Nataliia Onyshkevych is COO at EverHelp, a customer support outsourcing company. Experienced in all support roles.
AI assistants keep turning the impossible into reality. Virtual agents can now book flights, reserve a hotel room and even arrange a shuttle bus—all in five minutes.
Because of that, customer support professionals often feel overwhelmed, and that’s a pretty normal reaction to something new. But what if customer support companies can still thrive by using the right tactics?
My team has learned a big lesson on our AI journey: Staying proactive is key. And the numbers prove it—we’ve grown 185% in just a year. That’s not because we’re the biggest or have the fanciest AI tools.
I’m happy to share action-proven strategies beyond mere motivation that brought results for my team and helped with feeling more confident in a world dominated by AI.
1. Learn about AI and customer trends from all angles.
Simple strategies often work best. What helps me and my team greatly is proactively following industry trends via different channels, preferably from firsthand sources.
Here’s how you can actively seek out industry trends:
• Organize your curated newsfeed. I follow top AI experts and bloggers to always stay in line with the latest news. I check out what AI leaders, such as Ian Goodfellow or Sam Altman, are saying on X and LinkedIn to get their take on things.
• Hunt for upcoming conferences. When I’m on the lookout for what’s next, I check out customer support events like All4Customer or big conferences like VivaTech. The best thing? I find out my team isn’t the only one who’s frustrated. I learn what helps businesses like my company, and that’s what motivates me to take action!
• Turn FOMO into proactive action. To not feel left behind, my team regularly visits lots of online webinars, both free and premium, on the latest customer trends. Also, I recommend you actively look for customer industry research and benchmark papers, where you can learn data-driven insights about the latest customer expectations. Then, work actively to implement relevant insights into your strategy.
By using multichannel resources for learning firsthand, you can significantly minimize FOMO and take proactive steps.
2. Don’t hurry with AI: Run deep tests first.
When AI is done right, it increases revenue.
But the opposite scenario also exists. So, take your time to test new customer support tools in real-life projects. Establish teams to run tests and see what works and what doesn’t. After that, you can decide whether to implement tools into the daily workflow.
At my company, we also have integration experts who follow the latest tech trends that are worth trying. The strategic work includes performing a competitive analysis (researching how our competitors are using AI) and evaluating AI solution providers to choose the best strategic partner.
And, another thing that helps is the golden rule—rolling out only one AI solution at a time.
3. Create an open communication culture within your team.
Your team members set the tone for everything. That’s why I suggest you prioritize an open and honest culture. If someone’s struggling with a specific AI tool, they can speak up safely and get the training they need ASAP. Also, be transparent about your plans to give everyone on the team the confidence they need.
What I’ve seen is that clear communication drives out fear and builds trust within teams.
4. Invest resources in internal and external training.
The success of AI implementation starts with having the right skills on your team. So, regularly check in on your team’s skills to see where you need a boost.
Then, invest heavily in both internal and external training programs. For example, our employees attend webinars, lectures and industry schools to improve their skills. Additionally, brainstorming sessions help everyone think creatively and come up with new ideas.
5. Focus on three competitive skills.
As never before, I think customer support representatives should be focused on emotional intelligence, advanced personalization and proactive anticipation.
• Emotional intelligence and empathy: Train agents to not just hear but listen to what customers say and respond without clichés (e.g., “I’m so sorry to hear that.”) It, indeed, helps to stand out from AI-driven conversations.
• Personal touch: AI is great, but humans are still better at understanding each other on a deep level. Aim for more thoughtful interactions that don’t feel scripted. Just like when Chewy’s customer agents send flowers to people who’ve lost their pets—it perfectly shows that the company cares.
• Proactive anticipation: Try to predict what customers might need, and fix problems before they happen. Proactive maintenance can help cut customer complaints and increase satisfaction scores.
6. Go above and beyond what customers anticipate.
I’ve noticed this is a tactic used by many Michelin star restaurants. For instance, customers want quick and tailored help. Aim to give them fast, 24/7 support. I also recommend giving them the choice between getting quick chatbot answers or connecting with real agents, and, beyond that, add personalized emphatic answers and different language options. Beyond that, continually look at data to find ways to speed up your responses.
7. Don’t resist change.
So, what did I learn from the last two years?
Every customer support business needs to stop resisting AI, no matter how big or small. And my experiences prove that mixing technology with a human touch leads to happy customers and growth. No AI solution can empathize like humans. No AI solution can send flowers for grieving customers to support.
We, as humans, still have that power. And we always will.
And just like all other businesses, we in customer support have two options—adapt and take action, or risk falling behind.
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