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AI is transforming Customer Success at an unprecedented pace and the data backs it up. According to a recent survey, 80% of B2B SaaS companies plan to increase their investment in AI-driven customer success initiatives to improve retention and revenue growth. The shift isn’t just hype; it’s a response to increasing customer expectations and the need for scalable, proactive engagement.
As someone who has spent years in Customer Success, I’ve never seen the landscape evolve as rapidly as it is today. The emergence of AI presents an exciting opportunity to reimagine the customer journey—not just to automate processes, but to deliver more personalized, predictive, and impactful experiences.
Recently, I had the privilege of participating in CS Angel’s Pay It Forward webinar with industry experts Nisha Baxi (Head of Community and AI Scaled Support @ Gong), Daphne Costa Lopes (Global Director of CS @ Hubspot), and Tori Jeffcoat (Head of GTM Strategy and AI @ Gainsight). We discussed the impact of AI on CS and how AI can transform customer experiences. The conversation was filled with great insights, practical examples, and actionable strategies. Here are the highlights, as well as my personal takeaways on how to identify opportunities for incorporating AI in your CS strategy and how to implement AI tools effectively.
Identifying Key Areas for AI in the Customer Journey
One of the first topics we discussed was identifying specific pain points in the customer journey where AI can make a difference. Nisha emphasized the importance of analyzing support ticket data to pinpoint inefficiencies. For example, if a particular stage in the customer journey generates a high volume of support requests, it’s a clear signal that AI can step in to bridge resourcing gaps.
Daphne added that customer health scores are another critical area. She has seen that historically, health scores have been reactive, but AI can make them predictive and real-time, helping teams proactively address issues before they escalate. She also highlighted the value of consolidating data from multiple platforms like CRMs, support systems, and onboarding tools to provide Customer Success Managers a better view of the customer’s overall health.
For me, this reinforced the importance of being a detective when mapping the customer journey. Whether it’s analyzing support tickets, health scores, or team feedback, the key is to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies that AI can streamline.
Strategies for Implementing AI Tools
When it comes to implementing AI, Daphne cautioned against the “hype cycle,” where teams rush to adopt AI tools without a clear strategy. She emphasized the need for purpose-built AI solutions tailored to specific use cases rather than generic tools like ChatGPT. For example, her team uses HubSpot’s embedded AI to improve email open rates and click-through rates. This is a simple yet powerful application.
Nisha stressed the importance of cross-functional alignment and experimentation. She shared her approach at Gong, where they’re testing AI tools like Answerly and Document360 to build a case for broader AI adoption.
Her mantra? “Plan the work, then work the plan.”
This means involving key stakeholders like legal, IT, finance, and security early to ensure a smooth implementation.
In my experience, integrating AI into existing workflows is key to adoption. I use UpdateAI to streamline meeting recaps and next steps, saving hours of manual work. It’s a small but impactful way to demonstrate AI’s value.
Overcoming Challenges and Driving Adoption
One of the biggest pitfalls in rolling out AI is the lack of adoption. Tori shared her experience with leveraging AI features in existing tools. So many tools these days are implementing AI, and there is a good chance that the tools you’re currently using have AI capabilities. Leveraging your already existing tech stack can help drive quicker adoption and prevent internal disruption that can come with implementing new tools.
To get more of Tori’s insights into Gainsight’s AI in CS Report, click here.
Daphne emphasized the need to connect AI initiatives to broader business goals. She advised asking three key questions before adopting any AI tool:
Does it solve a real problem?
Can it integrate seamlessly with existing systems?
Is IT on board?
The takeaway is clear: AI adoption is as much about change management as it is about technology. Involving key teams early, demonstrating value, and aligning with business objectives can help us avoid the dreaded “shelfware” scenario.
Measuring the Impact of AI
When it comes to measuring success, we all agreed that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Metrics like Time to Value (TTV), customer satisfaction (CSAT), and retention rates remain the gold standard.
The question is how AI can move the needle on these KPIs.
Daphne shared how HubSpot’s AI-powered scoring model helps renewal managers understand customer value and address pricing objections proactively. This is a great example of using AI to enhance existing processes rather than creating new ones.
Nisha has also helped build a thriving Visioneers community at Gong where their customers who are revenue leaders can discuss topics relevant to their solutions. This free community (which runs on Gainsight) creates a space for customers to answer each other's questions while using Gen AI to generate smart summaries to search queries.
Final Thoughts
As we wrapped up the webinar, I couldn’t help but reflect on the recurring theme that Daphne mentioned of “slowing down to move faster.” Whether you’re doing any of the following…
Aligning stakeholders
Experimenting with tools
Measuring impact
Taking the time to plan strategically for initiatives like these pays off in the long run.
For those looking to implement AI, my advice is simple: start small, involve your customers, and focus on solving real problems. As Nisha said, “Better done than perfect.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with AI in the customer journey. Let’s continue the conversation and explore how we can leverage technology to drive customer success.
Connect with me on LinkedIn to share your insights or ask questions.
Listen back to the full recording of our webinar here.