AI-enabled automation is the new linchpin of innovation in CRM platforms. However, the expected productivity gains have yet to translate into meaningful improvements in customer experience (CX).
The current brand strategy is to throw a lot of technology at the wall to see what sticks, as brands try to automate at breakneck speed to optimize customer satisfaction.
According to Forrester’s latest CX Index Report, this approach is not working. The report finds that 39% of brands’ CX quality declined over the past year despite the hefty investment in new tactics.
Forrester’s findings are a wake-up call for businesses, according to Craig Crisler, CEO of CX outsourcing firm SupportNinja. Despite increased spending, he contends the decline in CX quality reveals that businesses are prioritizing quick fixes.
“They are adopting new technologies or outsourcing at the lowest possible cost rather than addressing the root cause of their CX challenges. Many brands are throwing money at CX without fully understanding where those investments should go,” he told CRM Buyer.
Instead, they need to take a step back and evaluate their entire customer journey, making sure they create seamless experiences that resonate with customers at every touchpoint. Better CX is not about having the latest tools or tactics. It is about how effectively you leverage them within a broader, well-coordinated CX strategy, Crisler argued.
Not an Isolated View
Forrester’s report paints a picture of an industry at a crossroads, noted Crisler. CX is more important than ever, but brands are struggling to meet rising customer expectations.
Other findings suggest that while investments in new tools are rising, many companies are missing the mark on execution. Looking ahead, the future of CX will require a greater focus on personalized, emotionally resonant experiences.
“Brands that can humanize interactions, despite digitalization, will come out on top,” he predicted.
According to Josh Feast, CEO and co-founder of AI applications developer firm Cogito, a noticeable shift in consumer attitudes toward the technology occurred in 2023. The company’s research recently found that over one in three respondents consider AI-driven customer service, like chatbots, much or slightly worse than human customer service options.
Between 2023 and 2024, fewer customers see efficient solutions and multiple communication channels as AI’s most positive impact on CX. Cogito’s research also found fewer customers believe that AI-driven CX is worse than human-led CX. That number dropped from 49% in 2023 to 39% in 2024.
Planning a New Journey
According to Crisler, customer service will not improve unless many brands acknowledge that they are still operating with outdated models that fail to address today’s consumers’ evolving expectations. CX is not just about throwing money at new tools or trends.
“Done right, it also requires an authentic commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs at every touchpoint. Many brands focus on efficiency or cost reduction but lose sight of customer-centricity,” he offered.
The result is a fragmented customer journey where experiences feel impersonal or transactional. If brands do not course correct, they risk widening the gap between customer expectations and reality, no matter how much they invest in technology, he warned about misused automation.
According to Dominic Allon, CEO of Pipedrive, a web-based sales CRM platform, companies should focus on integration and personalization to make AI-generated automation more effective in improving overall CX.
“Thoughtful integration is essential for seamless AI adoption within a CRM system to maximize the customer experience. To boost a business’s efficiency without disrupting established team workflows, AI should be used to enhance and improve existing processes,” he told CRM Buyer.
This integration includes embedding tools to strengthen data management, automate the generation of reports, take over routine tasks, and streamline communication channels, he explained. The result from proper integration should feel like a natural extension of a team.
“This makes it a smooth transition when the human salesperson takes over from the AI’s initial interactions with a customer,” he added.
Combining AI Tools Enhances Automation
One innovation that could resolve customer dissatisfaction with call center automation is an approach developed by Druid, a provider of conversational and generative AI solutions. This method is available to both customers and the human workers they interact with.
“Taking conversational AI and powering it with generative AI allows automation of processes for external customer-facing experiences,” Kristin Hunter, VP of marketing at Druid, told CRM Buyer.
Both customer service inquiries and employee workflows can leverage the benefits of more focused automation in their daily CX encounters, she explained.
Hunter noted that current studies show a growing trend of customer rejection for AI-powered CX. Some 64% prefer companies that do not use AI in customer service.
The data indicates customers have been burned by bad automated customer service experiences. To fix that problem, Druid builds automation for better CX based on an organization’s needs, she offered.
The level of personalization is tailored to the support and integration needs. The company offers platforms with out-of-the-box pre-made solutions by vertical use cases that support many common uses in banking, financial services, health care, and higher education.
“A lot can be very personalized to integrate with any of the systems you already use. So, it essentially can become a digital front end to any system you are using,” she said.
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