Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how organizations approach customer success and support, providing new ways to improve efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and foster innovation. At the Customer Service and Support (CSS) Executive Forum in Chicago, organized by SuccessLab, a panel of seasoned leaders shared their real-world insights on AI’s role in reshaping their organizations. This forum served as a platform for open, insightful discussions among leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts.
As the panel moderator, Omid Razavi, Founder of SuccessLab, I had the privilege of steering this rich conversation. With decades of combined expertise, the panelists provided actionable advice and inspiring stories about AI’s potential for customer success and support.
The panel included:
- J.R. Stricker: an experienced leader in global contact center operations and customer support, formerly with AT&T, Bullhorn, and Genesis.
- Deborah Bade: a seasoned customer success leader with 18 years of experience at Salesforce and now the VP of Customer Success for North America at Informatica.
- Dave Yusuf: a leader in customer experience and support in the financial technology sector, most recently SVP of Customer Success at Q2 Software.
- Jennifer Schaen: SVP of Customer Experience at Basis Technologies, focusing on empowering teams to create exceptional customer experiences while uncovering operational efficiencies through AI.
Here are some of the key topics and takeaways from the conversation.
AI as a Tool for Exceptional Customer Engagement
The discussion began with J.R. Stricker, who emphasized how far AI has advanced in customer support and contact centers. Stricker highlighted the transformation in virtual agents, which now deliver personalized and empathetic customer interactions.
"Today’s virtual agents are a far cry from the impersonal chatbots of the past. With AI, they can personalize responses, express empathy, and seamlessly transfer customers to live agents when needed. This technology is revolutionary for creating outstanding customer experiences," Stricker explained.
He stressed that AI is not just about operational efficiency—it’s also about reducing customer effort and delivering world-class experiences.
Using AI to Scale and Optimize Data
Deborah Bade brought a data-first perspective, reflecting on her experience at Salesforce and her current role at Informatica. Bade stressed the importance of data quality as the foundation for any AI initiative.
"AI is only as good as the data it’s built on. At Informatica, we focus on ensuring pristine data quality, which allows us to unlock the full potential of AI," Bade shared.
She also addressed the decision-making process for building or buying AI solutions.
"We’ve adopted a mix of building and buying. For core functionalities where customization is critical, we’ve built in-house. For other needs, commercially available solutions provide faster deployment and are often more cost-effective," Bade noted.
Bade highlighted how Informatica has used AI to scan and organize years of documentation, making information readily accessible and enabling teams to respond quickly to customer needs.
AI for Proactive Support and Predictive Insights
Dave Yusuf shared how his team at Q2 Software transformed their approach to escalation management by implementing predictive AI tools like SupportLogic.
"When we started using SupportLogic, everything changed. Instead of reacting to escalations, AI allowed us to predict which cases might escalate and take action beforehand. This reduced our escalation rate significantly to 3%," Yusuf explained.
He highlighted how AI-powered dashboards give customer success managers a clear view of customer sentiment, enabling proactive engagement and more effective conversations.
Empowering Teams Through AI-Powered Efficiency
Jennifer Schaen shared her story of creating "Basis Brain," an AI-powered knowledge tool by Twig at Basis Technologies. The tool has streamlined internal processes and dramatically reduced time spent on repetitive tasks.
"With Basis Brain, we reduced the time needed for RFI responses by 40%. This allows my team to focus on strategic initiatives and customer-facing work instead of being bogged down by administrative tasks," Schaen said.
Schaen’s vision is to expand the use of AI across her organization, enabling every department to benefit from tailored AI tools and eventually offering solutions to customers.
Bridging Silos with AI
Bade also highlighted how AI has helped break down silos at Informatica by integrating cross-functional data.
"We’ve scanned years of project documentation into an AI-powered repository. Now, our customer success managers can quickly access insights from professional services, making us smarter and more effective," she said.
This integration fosters team collaboration and ensures that customer success professionals have all the context necessary to deliver value.
Addressing Challenges: Accuracy and Trust in AI
The panelists also discussed the challenges of using AI, including ensuring accuracy and avoiding errors. Yusuf shared his perspective on the financial services industry.
"In banking, errors are simply unacceptable," Yusuf said. "We rigorously validate AI outputs to ensure accuracy, especially when summarizing or aggregating data."
Stricker shared a similar perspective, emphasizing the need for high-quality, consistent content to fuel AI systems. "AI needs the right fuel to operate effectively. At Genesys, we standardized thousands of articles to create a solid foundation for AI tools," he noted.
Synopsis
The panelists agreed that AI is not just a tool for automation—it’s a force for transformation. AI empowers both employees and customers by improving access to information, enabling proactive problem-solving, and fostering collaboration.
"AI isn’t just about saving time," Schaen remarked. "It’s about creating an environment where teams can thrive and customers feel truly supported."
Bade added, "As AI evolves, the possibilities for scaling operations, improving experiences, and driving innovation are endless. But it all starts with ensuring a strong foundation—clean data, clear processes, and empowered teams."
The CSS Executive Forum provides an invaluable platform for this insightful exchange, underscoring the importance of collaboration in charting the future of customer success and support. With AI at the forefront, organizations have a powerful opportunity to redefine how they deliver value to their teams and customers.
The CSS Executive Forum in Chicago, organized by SuccessLab and hosted by West Monroe, took place on November 14, 2024. For more insights, subscribe to the CCO Perspectives newsletter. 
