Automation grows, humans stay: the real shape of AI in customer experience

Interested in being a guest? Email us at [email protected] most natural way to ask for help is to speak—and that’s exactly why voice CX is so hard to get right. We sit down with Babelforce CEO & Co-Founder Pierce Buckley to unpack why the real challenge isn’t the AI model at the front, but the orchestration behind it: identity, contracts, logistics, field service, and payments spanning a dozen-plus systems that must work in lockstep to deliver a short, sweet resolution. From “my fridge smells burnt” to warranty confirmation and pickup scheduling, we map the unseen chain of actions that separates a great call from a frustrating loop.Pierce shares how a composable, “Lego block” architecture lets enterprises move fast without betting the farm—swapping ASR, TTS, and LLM components as technology improves quarterly, while reusing the same building blocks for new use cases. We tackle the hype around “agentic” bots with a grounded view of production readiness, explain why many voice bots disappoint due to weak integration rather than weak intelligence, and make the case for a bring-your-own-AI strategy that meets enterprises where they already invest. You’ll also hear how Babelforce partners with Zendesk to serve complex mid-market and enterprise contact centers, and why balancing automation with human expertise remains the winning strategy as volumes grow and escalations concentrate.Security and compliance get the attention they deserve: PCI redaction, PII controls, data residency, and the reality that LLM freedom demands stronger guardrails. We close with the talent gap—modern VUI skills that blend conversation design, AI behavior, and enterprise constraints—and practical steps to build a new class of AI-enabled practitioners who can ship outcomes, not just demos.If you care about customer experience that actually works—fast routing, smart automation, and respectful escalations—this conversation gives you a blueprint. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with the one CX workflow you most want to fix next.Everyday AI: Your daily guide to grown with Generative AICan't keep up with AI? We've got you. Everyday AI helps you keep up and get ahead.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showMore at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel