AI in Customer Service? Yes! But With Common Sense. And With L&D.
What does customer service have to do with Learning & Development?
Quite a lot, if you look more closely. Because AI is currently changing the way we communicate with customers. It automates, structures, and answers. What is often forgotten: The truly relevant cases (those where things get personal, friction arises, or situations escalate) still end up with the team. And that requires different skills than FAQ bots.
This is exactly where L&D comes into play: as a bridge between humans and machines.
In this article, I'll show why automation in customer service is not a contradiction to personal relationships but rather an invitation to strengthen employees in a targeted way. Professionally, emotionally, technologically. And why we need to stop thinking about AI solely in terms of efficiency.
I have been intensively engaged with the topic of customer service for several years. From various perspectives: as a salesperson, trainer, strategy consultant. And if I've learned one thing, it's this:
Good customer service almost always depends on the relationship between two people.
Sounds obvious? It is. Until it suddenly isn't obvious anymore.
Namely when things get difficult. When a mistake has happened. When someone is angry, disappointed, or confused. When a situation escalates or when there simply is no easy solution.
That's when the true quality of customer service shows itself. Or it doesn't.
Automation Can Do a Lot – But Not Everything
I've been observing for years how AI-based systems are making their way into more and more service areas. And yes: Many of them work remarkably well.
Examples such as the chatbot from Cognigy or "Einstein" by Salesforce show how reliable and efficient AI can be (whether in answering standard questions, in problem detection, or in predicting customer behavior). That's impressive – no question about it.
But if we're honest, this often concerns primarily the simple part of customer service. The "Please send me the invoice again" questions. The "Where is my package?" inquiries. In short: everything that can be solved with a well-maintained database and a few rules.
But what about everything beyond that?
What AI Can't (Yet) Do – and Probably Shouldn't
What AI is not good at (and I don't say this out of defiance but from sober experience) is: Relationships.
AI cannot sense whether the person on the other end is simply having a bad day.
AI cannot read between the lines.
AI cannot recognize that a "problem" is actually an emotional need.
And above all, it cannot do one thing: repair a damaged relationship.
Between Frustration and Overwhelm: The Reality in Customer Service
Anyone who has ever worked in customer service (even if only for a few weeks) knows how draining it can be.
Many inquiries are not actually service cases at all but symptoms of another problem:
a poorly written manual
a misleading product promise
a consulting error during the sale
a technical weakness in the system
The result: Employees sit there having to repair what didn't work elsewhere – and at some point they're just processing one case after another.
That leaves little room for genuine customer relationships. No wonder many customers experience the service as inadequate – even though the employees are doing their best.
And Now AI Enters the Picture. But Differently Than Many Think
If we see AI only as a cost-cutting measure, as the elimination of jobs, as "it does everything better now," then we lose.
But if we see AI as relief, as a tool that has our back so we can focus on the truly human topics, then real value is created. For companies. For customers. And not least for employees.
I see a tremendous opportunity in this development.
Not fewer people in service, but better conditions for people in service.
L&D Is the Key to Human-AI Collaboration
For this opportunity to become real, however, more than a few new tools are needed. It requires learning processes. It requires change facilitation. It requires the courage to evolve.
Specifically, this means:
Confident handling of new tools
Employees must not be afraid to work with AI. They need to understand what it does. And of course what it doesn't. And they need to know how they can use the technology for themselves.Focus on soft skills
Communication, empathy, active listening, de-escalation. These are the new core competencies in customer service. Those who don't train these will be left behind. Not by AI, but by customer expectations.A learning culture that endures
Those who want to be relevant tomorrow must learn today. And again the day after. Lifelong learning must not be a buzzword but needs to become part of everyday work. Structurally and culturally.Clear guidelines for AI deployment
Data protection, transparency, ethics – none of these are "nice to haves." They are the foundation of trust. Internally and externally.
My Conclusion: We Don't Need Less Human – We Need More.
The future of customer service is hybrid.
Automation where it's efficient.
Human relationships where they're indispensable.
L&D is the bridge between the two.
And our task is to make this bridge stable, secure, and open to everyone.