Amazing Business Radio

How Companies Can Balance Automation, Human Support, and Customer Experience

Shep interviews Jay Lee, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Five9. He talks about how AI is changing customer service and how businesses can balance automation with empathy to improve customer experience.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:  

Will AI replace customer service agents?

How is artificial intelligence changing the role of contact center agents?

What is empathy fatigue, and how does AI contribute to it?

Why is employee experience important to customer experience?

Why is it important for customers to have access to human support when AI can't resolve their problems?

Top Takeaways:  

AI is changing customer support, not eliminating the need for human agents. As AI handles routine tasks, human agents are left with more complex problems that require empathy and judgment. Companies need to find the right balance, so agents aren't frustrated by repetitive work or moving from one emotionally demanding interaction to another without a breather.

Just because an interaction ends quickly doesn't mean the customer's problem has been solved. Companies need to prioritize customer satisfaction over speed to make sure that customers get the resolution they expect instead of leaving frustrated and taking their business elsewhere.

People have different preferences for using AI and self-service, but there is one thing customers have in common. Trust can break down when the technology doesn't deliver.

Customers should know when they're interacting with AI and have an easy way to reach a person when they need additional help. When they do talk to an employee, relevant information needs to come through seamlessly so customers don't have to repeat themselves. If sensitive information needs to be verified again for privacy or security, explain why.

AI can handle routine tasks, while people focus on interactions that require empathy and judgment. Companies must support employees with the right tools, training, and resources because a great employee experience helps create a great customer experience.

Plus, Shep and Jay discuss how businesses can rethink contact center metrics to reflect the growing role of AI in customer interactions. Tune in!

Quote: 

“AI is taking over routine tasks, leaving human agents to handle more complex problems that require empathy and judgment. There is a fatigue that is setting in for them.”

About:  

Jay Lee is the Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Five9, with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise software and fintech, including leadership roles at Icertis, Avalara, PayPal, American Express, and GE Capital.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Customer Feedback, Trust, and Human Decision-Making Matter More than Ever

Shep interviews Rachel Orston, Chief Customer Officer at Instructure. She talks about how human judgment and transparent feedback loops are competitive advantages in an AI-driven world.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:  

How do companies build trust through customer feedback?

Why is human judgment important in customer service?

How should businesses handle negative customer feedback effectively?

How should companies train and enable customer support employees?

Why is human judgment becoming more valuable than AI in customer service?

Top Takeaways:  

Customer feedback should be accessible across the entire organization. It shouldn’t live only with the customer service or CX team. Employees in product, finance, legal, HR, and other departments should understand how customers feel and what they need.

Customer feedback must be responded to. Closing the feedback loop builds trust. Asking for feedback isn’t enough. Let customers know what you’re doing with the feedback. You can’t say yes to every request, but transparencey shows customers have been heard.

Judgment grows through repeated practice, review, listening, verification, and case-by-case decisions, not a one-time lesson. The information is there. Data and knowledge are far more accessible now, thanks to AI, than before. Companies that want employees to exercise good judgment must give them the opportunities to practice it.

Customer service goes beyond solving problems and answering questions. It is also about nurturing customer relationships and building trust.

Automating every entry-level tasks for new employees can take away the opportunity to learn. When companies choose to use AI to eliminate all the easier, entry-level work, new employees may lose the foundational experiences that teach them how to handle more difficult situations. The easy work is where employees develop judgement, critical thinking, and confidence.

Plus, Shep and Rachel discuss how human judgment can help companies safeguard against AI errors. Tune in!

Quote: 

"The voice of the customer should be accessible to everyone in the company. Whether someone is in finance, legal, HR, or the front lines, everybody should know how customers feel about us in real time."

About:  

Rachel Orston is the Chief Customer Officer at Instructure, where she leads global customer success, support, and services to help educators and learners thrive in a rapidly changing ecosystem.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turn Every Customer Interaction into a Longterm Relationship

Shep interviews Jeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Salon for Men. He talks about how businesses can transform customer transactions into long-term loyalty, drive recurring revenue, and elevate the customer experience.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken  answers the following questions and more:  

How can a membership model improve customer loyalty and retention?

How do membership programs eliminate customer decision fatigue?

What is the difference between a membership program and a discount program?

How can businesses use subscriptions to create more predictable customer experiences?

How can businesses protect their brand's perceived value while offering membership rewards?

Top Takeaways:  

Think experience, not transaction. Think interaction leading to the next interaction, and create that experience that makes people say, "I'll be back."

Membership and subscription models improve the experience by eliminating the friction of having to make a buying decision. It just happens automatically.

A membership is more than a discount program. While some memberships and subscriptions may offer better pricing and can reward loyalty, the overall experience should still deliver premium value.

