This is the most interesting time I’ve seen in the development of customer experience. For customer experience leaders, it may also be the busiest.
Customer service is just one aspect of customer experience, but that’s where many of the changes are most visible. A central promise of AI has been that it would take work off our plates. Yet leaders are making more decisions than ever: where to use AI, how to protect customers, how to support their teams, and how to turn new capabilities into real value. Three customer service trends help explain what’s happening.
1. The workload for many is growing. During a recent visit to an insurance company, I asked an agent how AI was working out. “Brad, we’re busier than ever,” he told me. “As we improve service, there’s more demand.”
Better service can make it easier for customers to reach out. AI translation can open service to more people. Fraud and security concerns create new questions. And sometimes customers simply want a human to confirm that everything is okay. As AI and automation handle more tasks, demand can grow elsewhere.
2. Gen Z is calling. We’ve heard plenty of predictions that younger customers only want digital service. They often start there. But when they get stuck, they quickly move to chat or phone. Like the rest of us, they care less about the channel than about getting their issue resolved.
3. Customers reward simplicity. Researchers have repeatedly found that people are more likely to recommend brands that make experiences simpler. The lesson for customer service is straightforward: customers don’t want to navigate the complexity behind the scenes. They want products and services that are easy to understand, and they want it to be easy to get help when needed.
That creates a challenge for CX leaders. We’re managing more channels, more tools, and more decisions about AI, security, and service standards. Our job is to bring those pieces together so the experience feels simple to customers.
I see this moment as opportunity before it’s organized. The possibilities are exciting, but they won’t organize themselves. That’s why leadership matters more than ever. Right now.
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