The same messages around artificial intelligence (AI) seem to continually flood the inboxes of customer experience leaders: "Your AI strategy must prioritize automating customer interactions." "AI-first is the only way forward." "Deploy AI now or risk falling behind." The pressure to rapidly adopt AI in customer service is real; however, these urgent calls to action need to address an essential component of the conversation: how to integrate AI thoughtfully to improve customer experience—rather than simply to automate it.
In January, KellyConnect directors Shonda Deckelman and Candace Ewens attended CCW Orlando, a call center conference which focused on how AI, automation, and technology can impact the customer as well as the importance of implementing the right tool at the right time to enhance the customer experience and maximize customer loyalty. These timely and insightful topics certainly empowered our team to continue making informed decisions about how we utilize technology and AI in our contact center solutions to better support our clients in providing their customers and talent with the best possible experience.
The path forward isn't about choosing between human agents and AI, or about rushing to automate every interaction. It's about understanding how AI can enhance human capabilities and remove friction, in the most important situations where the human connection remains irreplaceable.
Whether you are just starting to consider how AI fits into your tech stack and customer journey or want to assess the value of an existing implementation, consider these three principles as part of your due diligence: 1) Enhance, don’t replace, 2) Build trust through transparency, and 3) Thoughtful AI can accelerate learning and development.
1. Enhance, don't replace
When AI complements (rather than competes) with human capabilities, organizations see higher customer satisfaction and employee engagement. This approach allows agents to focus on complex problem-solving and emotional connection, while AI handles the routine tasks.
2. Build trust through transparency
While 67% of organizations have begun implementing AI in customer service, success depends on building trust with customers and employees. This requires clear communication about when and how AI is used in customer interactions.
3. Thoughtful AI can accelerate learning and development
One of AI's most promising benefits is its ability to accelerate agent development. Research shows that new AI supported agents reach performance milestones in just two months, milestones which traditionally take eight months. These milestones create opportunities for faster onboarding and more effective team scaling.
The future of outstanding, loyalty-building customer service must balance technological efficiency and human connection. Organizations that thoughtfully integrate AI while focusing on meaningful human interactions will be positioned to deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale for the foreseeable future.