Is the human touch a premium service? AI is reshaping customer interaction in a two-tiered direction

The AI revolution is reshaping customer service roles, creating a stark divide between human and automated touchpoints in post-sales interactions. SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin projects that by 2025, AI will handle virtually all support and customer success functions except those directly tied to revenue generation. This shift reflects a fundamental business prioritization where human attention is increasingly reserved exclusively for revenue-generating opportunities while routine customer interactions are automated.

The big picture: Companies are rapidly deploying AI to handle the majority of customer support inquiries, with many businesses already seeing 40% or more of tickets resolved without human intervention.

• Major platforms like Intercom, Zendesk, Gorgias, Dialpad, and Talkdesk are leading this transition, with some companies pushing for even higher automation rates.
• This automation trend cuts across both traditional customer support (resolving problems) and customer success (ensuring positive outcomes) departments.

Where humans remain: Human representatives are increasingly being reserved exclusively for sales-oriented customer interactions.

• In e-commerce, this bifurcation is already evident with AI handling returns while humans manage product questions that could lead to purchases.
• Customer success roles are evolving to focus primarily on upselling opportunities, with routine engagement activities being automated or eliminated.

The emerging model: Post-sales customer engagement is evolving into a two-tier system based on revenue potential.

• If a customer interaction presents upselling opportunities, it receives human attention.
• If the interaction involves only problem-solving with no revenue potential, it’s directed to AI systems regardless of customer preference.

The competitive edge: Despite this industry-wide trend, exceptional human support remains a potential differentiator for startups.

• The article references Salesforce‘s historical approach with Groupon, where they installed a direct support line on-site that provided 24/7/365 human assistance.
• This level of high-touch service could still serve as a competitive advantage for companies willing to buck the automation trend.

Why this matters: As companies simultaneously reduce support staff while expanding sales teams, the customer experience is fundamentally transforming across industries, potentially creating opportunities for differentiation through superior human service.