What if AI could bring out the best in human customer relationships?
Interview with Mélanie NOIREAUT, Head of Innovation at BlueLink.
We are witnessing a profound transformation in customer relations. Today’s customers are “augmented”: better informed, more demanding, and often assisted by digital tools. Accustomed to self-service, when they contact customer support, it’s usually about more complex issues—often charged with emotion. They expect instant, personalised, and relevant responses. Reflecting this evolution, the role of advisors is no longer limited to purely technical or operational aspects. To meet these new challenges, they too are augmented. And that’s precisely what artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, enables, from the beginning to the end of every interaction.
Let’s take a closer look.
AI as the co-pilot of interaction
During the customer exchange, AI and its subfield, generative AI, act as intelligent assistants. They make it easier to access all brand content and customer history, suggest contextualised responses, recommend tailored offers, and compare products or services based on expressed needs. This allows advisors to focus on active listening, empathy, and the human connection, while gaining in responsiveness and relevance.
But the true strength of AI lies in its ability to intervene throughout the entire customer journey far beyond the moment of interaction.
Upstream: better training, better customer understanding
Even before the conversation begins, generative AI can help design personalised training paths for advisors by analysing skill gaps or specific needs. AI can also assist in identifying the customer and anticipating the reason for their enquiry by cross-referencing available data (history, browsing, behaviour) and contribute to creating templates.
Downstream: capitalising on the exchange
Once the interaction is complete, generative AI can automatically produce a structured summary of the conversation, making follow-up and traceability easier. It can also support voice-of-customer analysis by detecting emotional tone, pain points, enthusiasm, and subtle signals. These insights are invaluable for continuously improving the customer experience.
A lever for managers and service quality
Managers also benefit. AI can automate quality assessments of interactions by analysing large volumes of conversations against objective criteria. It becomes a strategic tool for managing performance, identifying best practices, and guiding teams towards service excellence.
A promising synergy between human and machine
According to a recent study by ESSEC Metalab for Data in partnership with the OECD, 76% of customer service skills could be enhanced by generative AI. This figure illustrates the immense potential of this technology to transform customer relations roles.
But let’s be clear: this is not about replacing humans. It’s about creating a symbiosis between human and machine, where each brings unique value. AI for speed, precision, and analysis. Humans for listening, emotion, and creativity.
We have entered an “augmented” era, where interaction models adapt and hybridise according to circumstances. The real question is no longer “human versus digital”, but “human with digital”. Those who master these technologies will gain a decisive advantage in both performance and service quality.
For customer service professions, this is a tremendous opportunity: to refocus on what truly matters the customer while leveraging technology to maximise impact. A new form of empowerment, serving a customer relationship that is more human, more intelligent, and more sustainable.