In the fast-evolving world of Technical Support, the promise of AI shines brightly. From self-service solutions to real-time agent assistance, AI tools are transforming the way businesses interact with their customers. However, as Adrian Swinscoe aptly highlights in his recent article, "Are Humans the Missing Link in Your AI Strategy?", the journey isn’t just about machines becoming smarter—it’s about how humans and AI collaborate to deliver the best outcomes.
At Ascendo AI, we couldn’t agree more. Our approach to agentic AI—AI that acts as a teammate rather than a replacement—aligns perfectly with Swinscoe’s emphasis on the importance of the human element in AI strategies. Let’s dive into what this means for technical support and field service teams and how businesses can leverage both artificial intelligence and agent intelligence to unlock new levels of efficiency and customer satisfaction.
AI Agents as Teammates, Not Replacements
The rise of generative AI has ushered in a new era for technical support teams. These tools can read customer inquiries, analyze them in real-time, and suggest actionable solutions. Yet, as Swinscoe points out, the potential for AI to "hallucinate" or misinterpret complex issues necessitates a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) approach. This collaboration allows AI agents to learn from human expertise while ensuring reliability in customer interactions.
At Ascendo AI, our platform is designed to empower technical support agents with AI teammates that proactively assist in diagnosing issues, suggesting fixes, and even predicting potential problems before they arise. This isn’t about replacing human roles but enhancing their capabilities. By enabling agents to focus on nuanced, high-value tasks, AI teammates drive both efficiency and deeper customer engagement.
The Chatbot Challenge and the Emotional Gap
Swinscoe’s insights on chatbots are particularly striking. Despite significant investments, customer satisfaction with chatbots has steadily declined—falling from 35% in 2017 to just 21% in 2022. Why? The lack of personalization, emotional intelligence, and seamless escalation paths frustrate customers who expect more from modern technology.
This is where agentic AI can redefine the narrative. By integrating contextual understanding and multimodal AI capabilities, chatbots and virtual agents can shift from transactional tools to empathetic problem-solvers. Imagine a chatbot that not only recognizes the urgency in a customer’s tone but also seamlessly hands off complex issues to a human agent, complete with all the contextual data needed for a smooth transition. That’s the kind of intelligent, collaborative support Ascendo AI strives to deliver.
Why Employee Expertise Matters
One of Swinscoe’s most compelling points is the underutilization of customer service agents in the design and refinement of AI systems. Who better to guide chatbot conversations and troubleshoot design flaws than the very people who interact with customers daily? Yet, as Swinscoe notes, many organizations fail to tap into this well of insight.
At Ascendo AI, we view customer service teams as co-creators in the AI journey. Through Voice of the Employee (VoE) initiatives, we actively involve agents in shaping how our AI tools operate. From refining troubleshooting workflows to designing AI-powered knowledge bases, their feedback ensures our platform remains intuitive, effective, and aligned with real-world needs. After all, the best AI is built by humans, for humans.
Bridging the AI-Human Divide
The future of Technical Support isn’t about choosing between AI and human intelligence. It’s about blending the two seamlessly to create a support ecosystem that’s efficient, empathetic, and ever-evolving.
At Ascendo AI, we believe that agentic AI—AI designed to work alongside humans as proactive teammates—is the key to achieving this vision.
Swinscoe’s call to action is clear: leverage the expertise of your people, embrace collaboration, and design AI systems with both emotional and contextual intelligence. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this movement, helping businesses harness the full potential of AI to transform technical support and field service operations.
So, here’s our question to you: How are you involving your teams in shaping the future of AI in your organization?
Let’s start a conversation. Together, we can create solutions that don’t just work but truly connect.
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