CX News
Passenger calls United Airlines, scammed out of $17,000
This is not a case where someone thought they called the right number but actually called a con artist! Reporters verified that a customer did call the real United Airlines after his flight was cancelled and spent $17,000 to rebook a family vacation after being promised he would be refunded. The call showed up in the United Airlines logs - but for only 12 minutes, rather than the three hours the passenger spent on the phone with the scammer.
United is conducting an internal review of how this happened, but has not shared any information about how the customer’s call to the correct customer service line went so awry. It calls to mind another recent airline breach from Air France and KLM where information from the customer service system was leaked.
Security is of the utmost importance in CX. It’s a reminder to take another look and work with your organization’s security team to ensure your system is in tip-top shape especially before the busy BCFM/holiday comes up.
AI customer support best when enhancing humans
A new Verizon Business survey reveals that 88% of customers are satisfied with human-led digital service, compared with just 60% for AI-only interactions. Experts agree AI is most powerful when it empowers agents by handling administrative tasks, surfacing context, and knowing when to hand off. This “human + AI” partnership lets technology handle the repetitive work while people deliver empathy, problem solving, and trust.
Check out how Kustomer’s AI Agents for Reps empowers agents by providing a copilot right in the same tool so they can deliver stellar support - no tab switching required.
UK consumers: 2.3 bad customer experiences, then a bad review
A new study of UK consumers had some interesting findings around the state of customer experience:
- On average, it took 2.3 bad experiences for a customer to write a review
- Almost half of consumers report having poor service in the last year
- 51% want to be able to speak to a human rather than a chatbot
- 26% want personalized support
CX leaders: you have a little grace if there is one negative interaction, but not much. Tech can help lighten the load on your team to meet consumer expectations - without just adding in a chatbot to deflect. Make sure your human agents have the tools they need to provide a better, personalized experience. You’ll build a loop of satisfaction and can curb negative reviews.
AI News
- Paradigm, an AI-powered spreadsheet with 5,000+ agents that automate CRM and workflow data entry, has raised a $5M seed round from General Catalyst. Paradigm supports Anthropic, OpenAI, and Gemini models. The platform aims to reimagine spreadsheets as flexible, AI-driven workflows.
- Stanford and Google researchers are testing “generative agents” - AI systems that mimic individual personalities with striking accuracy. Early experiments show these agents can predict human decisions and opinions, hinting at a future of hyper-personalized digital interactions.
- American and Japanese companies and consumers have different approaches to AI-powered customer service: Japanese firms are rapidly deploying AI to predict problems and streamline self-service with the goal of staying ahead of the consumer, while U.S. companies remain cautious amid consumer skepticism.
- Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal emerges with AI startup that is focused on helping artificial intelligence agents autonomously collect and analyze information from the web.
Tune In
AI can help your customer experience team go from being seen as a cost center to a valued revenue driver for your company.
At the Signal AI Revenue Summit, Kustomer’s Chief Customer Officer Lauren Gold will be sharing tactics on how AI-Native customer experience teams win on retention.
The virtual event is complimentary (with speakers from Bain & Company, Microsoft, and more) and open to all!
Wednesday, August 27th at 9-11 AM PT / 12-2 PM ET
