If you work in customer service, you’ve felt the shift. Chatbots. Voice analytics. Automation. Tools that promise to “revolutionize” the way your team works. AI is everywhere.
None of us can afford to ignore this new reality. And AI is a powerful ally when we are asked to do more with less, as many of us are. On the other hand, we face customer skepticism, agent burnout, and unrealistic hype. Do you find it hard to balance the promise of AI with the risk and problems? I do.
One thing is clear. AI can be incredibly helpful, but only when it is used thoughtfully. That’s why the secret to great service comes from combining AI and human support. Not just using AI to replace people, or the other extreme of sticking to the old ways. We must blend the best of both.
Why? And how can we do it right?
The Promise and Pitfalls of AI in Customer Support
How often do you find yourself reaching for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another LLM tool? They are becoming more a part of our daily toolkit with each passing day. Why? Because AI tools do have a lot to offer. We can all see that.
It’s the same in Contact Centers or service teams. Of course, we might have more specialized tools such as GIDR.ai or Conversational Cloud. And these help us immensely. For example, a small team can now offer 24/7 support, something unthinkable just a few years ago. Others can automate routine tasks or make life easier for their human agents. And that’s just the start. AI doesn’t have a bad day. It doesn’t get flustered if a queue backs up. And it always works with speed.
But that’s only half the story.
AI can stumble in the moments where great support is most important. Just think about when you’ve helped a customer yourself. What are the moments that matter the most? Isn’t it when the issue is complex or the customer is upset? These can make or break our companies’ reputations or brand loyalty. And yet, how does AI fare in these situations? I would say it makes the limits of automation obvious.
We’ve all experienced this as customers, haven’t we? I’ve personally been stuck in a loop with a chatbot that didn’t understand my problem. I tried re-phrasing. It didn’t work. I tried asking for a person. It didn’t work. I went in circles over and over, but without help. In the end, I decided never to buy from that company again. Have you had a similar experience?
That’s the danger if we apply AI too broadly or without human experience. A power tool is an amazing addition. But when used incorrectly, it can create a lot of damage.
Why Human Support Still Matters
We’ve all experienced this as customers, haven’t we? I’ve personally been stuck in a loop with a chatbot that didn’t understand my problem. I tried re-phrasing. It didn’t work. I tried asking for a person. It didn’t work. I went in circles over and over, but without help. In the end, I decided never to buy from that company again. Have you had a similar experience?
When a customer is frustrated, confused, or anxious, what does that person need most? Understanding. Empathy. And a way to fix the problem for good. Speed and efficiency are beneficial, but not the biggest need in these cases.
Helping a customer feel truly understood is not something AI is good at. Or at least not yet. Even when set up as an “empathetic” chatbot, AI still lacks true context. It can’t fully grasp the tone behind the words or other emotional cues an agent might detect. And real empathy, the power to put oneself in another’s position, simply can’t come from a machine.
This is why, the more that AI is involved, the more valuable human agents become. They aren’t just problem solvers. They build relationships. A customer might accept help from a bot for quick questions or to get a faster resolution. But when it really matters, when things have gone very wrong, they want to know someone is on their side.
What other strengths do human agents have that AI can’t replicate? The ability to be flexible, to make judgement calls, and to improvise. All these things show the enduring value of human support agents.
How to Blend AI and Human Support
As I read opinions from so-called “thought leaders,” two perspectives often come up. Some argue that AI will soon replace human agents completely. Others build a case not to use AI at all. Such extreme views may get clicks and attention, but they are flawed. The best outcome comes, not from replacing agents or ignoring the potential of AI, but from blending the best of both.
How can we do that in a Call Center or customer service team? Does it mean keeping human agents and then starting new AI channels on the side, with no connection between the two? No, we must view AI as a partner for our human agents and as a powerful tool they use.
How does that look in an ideal workflow?
- AI as first line support: Go ahead and make a chatbot as the first line support. It can answer basic questions, gather information, and verify identity. This approach can free your agents from repetitive basic questions and get rid of wait times for your customers.
- Hand-off to human agents when needed: When the issue is complex, have your chatbot hand off to a human agent. Make sure the full conversation history goes with the handoff. There are few things more frustrating to a customer than having to repeat themselves after each handoff.
- Real-time support for agents: AI can still provide value even when a human agent takes the conversation. For example,tools such as LivePerson’s Conversational Cloud can offer suggested replies, surface knowledge base articles, and summarize what is going on. Such features, known as a “human-bot tango,” can help agents respond in a more effective way.
- Analytics: AI analysis tools can monitor customer sentiment and flag anything unusual. This can help managers to spot issues early or see where an agent may need more training.
This approach blends the best AI has to offer with the proven value of human agents. And it’s just what we need to balance our approach. What may be the results? Better efficiency and improved customer experience, but without losing the human touch.
Tip: At CBA, we offer GIDR.ai, a powerful AI solution that can assist both your customers and your agents. We’d be pleased to show you how it works in a way that blends AI and human support.
Start Small and Tackle Pain Points with Quick Wins
Getting to a fully blended solution may take time. I’ve written before about the need to start small. What are some practical ways to do so? Let’s consider two.
- Add 24/7 Support: A small team hasn’t always been able to support customers after hours. But AI can change that. Adding a chatbot to take queries when agents are offline can give a quick win. Just be honest with the customer that it is a bot, and that a human can provide more help later.
- Give agents a better research tool: Many companies have KB articles that agents can consult. A tool like GIDR.ai can make it easy for an agent to get a quick answer from these, rather than dig through them. And it doesn’t even require any changes to the agent’s workflow. What is the result? Less time searching, and more time helping the customer.
What’s the common thread? Quick wins for customers and agents, but without major disruption and cost.
A Framework for Where to Go Next
Once you’ve gotten some quick wins under your belt, it’s time for some more impactful changes. And yes, that might mean adjusting workflows and Contact Center systems. It could bring change to your team roles and even reskilling personnel.
What is the best way to go about this? At CBA, we’ve learned that the key to success is this: don’t start with technology. In any major adjustment, we must start by focusing on our customers and our teams. Then we can pick the technology that works. Here’s a framework that can help with that.
Step 1: Map the Customer Journey
Where do customers get stuck? Which questions come up over and over again? What kind of problems usually need a human touch?
Once we understand these moments, we can identify where best to automate, and where not to do so.
As a tip, try pretending you are a customer and contact your customer support. See how it goes. I’ve found that this reveals a lot of pain points that might have otherwise been hidden.
Step 2: Match Tools to Tasks
- Use AI for repetitive or structured tasks.
- Use human agents for things that require empathy, judgement, or creative thinking.
- Consider AI tools that can support your agents in tasks assigned to them.
The key is to pick the right tool, based on the situation and need, instead of picking the tool first and then trying to make it fit.
Step 3: Train for Success
Human agents need to know both how to use the AI tools and how to work alongside them. This means learning when to rely on automation, and when to take over.
Sometimes we can think that we don’t have time for training. But without adequate training, a rollout will fail. We must give it the proper attention.
Step 4: Monitor and Adjust
No new tool can be treated as a “set it and forget it” option. And this is especially true of AI. That’s what makes this last step so important.
We must monitor how things are going. This includes checking any analytics features of the AI tools, as well as talking to our agents. We might get feedback from our customers as well. And once again, we should try the customer path ourselves!
Of course, monitoring what is going on doesn’t just mean reporting it to management. It must result in actual change and adjustments.
A Word of Caution (and Encouragement)
It’s easy to get swept up by the AI hype-machine. AI is everywhere in headlines and advertisements. What do we see? Promises of dramatic cost savings, full automation, and instant game-changing results. But the reality is of course more nuanced.
When AI is too rigid, added too soon, or is too disconnected from the real needs, it can sabotage great support. There is no quicker way to frustrate customers and overwhelm agents than by forcing an AI tool without proper thought.
I’ve seen this happen. But I’ve also seen those who hesitate to adopt AI at all. In doing so, they miss out on the very real value it can bring and put themselves at a disadvantage.
My caution is this: We can’t go to either extreme.
The encouraging thing is that we don’t have to choose either one. It is possible to find a balanced approach. By blending AI and human support we can move forward successfully at a good pace. And if you choose the right partner, such as CBA, you can be confident in the results.
Conclusion
What’s the takeaway from our discussion today? Don’t ignore AI. But don’t ignore the power of human support either. As leaders, we must blend the two if we are to create the great service our customers deserve.
How does this show up in a workflow? By starting with an AI chatbot, handing off to a human when needed, and then giving that human agent AI tools to make life easier. This approach also shows up in quick wins, such as adding 24/7 support or giving agents a better way to research.
Today’s customer deserves the very best we can provide. And this approach can give it to them. At the same time, it can grow your business, improve reputation, and lead to loyalty.
If you need help striking the right balance, CBA is here to help you along the way.
