AI’s Impact on Customer Service

YOU HAVE 25,000 ORGANIZATIONS. THIS IS ABOUT CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE AND USE OF AI. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN FOLDING
GENERATIVE AI INTO THAT OFFERING? GUEST:
WE CATER TO THOUSANDS OF ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
THAT ARE SERVING CONSUMERS AND WE OPERATE IN THE SPACE OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE. WE OFFER THE PLATFORM
ORGANIZATION WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS.
WHAT AI BRINGS TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DOMAIN IS A GAME
CHANGER. THIS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN
STRUGGLING WITH THREE IMPORTANT THINGS.
FIRST IS THE LACK OF SKILLED LABOR.
THE ABILITY TO MAKE DECISIONS AT A FAST VELOCITY AND MASS
PERSONALIZATION AT SCALE. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT AI CAN DO
TO THE INDUSTRY, BUT THERE IS NOTHING GENERIC ABOUT WHAT AN
ORGANIZATION NEEDS WHEN IT COMES TO AI.
THIS IS WHERE OUR COMPANY COMES INTO THE PICTURE. CAROLINE:
YOU ARE SEEING GROWTH POSTING 25% IN THE CLOUD REVENUE PART
OF THE GROWTH, BUT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT COMPETITORS?
IF EVERYONE STARTS BEING AN AI SPECIALIST. THIS WEEK ALONE, WE
HAVE HAD IBM , SLACK TALKING ABOUT GPT WITHIN PARTS OF THEIR
BUSINESS. EVERYONE IS OFFERING THIS TO
THEIR CUSTOMERS. GUEST: WE REPORTED EARNINGS YESTERDAY
AND WE HAD OUTSTANDING EARNINGS OF 25% GROWTH IN THE CLOUD
RIVEN BY CLOUD AND AI.
WHEN IT COMES TO AI, ALMOST ALL OF US EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF
GENERATIVE AI. ON IT COMES TO EMPLOYING IT AND
CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR ORGANIZATIONS, THERE'S NOTHING
GENERIC ABOUT IT. OUR CUSTOMERS ARE DIVIDED INTO
TWO CAMPS. ONE WHO SAYS I WILL NEVER
DEPLOY IT AND OTHERS SEE THE VALUE BUT THEY ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT TAKING SOMETHING THAT GENERIC AND IT DOESN'T WORK.
YOU NEED TO TREAT THE AI AS ONE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES.
AS A BRAND, YOU WANTED TO SERVE YOUR BRAND, YOUR REPUTATION AND
MEET YOUR BUSINESS GOALS SO IT NEEDS TO BE TRAINED WITH A LOT
OF INFORMATION. TENS OF BILLIONS OF PAST
INTERACTIONS CUSTOMERS. IT'S INFORMATION THAT YOU DON'T
WANT TO PROVIDE TO GENERATIVE AI. THAT'S WHY THEY COME TO OUR
PLATFORM. WE HAVE THE DATA THAT IS ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLICATE GIVEN OUR HISTORY AND THE BIRTH OF
OUR OFFERING. IT'S ALSO ABOUT HAVING A
SECURED ENVIRONMENT. YOU NEED TO HAVE THE DOMAIN
EXPERTISE. IT RAISES THE BARRIER TO ENTRY
WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY IN THE PLACE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.
CAROLINE: THAT BRINGS ME TO A CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH CATHIE
WOOD TALKING ABOUT IT BEING PROPRIETARY DATA.
THAT ISN'T TO SAY THAT EVERYONE IS COINING A TERM OR USING AND
REFERENCING AI NO MATTER WHAT PART OF THE INDUSTRY OR WHAT
KIND OF COMPANY YOU ARE. ED: YOU MAKE AN INTERESTING POINT
ON PROPRIETARY DATA AND REFERENCING THE TERM.
I WENT THROUGH EVERY ONE OF YOUR EARNINGS TRANSCRIPTS FOR
THE LAST YEAR. 74 MENTIONS OF AI IN THE
EARNINGS CALL WHEN FOUR HOURS AGO.
IN THE SAME QUARTER ONE YEAR AGO, 16 MENTIONS OF AI.
IN THE QUARTER PREVIOUS, 58. HOW MUCH PRESSURE ARE YOU UNDER
TO TALK A BIG GAME AROUND AI? GUEST:
I DON'T THINK IT'S A MATTER OF PRESSURE.
WE STATE AND OUR BUSINESS, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF
DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS TODAY.
OUR BUSINESS UP UNTIL SEVERAL YEARS AGO WAS CONCENTRATED MORE
ON -- SUDDENLY WITH AI WE COVERED THE ENTIRE JOURNEY OF
THE CUSTOMER. WE SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
DEPLOYING AI CAPABILITIES IN OUR PLATFORM AND TODAY IT IS
ONE OF THE TWO THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING OUR BUSINESS.
THE SHIFT TO THE CLOUD AND EARLIER THAN THAT, THE AI.
WE SEE IT AS THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY SINCE I REMEMBER
AND I BEEN WITH THE COMPANY FOR 25 YEARS. ED:
YOU DID BEAT ON TOP AND BOTTOM LINE.
WHAT DOES YOUR CUSTOMER BASE LOOK LIKE?
IS THERE CONFIDENCE TO SPEND RIGHT NOW? GUEST:
WE HAD TO BE ON TOPLINE AND BOTTOM-LINE AS YOU MENTIONED
AND WE RAISED THE GUIDANCE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
WE OPERATE IN A SPACE THAT EVEN IN THIS ECONOMY, ENTERPRISES
UNDERSTAND THEY NEED TO DIFFERENTIATE AND PROTECT THEIR
BRAND, ELEVATE THEIR BRAND AND PROVIDE AN OUTSTANDING
EXPERIENCE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. WE ARE THE MISSION-CRITICAL
SOLUTION FOR THEM AND THEY