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Week 2 Topic: Future of Support

Customers have been trained by the world of on demand everything. If we can see exactly where a car is, or start streaming instantly, why does getting help still require switching devices, filling out forms, and repeating details a company already knows? We dig into what the future of customer support looks like when speed and clarity are no longer “nice to have” but the baseline.

Craig Stoss joins me to unpack a practical vision of contextual support: help that shows up where the customer is, with the least possible effort required to get unstuck. We talk about why AI and automation are often more valuable behind the scenes first, giving support teams faster answers, better diagnostics, and real time signals that guide the next step. Think: “I see what you just clicked, here’s the right knowledge base article,” instead of waiting for a ticket and starting from scratch.

We also get honest about the current state of customer facing AI. Chatbots can capture initial details and route issues, but they still struggle when problems get messy or human. The bigger win right now is using data already flowing through SaaS apps, IoT devices, and retail systems to remove pointless questions, reduce repetition, and make support interactions feel personal. When agents can confirm context rather than interrogate customers, accuracy improves and frustration drops.

If you care about customer experience, support operations, or AI in customer service, this conversation lays out a clear direction for 2020 and beyond. Subscribe for more, share this with a support leader on your team, and leave a review with your take: where should automation help, and where should humans stay firmly in control?

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