This time in our monthly column Talk with the CEO, we sit down with Marko Dubočanin to discuss one of the hottest topics in the industry today – the role of artificial intelligence in customer experience.
While AI is rapidly taking over simple, transactional interactions, the real question is: What remains for humans, and how will client expectations evolve?
Balancing AI and Human Connection
The current use of AI in customer experience is still far from the level it will eventually reach. What remains uncertain is how users will react once platforms start delivering more complex AI-driven answers.
Today, many are experimenting with tools like ChargeGPT, DeepSick, and Gemini. Yet, as soon as tasks become more complex, people still look for relational calls with live agents.
This is where the real distinction comes in, the ability to switch between transactional and relational calls.
Transactional Calls: The AI Domain
Transactional calls involve simple, repetitive tasks, for example:
- What are your working hours?
- Was my package delivered on time?
- Do you have the same product in red?
These interactions will almost certainly be taken over by AI. There’s no reason to keep customers waiting in line for such basic information when technology can provide it instantly.
Relational Calls: The Human Touch
However, when it comes to interactions that provide real, emotional value, relational calls, people still need a human-to-human connection. On a very natural, even biochemical level, customers want to feel heard and understood by another person.
The risk arises when companies lean too heavily on cheap AI solutions. If the technology is low-quality, it inevitably delivers a poor customer experience, and the brand itself is perceived as “cheap.”
Research suggests that around 70% of business inquiries can be replaced by AI but the emphasis must be on using high-quality solutions.
The Importance of VIP Treatment
For the remaining interactions, the ones that truly matter, businesses need high-quality, localized senior customer support experts. These professionals handle the most important clients and deliver the kind of VIP treatment that no brand can afford to neglect.
The future of customer experience lies in this balance: letting AI handle the routine and transactional, while skilled human experts take on relational interactions that build trust, loyalty, and long-term value. Making this shift, from basic technology use to offering luxury-level customer experience is difficult but essential for brands that want to stand out.
Closing Thoughts
As Marko highlights, Artificial Intelligence will inevitably replace transactional calls. Yet what AI cannot fully replicate is the human warmth and trust built through relational interactions.
The future of customer experience lies in a smart combination: leveraging cutting-edge technology for simple tasks while relying on skilled experts to deliver meaningful, relationship-driven experiences.
Stay tuned for the next edition of Talk with the CEO, where we continue exploring the trends shaping the outsourcing industry and the future of work.
