It’s been one of the most exciting weeks in customer service history. From startups to enterprises, everyone is focusing on AI-driven innovation. Buckle up for this week’s insights into AI Agents, Human-in-the-Loop models, and the #EndBadService movement!

CX Inspiration

According to Gartner, by 2025, 80% of customer service and support teams will be applying generative AI in some form to improve agent productivity and enhance customer experiences.

We’re witnessing a rapid shift toward AI in customer service, and the past few weeks have been nothing short of monumental. Just look at the announcements pouring in:

• Salesforce unveiled Agentforce, Marc Benioff’s latest project that he says is the only thing he’s working on right now—showing just how important AI is for the future of customer service.

• HubSpot launched Breeze, customizable AI Agents that are making waves in marketing and customer success.

• T-Mobile teamed up with OpenAI to create IntentCX, a next-gen customer experience platform that uses AI and customer data to elevate every customer interaction.

• Gladly raised $40M to expand its AI functionality, and Ujet raised $76M in a Series D round, disrupting the contact center industry with AI.

• Google rebranded its contact center AI solution as Customer Engagement Suite and introduced Gemini 1.5, an AI-driven tool offering conversational agents, agent assist, and AI-powered insights for enterprises.

• UJet, the AI-powered customer support startup, raised $76 million in a Series D round to continue disrupting the contact center industry. With this investment, Jet plans to further integrate AI capabilities to boost efficiency and customer satisfaction.

With companies pivoting hard toward AI, and investors pouring billions into customer service innovation, it’s only a matter of time before AI Agents become integral members of customer support teams. (Kustomer is unveiling AI agents on October 30, 2024
- get the launch event details below.)

And if you need more proof of what’s coming, just listen to the popular All-In Podcast. Investors like Jason
Calacanis, David Sacks, and Chamath Palihapitiya spend 15 minutes discussing how AI is poised to take over contact centers and frontline support.

Marc Benioff spending all his time on Agentforce? That’s gotta mean something, right?

CX Spotlight

I often get asked:

What’s the difference between AI Agents and traditional
chatbots?

While both automate tasks, AI Agents far surpass
chatbots in handling complexity:

• Chatbots: Stick to predefined scripts, handling simple queries like “Where’s my order?”
  

• AI Agents: Engage in more complex conversations, make real-time decisions, and adjust based on the context of the customer’s inquiry. (Be careful, as tech companies have started branding their chatbots as AI agents)

• AI Agents: Don’t just enhance efficiency—they also increase customer satisfaction and reduce operational costs. As they handle a wide range of tasks autonomously, AI Agents improve first-contact resolutions, freeing up human agents for high-value interactions.

• Unlike chatbots, AI Agents can often (depending on the platform) access customer data in real-time, providing personalized recommendations. This tailored service drives loyalty and creates opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.
  
  

As customer expectations continue to rise, it’s clear that AI Agents are the key to creating a seamless, efficient, and personalized customer experience.

Interview Insights

Insights from My Presentation at Ecommerce Expo

During a recent presentation at Ecommerce Expo in London, I discussed the Human-in-the-Loop model for AI Agents in customer service. It’s quite obvious. AI has undeniable strengths like 24/7 availability, speed, and handling routine tasks. However, we must not forget that great customer service is also about empathy and solving difficult problems. So how do you utilize AI Agents that balance this approach?

The solution? Human-in-the-Loop.

Think of it as a two-way conversation where the AI Agent and the human agent work together seamlessly. The human can either be behind the scenes, making decisions to help the AI, or come forward to continue the conversation directly.

Here’s why this matters: AI Agents are everywhere, but many companies (and tech companies) are jumping in without fully understanding what they can and can’t do.

A Human-in-the-Loop approach that keeps human agents in the mix (if need be) to handle complex decisions and approvals is the way forward. Customer service isn’t just about speed, it’s about empathy, judgment, and understanding too.

If there’s one thing I’d nudge every brand to do, it’s this: Keep the human in the loop. Customer service will evolve, but it should never lose a human touch.

Golden Nuggets

The latest around the industry:

• T-Mobile and OpenAI Join Forces to Revolutionize the Customer Experience with

• First-Ever Intent-Driven AI-Decision Platform

• AI-Powered Customer Support Startup Ujet Raises $76M

• Google supercharges enterprise contact centers with Gemini 1.5 Flash

• AI Agents Are the Third Wave of Artificial Intelligence, Say Hubspot and Salesforce