is AI coming for your job? no, but it might elevate it.

At Randstad, we recently hosted our first-ever CEX webinar. Four experts provided valuable insight into AI’s transformative impact on the customer experience. From their viewpoint, one thing was clear: digital advancements won’t eliminate the need for great talent. In fact, they shared how AI automation can help elevate and empower current employees to take your organization further.

automation can augment human intuition

Even with technology like ChatGPT and digital assistants, humans still matter. The truth is, today’s machines don’t have the human intuition needed for an exceptional customer experience. Panelist Tim Houlne, CEO at Humach, touched on what this looks like in the CEX space: “The key is to repurpose your human CEX agents,” he shared. “Train them – and pay them accordingly – to use the machines. They will be the ones to help tune and train AI to fit your business with the editorial and ethical lens only humans possess.”

Kari Ardalan, global head at Qualtrics, agreed. “Driven by humans, AI can solve problems with increased accuracy, freeing up front-line teams to work on a more personalized customer experience.”

Even more exciting, employees who feel empowered to use and teach your automation tools will be motivated to continue growing in their knowledge not just of AI, but of your business as a whole.

enhance and enable — don’t replace — your best employees

Before you look at what automation might do to your headcount, start to reimagine how to best use your current staff. As you move forward in the digital landscape, you can uplevel your employees faster than before with new and better skills to take you further.

Kari spoke directly to the fears that AI may replace people during our webinar. “It’s true that with AI automation you may not need as many human agents,” she explained. “But that simply means you can train them for more strategic roles and engagements.”

She went on to share that some roles may not even exist yet, fostering innovation and a forward-thinking culture. Panelist Will Chen, VP, CX Delivery, Innovation and Business Intelligence at NTT, agreed: “With more time for them to elevate their knowledge of the business, employees are increasingly motivated, and as an added bonus, more satisfied in their careers.”

Alex Blouin-Nolet, senior manager of customer experience at Metro summed it all up: “Put the human in the right role with the right tools, and AI can take everyone further.”

work elevated

With AI tools like agent assist, you and your teams can increase efficiency and productivity. This frees up room for innovation and future-based momentum. For example, AI automation can:

• reduce customer interaction time to promote a positive experience
• lower attrition rates as employees gain confidence and knowledge
• address skills gaps to keep your top talent satisfied and attractive
• allow for more effective scalability both now and in the future

In addition, Tim added the unique way automation can help you and your employees get to know your customer better: “With AI, you have their history – their transactions and their preferences to hone in on their likes and wants and deliver an elevated, personalized experience.”

But in the end, he stressed the importance of human agents: “Human touch is still what builds long-term relationships.” And relationships remain the heart of a successful organization.