AI Transforms Customer Service While Keeping the Human Touch

The Evolution of Customer Service Through AI

It used to be common to wait endlessly just to reach a customer service representative when issues arose. That’s changed drastically in the last 30 years as globalization and the internet pushed 24/7 customer support into the norm. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is shifting how companies engage with customers once again.

According to a recent Gartner survey, 85 percent of customer service leaders are exploring or piloting conversational generative AI solutions this year. Interestingly, customer service leaders are taking more responsibility than IT teams in adopting AI, spotting new opportunities, and planning how AI will evolve within their organizations. However, the direction this evolution will take remains somewhat uncertain.

Human-Led AI vs. AI-Driven Change

Nikolaus Kimla, CEO of Pipeliner CRM, believes that people must guide machine learning progress. On the other hand, Eoghan McCabe, CEO of Intercom, thinks AI’s capabilities will largely dictate the future of customer support. Both companies earned recognition at the Newsweek AI Impact Awards 2025 for their AI innovations in customer service.

Kimla emphasized that AI should empower people rather than replace them. “Technology, especially AI, should elevate people,” he said. This principle shaped Pipeliner CRM’s approach to their AI tools.

AI Impact Awards: Customer Service Highlights

Pipeliner CRM won the Best Outcomes, Analyzing Customer Data award for the 2024 release of Voyager AI Assistant Gen II. This tool helps sales teams by automating repetitive tasks like data analysis and reporting. Despite being AI-driven, the tool was built with a focus on human empowerment, transparency, and ease of use.

Kimla explained, “Our AI supports salespeople by offering intuitive insights without adding complexity or overwhelming them with data.” The goal was to reduce friction, making the assistant a helpful partner rather than a burden.

The results have been promising. Sales teams adopting Voyager AI Assistant Gen II reported a 30 percent decrease in time spent on administrative duties and a 20 to 40 percent increase in lead conversion rates when using the AI to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

Kimla sees AI’s future in customer service as a proactive partner that understands context and emotion, delivering personalized support while allowing human agents to focus on complex problems. His advice for customer service leaders is clear: prioritize AI tools that enhance human interaction rather than replace it.

The Future of AI in Customer Service According to Intercom

Eoghan McCabe views the future differently. He predicts AI capabilities will soon outpace what companies expect or want to do with customer service. Intercom’s AI customer service agent, Fin 2, won the Best Outcomes, Customer Satisfaction award for its advanced ability to synthesize information and provide comprehensive answers.

For example, if a customer accidentally ships a package to the wrong address, Fin 2 can check delivery options across states and even reroute the package — actions that previously required human intervention.

Fin 2’s performance is impressive: it resolves up to 91 percent of total support volume and averages a 56 percent resolution rate, up from 23 percent in the previous version. Some customers see resolution rates near 80 to 90 percent.

Intercom’s AI supports clients like Anthropic, a leading AI startup. Fin now handles 96 percent of their support conversations, saving human teams thousands of hours.

McCabe credits Intercom’s early investment in AI talent for this success. The company employs 47 senior AI experts, enabling them to build sophisticated solutions well before many competitors.

Despite AI’s progress, McCabe expects human agents to remain part of customer service for at least another decade. He foresees a time when AI agents are so integrated that users won’t notice their presence, but human agents will still be used strategically for their unique value.

Final Thoughts for Customer Service Professionals

• AI tools should support and enhance human agents, not replace them.
• Focus on AI solutions that reduce repetitive tasks and free up time for complex customer needs.
• Adopt AI gradually and base decisions on your core values and customer needs, not hype.
• Keep training and coaching human agents alongside AI development to maintain a strong support team.

For customer service professionals interested in expanding their AI skills and staying ahead in this evolving field, Complete AI Training offers tailored courses designed to help you integrate AI effectively into your work.

To explore the full list of winners from the Newsweek AI Impact Awards and learn more about AI innovations shaping industries, visit the official AI Impact Awards page. Newsweek will also host an AI Impact Summit from June 23 to 25 in Sonoma, California, to discuss meaningful AI advancements.