There's a strange paradox in business. It seems like the smaller a company is, the more hungry they are to talk to their customers. However, as they scale, something happens: dealing with customer issues comes to be seen as a cost instead of an opportunity. The result is the typical customer service experience we all gripe about — long waits, unsatisfying answers, and annoyed customers. The irony is that most companies genuinely WANT to make their customers happy. But limited time and resources conspire to sabotage those efforts. In this context, using AI Agents for customer service might seem like just more "business as usual" — another way to distance the customer and minimize contact. In fact, I'm noticing the exact opposite trend. Among the companies Ada works with, AI is actually increasing contact between customers and companies. - AI Agents are being used to handle routine inquiries, allowing a company's human agents to focus on complex issues and build strong relationships with customers - They can build a better picture of each customer's history, making each interaction feel continuous and natural, and enabling companies to truly get to know the person behind the issue - AI Agents are being used to actively analyze conversations and identify areas for improvement. These findings don't just improve customer service. They're being shared across departments to inform sales strategy and product roadmaps. The history of customer service is mired with good intentions, but awful practices. In that sense, AI represents a dramatic step in a new direction. If you're interested in reading more, I recently wrote a piece in Forbes: https://bit.ly/3yYeScs
Thanks for sharing this. I've been thinking about this issue in similar terms.
Rogers Communications invest in a company like Ada! I spent 1.45 hours on the phone trying to transfer an account today (within Rogers!). I was transferred between agents multiple times - I had to re-identify / authenticate myself each time... I could go on, but I won't. We've all been there it seems. Great use cases for AI here.
AI Product Solutions at RBC Borealis
5moSome companies actually combine their customer support and product teams under the same leader for this synergy.