🎙️ Listen to the full conversation with Sedrak Hovhannisyan (opens in a new tab) on the Customer Service Gold Dust Podcast here:
👉 Apple Podcast (opens in a new tab)
👉 Spotify (opens in a new tab)
What if the real opportunity with AI isn't to make customer service less human...
but to give people more opportunity to be human?
That was one of the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Sedrak Hovhannisyan (opens in a new tab) .
We talked about AI agents, automation and the future of Customer Service.
But the conversation kept coming back to something much more important:
The customer experience still depends on people.
AI can:
- Handle repetitive digital tasks.
- It can help teams find information faster.
- It can support more consistent answers.
- It can even help connect departments that aren't communicating effectively.
But when a customer is frustrated, anxious or simply needs someone to understand them, that's where human skills really matter.
The:
- Empathy
- Listening
- Tone of voice
- Ownership
- And making the conversation feel easy
One of the most frustrating experiences for customers is having to explain their situation again every time they're transferred.
The technology and the process may be working but the experience isn't.
That's why I believe the question for Customer Service and CX leaders isn't:
"How much of our customer service can AI replace?"
It's:
"How can we use AI to remove the friction, so our people can spend more time creating better experiences?"
That's a very different conversation and one I think every Customer Service leader should be having.
I'd love to hear your perspective.
Where do you think AI can make the biggest difference to Customer Experience without losing the human touch?
Share your thoughts in the comments. I read every one.
This is what The Gold Dust Standard is about
Every week, I share practical ideas, lessons and conversations to help Customer Service and CX leaders make great experiences more consistent, more human and more memorable.
If that sounds useful, subscribe to The Gold Dust Standard here (opens in a new tab).
🎤 Would you like to join me on the Customer Service Gold Dust Podcast?
I'm always looking for Heads of Customer Service and Customer Experience (opens in a new tab) who are leading change, developing teams and creating better experiences for customers.
If you have a story, lesson or insight that could help other leaders, I'd love to hear it (opens in a new tab).
And while you're here, why not listen to one of the previous conversations?
There are some brilliant lessons coming out of these conversations, and I'm looking forward to bringing you many more.
👉 Listen to the Customer Service Gold Dust Podcast here (opens in a new tab)
Because sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference to the customer experience.
That's where the Gold Dust is.
Stay memorable,
Gavin