Small details, when operationalized, can make all customers feel genuinely cared for. Adjusting the environment, anticipating comfort, and eliminating unnecessary steps show that a company respects the customer’s time and money.

Plus, Shep and Jeff talk about the importance of meeting the needs of all key stakeholders, including the investors, franchisees, customers, and employees. Tune in!

Quote: 

"A big part of helping people relax is removing decisions from them. A membership removes the decision about where to get a product and when to get it."

About:  

Jeff Helfgott is the CEO of Boardroom Salon for Men, an upscale grooming brand with over 50 locations. The brand's services and experience are built on its "Results First, People Always" philosophy.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six Essential Realities for Winning Lifelong Customers

Shep interviews Ed Howie, Founder & CEO of Lifelong Customers®. He shares how to keep customers coming back for life by training frontline employees to deliver consistent service and building a simple system focused on retention instead of acquisition.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:  

What is the difference between customer service and customer retention?

What are the 6 essential realities for winning lifelong customers?

Why is customer retention more important than customer acquisition?

How does employee training impact customer retention and brand reputation?

How can leaders bridge the gap between employee behavior and business goals?

Top Takeaways:  

Customer retention results from businesses knowing what customers want, delivering it, and doing it consistently. Customers don’t only want a good experience once. They want confidence that the same quality will show up the next time too.

Hire for empathy, then train for execution. Hire employees who genuinely care about customers and train them on what to say, what to do, and how to reinforce the brand’s standards.

Customers don’t always need points, perks, or an app to keep coming back. Every small detail that makes up an amazing customer experience can create loyalty on its own.

Every customer interaction becomes your brand in that moment. Customers judge the company through the person serving them in that moment.

Ed Howie explains the 6 essential realities for winning lifelong customers:

Customer service doesn't create growth. Customer retention does.

Most companies are competing in the wrong economy.

Clarity creates alignment. Alignment accelerates sales velocity.

Stop chasing strangers and love the customers who love you already.

Loyalty is a feeling. Customer retention is an operating system.

Customer experience is either winning or losing your lifelong customer.

Business owners can discover their strengths and weak spots by taking the free Customer Retention Readiness Report at morelifelongcustomers.com. It will look into whether you truly know what your customers need and how consistently you deliver it.

Plus, Shep and Ed discuss why the most successful brands don't need a traditional loyalty program to keep customers coming back. Tune in!

Quote: 

"A true loyalty program can be found in a company's operation. It is in the product selection, the pricing, and the nice qualities that keep customers coming back."



About:  

Ed Howie is the Founder & CEO of Lifelong Customers®. He is a customer retention expert, keynote speaker, host of The Wonder of WOOO Podcast, and author of the upcoming book Lifelong Customers®: The Secret to Scaling Profitably.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Customer Experience (CX), Not Technology, Should Drive Business Strategy  

Shep interviews Clifford Hudson, the former CEO of Sonic and co-author of Bricks and Clicks: How We Drove Sonic Into the Digital Age. He talks about how business leaders must let customer needs and convenience drive their strategy rather than technology.  

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    

How do you build a business strategy around customer experience instead of technology?  

How does removing customer friction lead to higher sales and retention? 

What is the biggest mistake companies make when implementing new technology? 

How does increasing customer convenience drive long-term business value? 

Why do customer-centric companies outlast competitors? 

Top Takeaways:   

Start with the customer experience, not the technology. Begin by understanding what customers need and the experience they want. Then work backward to determine which technologies or processes will improve that experience. Technology should support the strategy, not become the strategy itself. 

Use technology to strengthen what makes your brand stand out. Every new initiative, whether it is a new tool or a process, should strengthen the qualities that distinguish your brand. 

Successful businesses are the ones who can anticipate their customers' needs. Hudson mentions Wanye Gretzki’s famous line, "skate to where the puck is going." Keep your eyes open for what your customers are doing and what they need. Shifts in customer behavior, even small ones like how they order or how they prefer to pay, are trends you can plan to stay ahead of.  

Customers should be the center of every decision that a company makes. View every new action, process, or product through the lens of how it can better serve customers. Companies that put customers first outperform those that don't. 

The right technology should make life easier for your customers. Before investing in new technology, always ask: Does this make things easier and more convenient for the customers we serve? 

Great ideas matter, but putting them into action is what really makes a difference. A customer-focused strategy creates the direction, and good execution turns it into great customer experience. 

Plus, Shep and Cliff discuss more ideas from Bricks and Clicks: How We Drove Sonic Into the Digital Age. Tune in! 

Quote:   

"Don't think about technology. Think about your customer and their experience and go from there." 

About:    

Clifford Hudson, co-author of Bricks and Clicks and former CEO of Sonic Corp. for 23 years. He helps organizations drive value through customer-centric innovation.  

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices