How Companies Can Balance Automation, Human Support, and Customer Experience

Is AI Making Customer Service Better? with Jay Lee How Companies Can Balance Automation, Human Support, and Customer Experience Shep interviews Jay Lee, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Five9. He talks about how AI is changing customer service and how businesses can balance automation with empathy to improve customer experience. This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   1. Will AI replace customer service agents? 2. How is artificial intelligence changing the role of contact center agents? 3. What is empathy fatigue, and how does AI contribute to it? 4. Why is employee experience important to customer experience? 5. Why is it important for customers to have access to human support when AI can't resolve their problems? Top Takeaways:   • AI is changing customer support, not eliminating the need for human agents. As AI handles routine tasks, human agents are left with more complex problems that require empathy and judgment. Companies need to find the right balance, so agents aren't frustrated by repetitive work or moving from one emotionally demanding interaction to another without a breather. • Just because an interaction ends quickly doesn't mean the customer's problem has been solved. Companies need to prioritize customer satisfaction over speed to make sure that customers get the resolution they expect instead of leaving frustrated and taking their business elsewhere. • People have different preferences for using AI and self-service, but there is one thing customers have in common. Trust can break down when the technology doesn't deliver. • Customers should know when they're interacting with AI and have an easy way to reach a person when they need additional help. When they do talk to an employee, relevant information needs to come through seamlessly so customers don't have to repeat themselves. If sensitive information needs to be verified again for privacy or security, explain why. • AI can handle routine tasks, while people focus on interactions that require empathy and judgment. Companies must support employees with the right tools, training, and resources because a great employee experience helps create a great customer experience. • Plus, Shep and Jay discuss how businesses can rethink contact center metrics to reflect the growing role of AI in customer interactions. Tune in! Quotes:  “AI is taking over routine tasks, leaving human agents to handle more complex problems that require empathy and judgment. There is a fatigue that is setting in for them.” "Customers trust companies that use AI more if they know that there is an easy way to get to a human if the self-service option doesn't work." “The fastest customer service isn't always the best customer service.” “A great employee experience turns into a great customer experience.” About:   Jay Lee is the Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Five9, with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise software and fintech, including leadership roles at Icertis, Avalara, PayPal, American Express, and GE Capital. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Chapters: [00:00] Jay Lee on What's New at Five9 [00:57] How AI Is Changing the Contact Center [02:05] Will AI Replace Human Contact Center Agents? [03:29] Why AI Is Making Customer Service Jobs Harder [04:20] Understanding Empathy Fatigue in Customer Service [05:23] The Challenge of Measuring Agent Performance [05:54] Balancing Automation and Employee Satisfaction [06:49] Why Simple Customer Questions Still Matter [07:14] Generational Differences in Customer Service Preferences [08:07] Why the Fastest Service Isn't Always the Best [08:35] Measuring Customer Satisfaction Beyond Speed [09:35] How Inconsistent Experiences Drive Customer Churn [10:04] Making It Easy for Customers to Reach a Human [10:51] How Human Access Builds Trust in AI [12:20] Creating a Seamless Handoff From AI to Human Agents [13:26] The Gap Between Company and Customer Perceptions [13:46] Why Customers Hate Repeating Themselves [14:28] Protecting Sensitive Information During AI Handoffs [15:01] Explaining Security Procedures to Build Customer Trust [16:18] Why Employee Experience Drives Customer Experience [17:15] Connecting Employee Experience With Customer Loyalty