AI is revolutionising customer service through enhanced personalisation, improved efficiency and agent productivity. At an exclusive CX workshop in Amsterdam, industry leaders explored how AI-powered innovations are reshaping customer interactions and operational strategies. Hosted by Lynchpin Media and Zendesk, the event provided key insights into AI’s impact on service transformation and the evolving role of agents.
AI advancements are transforming customer service – from highly personalised interactions and assistance to a deeper understanding of customer trends and optimised internal processes. Many organisations are capitalising on this technology to deliver truly exceptional CX.
However, this technology is constantly evolving and while organisations are keen to adopt AI tools to positively impact the customer experience, it can be difficult to know where to start in building an AI strategy for customer service.
This was the theme of an exclusive, invite-only CX workshop hosted by Lynchpin Media in partnership with Zendesk in Amsterdam. The event provided a unique opportunity to share key business challenges, experiences and insights around the use of AI in customer management.
Hosted by Frans Reichardt, a renowned global speaker, trainer and author in the field of customer experience also known as The Customer Listener, the event took place at A’DAM tower with attendees having the opportunity to network over coffee and pastries before the workshop sessions started.
Three moderators,Lelani Lewis, Willa Stoutenbeek and Justin Halsall, led the conversations, and the topics of the day were “Transforming service with AI” and “Modernising the Agent Experience”.
The first topic, Transforming Service with AI, explored how customer interaction volumes are increasing and becoming further dispersed across channels and platforms. In addition, customers are expecting interactions that are fast, personalised and multi-modal.
According to Zendesk’s recent AI Impact Study, AI improves first reply time (80%) and average handle time (87%), ensuring faster responses. The technology enables scalable, personalised interactions, with 90% of leaders surveyed stating that AI enhances customer experiences.
Attendees at the CX Workshop discussed how AI is helping their organisations to rise to customers’ increasingly high expectations while also managing efficiency, while highlighting how their own business is embracing AI.
The second discussion, Modernising the Agent Experience: Empowering Teams to Boost Productivity with AI Innovation, focused on how organisations’ human agent workforce will evolve from transactional frontline workers to supervisors and orchestrators as frontline support evolves to be 100% AI-first.
Zendesk’s AI Impact Study highlighted how 91% of AI-powered CX teams report increased productivity and efficiency as it allows agent to focus on problem-solving rather than repetitive tasks.
One of the biggest benefits, the report found, has been AI’s ability to assist agents in real time. AI suggests responses, retrieves customer history and even flags potential issues before they escalate. This has helped reduce handle times and improve overall efficiency.
For admins and CX leaders, AI has unlocked new strategic opportunities. With AI analysing trends and automating reporting, leaders now have deeper insights into performance metrics, helping them make data-driven decisions faster.
Attendees at the workshop discussed how AI has transformed the day-to-day work of agents, admins and CX leaders, as well how they see AI and human expertise working together to create better customer experiences in their organisation.
Commenting on the event, Lelani Lewis, one of the moderators, said it was interesting to see the varying stages of technology adoption at the table, with some not using it at all and others familiar with Zendesk but unsure how to use it for more complex tasks.
Attendees ended the session with a buffet lunch and further opportunity to network with peers before the day came to a close.
