Book review: Punk CX by Adrian Swinscoe

The launch of the CX Book Club!

Keen to keep an eye out for good reads, but feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of books coming out and the speed of publishing? Who can keep up, right? Not to mention that the real fun of reading a book is often the conversations and shared insights it brings, with people who not only share your passion for reading, but actually enjoy the topic of customer experience as much as you do.

Enter the Limetropy CX Book Club, where we’ll be connecting with several book enthusiasts from the CX community to share our appreciation of our book of the month. And since it is the year 2021 and technology has our backs, why not have the author join in the fun as well?

With this idea approved, it was lift-off at the now virtual global Limetropy HQ. Without hesitation of our first author, we were off to pitch it to Adrian Swinscoe, author of Punk CX. Who better to give the old fashioned good old book club concept a shake up? Fast-forward a few weeks and our very own virtual Limetropy CX Book Club was born! We held a great discussion hosted by Christopher Brooks, with representation from Russia to Panama from our guest reviewers, making the CX Book Club a truly global initiative. Join the fun and watch the first episode of the virtual meet below:

Here’s what our reviewers had to say about Punk CX:

“I was genuinely blown away by this book! I normally read through books super quick. This one I wanted to draggggg out as I wanted to savour it!! I think I drove my husband crazy with the amount of times I said “Oooh I really like this book – so refreshing!! Anyway – enough of the gushing – the specifics. Firstly, it is succinct. Bang on the nail and very practical. Every page includes a call to action. Something real, that the reader can do RIGHT NOW to improve CX. That is rare. A thought-provoking, straight talking, intelligent and downright fun CX book. I’m a covert punk convert!! Loved it!!!” - Sharon Boyd, CCXP

“I find the book Punk CX brave and showing the cruel reality of the majority of organisations. Starting with the book design, it shows the non-standard and attracts the reader into a different approach related to how the CX is used. CX is a new fashion for introducing new technologies, digitalisation or measurement, but the balance between technology and human touch is the key to the customer's heart. I used to say that technology is for rational needs, while people interaction is for emotional needs. Being great with the basic processes is far more important than delighting customers with perks and mobile apps.” - Gabriela Ciupitu CCXP

“In the mid 1970s the music scene had stagnated. It had become self-indulgent, overblown and somewhat removed from a large section of the music buying public. Then along came punk rock. The complete opposite of the excesses of Progressive rock, the music was short, angry, relevant and appealed to those who had become disenfranchised. It was the shot in the arm,(or the kick up the backside if you will), that music needed. Adrian Swinscoe takes this scenario to explore if customer experience needs the Punk Rock treatment. Arguing that customer experience has stagnated and, particularly in this time of pandemic, it is also crying out for that ‘kick up the backside’. Laid out like the tracks of an album and in true Punk Rock style, short and easily digestible, Punk CX provides a compelling argument that customer experience is in need of the ‘Punk Rock treatment”. - Glyn Hopper

“I love it! Punk CX feels like a heated but friendly and loving discussion in a pub or a bar. I like that Adrian asks questions, not only shares his opinion, just like in a talk over beer. It felt so familiar at times and I’ve realized that this book is very human. I’ve read it two times now and already see things which I missed in the beginning. I think our field is in need of such raw and open dialogue rather than prophecy of pros, especially now when old rules are barely working, and new ones are still in development”. - Elena Rozanova

“Adrian Swinscoe has written a very original book. Everything about this book’s format and content is original and thought provoking. The book does an excellent job of jarring one’s thinking from the more mundane to a more creative way of examining one’s approach to customer experience management. Using the punk rock metaphor to evoke a challenger mindset in the reader, presumably someone involved in CX in some way. It is a colourful, creative and clever book full of keen ideas for re-thinking CX.” -Jeff Sheehan

“It is a very entertaining and interesting reading, I like the way the author combines his knowledge of Rock with CX.  He uses a lot of graphics and photos that capture your attention from beginning to end.  One of the things I like the most is when he emphasizes that we should know our customer by looking for ways to meet them face to face and talk with them to receive their feedback first hand.  The ideas the author gives in the book are easily implementable.” - Aleyda Vargas de Avilés

If you would like to join the Limetropy CX Book Clubs discussions, sign up as a guest reviewer. You will be sent the book of the month courtesy of Limetropy, and get the chance to speak with the author and discuss CX topics with CXers from all over the world!

The Limetropy CX Book Club returns on February 25th when we will be joined by new guest reviewers who will be discussing and meeting bestselling ‘Customer Empathy’ author, Alex Allwood. This event will be a free live webinar you can look out for on Eventbrite.