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Is the human touch a premium service? AI is reshaping customer interaction in a two-tiered direction
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The AI revolution is reshaping customer service roles, creating a stark divide between human and automated touchpoints in post-sales interactions. SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin projects that by 2025, AI will handle virtually all support and customer success functions except those directly tied to revenue generation. This shift reflects a fundamental business prioritization where human attention is increasingly reserved exclusively for revenue-generating opportunities while routine customer interactions are automated.

The big picture: Companies are rapidly deploying AI to handle the majority of customer support inquiries, with many businesses already seeing 40% or more of tickets resolved without human intervention.

  • Major platforms like Intercom, Zendesk, Gorgias, Dialpad, and Talkdesk are leading this transition, with some companies pushing for even higher automation rates.
  • This automation trend cuts across both traditional customer support (resolving problems) and customer success (ensuring positive outcomes) departments.

Where humans remain: Human representatives are increasingly being reserved exclusively for sales-oriented customer interactions.

  • In e-commerce, this bifurcation is already evident with AI handling returns while humans manage product questions that could lead to purchases.
  • Customer success roles are evolving to focus primarily on upselling opportunities, with routine engagement activities being automated or eliminated.

The emerging model: Post-sales customer engagement is evolving into a two-tier system based on revenue potential.

  • If a customer interaction presents upselling opportunities, it receives human attention.
  • If the interaction involves only problem-solving with no revenue potential, it’s directed to AI systems regardless of customer preference.

The competitive edge: Despite this industry-wide trend, exceptional human support remains a potential differentiator for startups.

  • The article references Salesforce‘s historical approach with Groupon, where they installed a direct support line on-site that provided 24/7/365 human assistance.
  • This level of high-touch service could still serve as a competitive advantage for companies willing to buck the automation trend.

Why this matters: As companies simultaneously reduce support staff while expanding sales teams, the customer experience is fundamentally transforming across industries, potentially creating opportunities for differentiation through superior human service.

Will The Only Humans Left In Customer Support and Customer Success Be The Ones Selling You Something?

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