and emotion AI, are transforming the customer experience in ways many could not have imagined even just a few years ago. Just about every customer experience tool now has an AI component. Advancements in customer relationship management (CRM) software and omnichannel tools are revolutionizing interactions between brands and consumers.

Automation is likely to continue to have a profound impact on CX. In fact, 50 percent of respondents to the CX Network's Global State of CX 2024 survey said automation is critical for delivering customer experience at scale. Still, many are working to ensure the human touch does not get lost in the mix.   

Learn about the top customer experience tools to help companies stay on the cutting edge: 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

CRM software applications help businesses organize, store and manage customer data. One of the benefits of investing in a solid CRM is that the tool is accessible across various departments like sales and marketing. It provides ample transparency and an ability for departments to communicate with one another, so details do not get missed. 

Nearly 95 percent of businesses in technology and more than 70 percent of small businesses use a CRM system, according to Freshworks. The revenue growth of CRMs is expected to result in market volume of US$131.90 billion by 2028, according to Demand Stage. The reasons for this volumninous growth is an increasing focus on consumer engagement, emerging small businesses and social media usage and sharing ideas in real time. 

Examples: Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, Freshworks

Customer feedback and Voice of Customer (VoC) tools

Customer feedback and VoC tools are software applications that companies can use to collect and analyze feedback from clients that comes from surveys, emails, social media or live chat. Generative AI has amplified the abilities of these technologies. It allows for analysis of unstructured data, so businesses can dive deeper into how customers truly feel about their products and services. Then, they can respond accordingly. TechTarget has a bold prediction:

"In 2025, businesses might begin to integrate VoC insights into every stage of the customer journey, from product development to post-purchase support, ensuring a customer-centric approach." 

Examples: Qualtrics, Medallia, SurveMonkey

Live chat and AI chatbots

Live chat connects people with customer service queries to a human agent. Then, the two type questions and answers to one another to resolve an issue. AI chatbots do the same work but provide automated responses from a machine rather than having a human do it.

There is no question that the machines help businesses save money. Master of Code reports that chatbots give the United States the potential to save $23 billion in employee costs. By 2028, the chatbot market is expected to reach $15.5 billion. Cost is not the only factor. Chatbots can respond three times faster than a human agent.   

While still in its infancy, agentic AI is the buzz word of the year. This type of AI can make decisions and act independently without human input. Some are using the term AI agents to refer to the individual components that make up an agentic AI system and have the potential to be chatbots on steroids. It could completely automate customer service. However, CX professionals must balance the use of technology with the human touch. 

Examples: Intercom Drift, Zendesk Chat, NICE

AI copilots

Google explains the difference between AI copilots and chatbots. Chatbots automate tasks and address inquiries, while copilots are virtual assistants that can alleviate the heavy lift of human agents trying to provide customer service. Copilots use large language models (LLMs) and machine learning to analyze data, provide support with tasks and decision-making.

Often, they are integrated into existing apps in the name of efficiency. They can translate predictive analytics and understand and respond to human needs, according to Forbes. Microsoft reported that more than 77,000 companies used its copilot product in 2024, according to an interview with GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke in The Verge.  

Examples: Microsoft 365 Copilot, Github Copilot, Zendesk 

Customer journey mapping and experience analytics

Customer journey mapping refers to visual representations of customers' interactions, all the touchpoints and pain points. Experience analytics is the process of collecting this data and assessing it to understand how to improve the customer experience. These traditional tools are getting a makeover because of advanced technology. 

"New technology is rapidly and drastically changing this cornerstone of CX," according to CX Network's guide to journey mapping, management and orchestration. "This brings many benefits for customers, but it also heightens the need for organizations to better utilize the channels and data they have, then create and deliver dynamic journeys that support organizational targets."

Of course, companies must have great data to deploy experience analytics that is most useful. With great data, comes great analytics but also great responsibility. Brands must consider privacy and bias when collecting any kind of data because a breach in the security could mean a loss of trust with customers, according to IBM. In fact, 55 percent of respondents to CX Network's Global State of CX 2024 strongly agreed that data privacy and security is becoming more important to customers. 

Examples: Smaply, Lucidchart, UX Pressia

Customer support and helpdesk software

Customer support and helpdesk software offer a one-stop shop for managing, tracking and responding to customer inquiries. These digital platforms might include management of "tickets" or requests for help with troubleshooting, omnichannel communication, providing general information, automation, reporting and analytics. By the end of 2032, helpdesk software could reach a valuation of nearly $27 billion, according to Future Market Insights. The big winner, according to the report, is cloud-based helpdesk software. 

Examples: Zendesk, Freshdesk, ServiceNow

Personalization and customer data platforms (CDP)

CDP is software that allows people to create individual customer profiles with data points from different sources, so companies can customize their offerings according to the user's personal taste and behavior. The market for customer data platforms is expected to reach nearly $72 billion by 2033, according to a market research report by Straits Research. 

"The global market is growing at a considerable pace as organizations increasingly become focused on the themes of enhanced client engagement and data integration," according to the report. "This is largely led by a need for personalization in marketing strategies and an aggregated customer base from multiple sources."

Starbucks famously uses a CDP to track customer behaviors, so it can provide personalized offers through its app. CX Network reports that customers expect personalization and are more likely to interact with customized offerings. Hyper-personalization is one of the trends associated with AI in CX for 2025. Companies that fail to personalize their services could get left behind.   

Examples: Segment, BlueConic, TreasureData

Social listening and reputation management tools

Social listening and reputation management tools help companies manage their brand reptuation online. People use these tools to monitor what people are saying about them on social media to understand how to move people and shape their perception. Increasingly, businesses want to get feedback from customers, and these tools make it easier. In 2023, the market for social listening tools reached $7.6 billion and it continues to grow, according to Global Market Insights.

At All Access: Digital CX 2024, Sahil Shetty, senior business intelligence analyst at Lowe’s, shared the company's experience in using digital tools to gather feedback from customers to thwart problems quickly and drive continuous improvement. Staying in touch with customer sentiment is of the utmost importance, especially when trust and communication are so vital to the relationship. 

Examples: Brandwatch, Sprinklr, HootSuite Insights

Customer engagement and loyalty platforms

Customer engagement and loyalty platforms are the technology that permit companies to act on personalization. In other words, they help people nurture relationships by rewarding repeat customers with loyalty programs. The market size for these tools is expected to grow to nearly $49 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. The importance of these tools is highlighted in the CX Network guide to customer engagement: 

"Building a strong relationship between brand and customer is key to nurturing loyalty and trust, which in turn increases benefits such as brand reputation and profit. To do so, brands must engage with customers through a variety of channels and at the convenience of the customer — and with more data and advanced technologies available than ever before, interacting through the online or offline channel of their choosing has become easier."

Examples: Braze, Smile.io, AnnexCloud

AI-powered analytics and predictive analytics

These tools leverage AI and machine learning to assess historical data, find patterns, and make predictions about what's coming next. Therefore, leaders have more data points and can make more informed decisions. Growth in predictive analytics is exponential. The predictive analytics market is expected to grow to more than $95 billion by 2032.

As AI continues to rapidly advance, the technologies are expected to get smarter and more sophisticated. As with many of the other tools on this list, CX professionals must be aware of the fact that good, clean data is a necessity. "Garbage in, garbage out," is a well-known saying among data analytics professionals for a reason. If managed well, predictive anaytics that leverage AI can give brands a competitive edge with consumers. CX Network sums it up in Artificial Intelligence in CX:

"AI-powered predictive analytics enables brands to anticipate customer needs and trends, helping CX teams proactively address potential issues and tailor strategies based on real-world data."

Examples: Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Mixpanel, Amplitude

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