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AI is starting to take the queue. So what’s left for a customer support team once automation handles triage, repetitive questions, onboarding, and a big chunk of ticket volume? Ryan Klausner joins me to get specific about “life after AI” and why the future of support is bigger than faster replies. We talk about how human-first support can still thrive while using AI in customer service in a way that actually improves the customer experience.

We dig into the real shift: moving from reactive ticket handling to proactive support that prevents issues before they hit. That means treating support as a central intelligence function, using AI to surface friction in the customer journey, spotting trends early, and turning messy contact data into clear insights that product and marketing teams can act on. We also get honest about the cultural and coaching work required to help frontline teams become strategic operators, not just great responders.

Ryan shares what new roles and skills are emerging, from conversational analysis and prompt design to owning knowledge bases, self-service, and customer education. We also unpack trust, why “fake empathy” from bots can backfire, and how to build a better resolution path with smart escalation and truly white glove human help for complex scenarios. If you’re thinking about customer support careers, CX strategy, or AI driven customer experience, this one will sharpen your view of what’s next.

If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a support leader on your team, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. What part of support would you automate first, and what would you protect for humans?

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