Intercom

?? Something for you to think about this week, courtesy of Benedict Evans. When every company has the ability to deliver high-quality customer service at scale, the customer experience will still be a big differentiator – if businesses are thoughtful about some big questions: ? What is customer service really solving for us? ? How does our customer service shape our brand identity? ? Does "great service" solve problems, or avoid them altogether? What do you think? PS: You can watch the full town hall from Pioneer with Benedict on our YouTube channel!

companies that actually listen to customer feedback and incorporate it into the product. that's it. that's the post.

?? What’s the worst holiday mistake customer support teams make? ?? If you’re in support, you already know the holiday storm is coming. Long hours, frantic customers, and enough stress to power a small city. But hey, we’ve all been there—holiday madness is part of the deal. That said, there are some mistakes no team wants to make this season. Understaffing, poor communication, or forgetting that your team is human (and also needs snacks and breaks). So, let’s get into it: What do YOU think is the biggest mistake teams make during the holiday rush? Vote below and help your fellow support support warriors survive the chaos.

Even heroes need help sometimes. We’re just one week away from the busiest customer support days of the year, with support agents gearing up for what can feel like a losing battle. But this time, it’s different—today’s CS teams have backup. Shoutout to all you pioneering leaders who’ve taken the leap and set your teams up for a more balanced holiday season. While AI handles the ticket surge with speed and precision, your support reps can focus on what they do best: connecting with customers and delivering those unforgettable human moments, even during the busiest time of the year.

AI-driven or assisted customer support is the future. But here’s a surprising (and slightly painful ??) stat from Gartner: after just four clicks, 64% of customers give up on getting support. The reason why is less surprising: early chatbots were… ??????. Clunky interactions, unhelpful answers – it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Today’s AI agents are ???????? better than they once were, but how do we rebuild trust after years of awkward, frustrating interactions? One answer is something that doesn't get talked about nearly enough → preparing and training customers to interact with AI. In this edition of The Ticket, Ruth O'Brien writes about how support teams can make AI interactions feel smooth, trustworthy, and human without hiding the fact that it’s, well… AI. ?? Read it below and subscribe to join the 22,500+ customer service leaders who are the first to know when a new issue drops ?????

Movies have introduced us to some pretty incredible robot sidekicks – but if you had to pick one as your AI sidekick, who are you going with? Here's Fred, Conversation Designer at Intercom, walking us through his choice on a recent episode of The Ticket Podcast. To be fair, he makes quite a compelling case... We'd love to hear who you would choose as your sidekick and why –?let us know in the comments! You can watch the full episode on our YouTube Channel, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Obrigado, Lisbon! Web Summit finished up last week, but we're still thinking about the Startup Party we hosted Tuesday... Thanks to the 250+ founders, investors, pioneers, and tech leaders that attended and made it such a good time!

Have you ever received customer service so good that you had to tell your friends about it? Well, if you’ve ever interacted with Samuel Barrett, Head of Customer Experience at Runna, there’s a good chance you have. ?? In this edition of Response Time, Sam shares how he goes the extra mile for his customers – sharing his personal running routes and hidden gems with runners near him, and delivering individually specific coaching guidance to first-time runners. The hidden gems that Sam shares go beyond running routes – as he also shares where he gets his support leadership news, insights on the importance of customer service, and some great advice for anyone working in the industry. Read the full Q&A at inter(dot)com/responsetime?

everybody is fighting a battle you know nothing about for example i'm trying to explain to a customer that our AI ?????? handle complex calculations but can’t figure out why their custom integration created by “a guy named Dave" isn’t working

?? What's the #1 piece of advice you'd give to a new customer service rep? ?? Stepping into customer service can be overwhelming. There's so much to learn, so many possibilities for what you might encounter, and so many ways to grow. Imagine it’s your first day in a customer support role – what’s the one tip you wish someone had shared with you early on? It could be a mindset shift, a specific skill, or a reminder to stay grounded. Maybe it's a mantra. Whatever it is, your insights can make a huge impact on someone just starting out. So, if you could give one golden piece of advice, what would it be? If your advice isn't listed, or you want to get more specific –?leave a comment!