In this engaging discussion, customer experience consultant Adrian Swinscoe shares his insights on leveraging AI to enhance customer relationships rather than just cutting costs. He advocates for a strategy that starts with the desired customer experience before selecting technology, avoiding the pitfalls of buying shiny tools without purpose. Adrian also reveals an inspiring e-commerce example where automation freed up agents for deeper interactions and addresses ethical concerns surrounding AI’s environmental impact and labor issues.
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insights INSIGHT
Beware The Hype Wave
The AI space moves in hype waves and firms risk buying tools as fads.
Avoid treating technology as a one-size-fits-all spanner without clear purpose.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start With Experience, Not Tech
Educate yourselves on the art of the possible with AI before buying tools.
Imagine the customer experience you want, then work backwards to define data and technology needs.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Design AI For ROI From The Start
Be deliberate: define vision and strategy to extract ROI from AI initiatives.
Tie chosen tools to business enablement and commercial objectives before buying tech.
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Dive into the rapidly evolving world of AI with Adrian Swinscoe as we wrap up our three-part series on how to keep AI from becoming just another buzzword. This episode unpacks the flood of AI tools hitting the market, the challenge of maintaining a human touch in customer experience, and strategies to avoid the dreaded “tech for tech’s sake” trap. Adrian shares a fresh perspective on leveraging AI for operational efficiency—not by cutting costs but by unlocking capacity to deepen customer relationships. We also touch on often-overlooked ethical considerations, from AI’s environmental impact to the human labor hidden behind the scenes.In this episode of the customer success playbook, Adrian Swinscoe expertly navigates the AI hype cycle, reminding us that technology should never lead the charge without a clear strategy rooted in customer experience goals. Adrian advocates flipping the traditional tech-first approach on its head—start with the experience you want to create, then work backward to the data and technology needed. This disciplined mindset steers organizations away from buying shiny tools with no purpose and towards a deliberate, ROI-driven deployment of AI.What stands out is Adrian’s practical example of a forward-thinking e-commerce company that uses AI automation to free their agents from mundane inquiries. Instead of using this newfound efficiency to reduce headcount, they activate new channels to deepen direct customer interactions. This mindset flips the usual script focused on cost-cutting, proving that AI can be a genuine enabler of enriched customer success rather than a simple productivity hack.The episode also ventures into the less glamorous but crucial topics rarely discussed: the hefty energy consumption demanded by AI’s generative models and the ethical conundrum surrounding low-paid labor involved in data annotation. These insights serve as an important reminder that innovation must marry responsibility, aligning with broader business values and the global climate imperative.For customer success leaders, the takeaways are clear: educating teams on the art of the possible with AI, defining an experience-first strategy, and thoughtfully measuring impact are essential steps to harness AI’s power effectively. Above all, there’s a call to maintain the human element—after all, let’s not trade genuine connection for robotic efficiency. Now you can interact with us directly by leaving a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/CustomerSuccessPlaybook
The Customer Success Playbook 