Misconceptions about how artificial intelligence (AI) will solve customer experience (CX) problems are plaguing the CRM industry — and too many companies are slapping AI onto broken systems instead of fixing customer relationships first.
A lack of proper integration between CRM and phone systems still forces customers to repeat account information, wait forever to be routed to the right person, or never get the resolution they need. AI won’t solve this unless the fundamentals are addressed first, according to Jim Eckes, founder of VoIP solutions provider TieTechnology.
He wants to fix an industry-wide CRM problem retailers and service providers keep ignoring: horrible CX. They mistakenly think AI is the answer. Eckes is calling out a major frustration for both businesses and consumers. The "AI-as-a-Band-Aid" trend often overlooks the fact that high-tech tools are only as good as the data architecture that supports them.
"It's a huge issue. The biggest risk is layering AI and its cost on top of already broken systems. So businesses now are assuming they'll magically be able to fix all of the customer service issues and the problems that they're having that have existed for years while making themselves more profitable by cutting staff, just by layering in AI," Eckes told CRM Buyer.
He added that, unfortunately, the root cause of all of that remains unresolved. A broken CX system persists, leaving customers with a slow, frustrating, impersonal experience. Businesses continue to lose customers without realizing why.
"AI is really just amplifying a broken process, instead of fixing it," he said.
How To Fix the Broken System
When Eckes started TieTechnology, he built it on the foundation of customer experience. The technology integrates a company's existing CRM platform with Eckes' voice platform.
Without integrating CRM platforms with phone systems, AI can’t operate effectively in real time, Eckes insisted. Legacy systems lack the data needed to support intelligent call routing and AI, resulting in inefficient customer interactions. Without confirming that all components are integrated to provide a seamless interaction, AI will keep guessing — and customers will keep getting frustrated.
"We need to marry CRM and telephone systems before adding AI to ensure real-time customer context," he emphasized.
Eckes explained that without proper integration, AI cannot determine the reason for a customer's call, resulting in a slow, frustrating experience. He attributed the problem to the evolution of phone systems, driven by cost-cutting rather than by the need to provide data for intelligent customer service.
In his view, phone systems often serve as a "hello-goodbye" tool rather than helping customers with their problems. That lack of integration damages the customer experience, such as repeatedly being asked for account numbers.
Data resides in CRM systems, but phone systems have not evolved to provide the necessary data for intelligent customer service. He offered this scenario to explain why a lack of integration hinders a personalized, efficient customer experience.
A human agent should be able to determine immediately why a customer is calling. That information should come from the most recent notes in the CRM. If that doesn't take place, the AI is still just as clueless before the call as during it.
"So being able to provide the right data to the live agent immediately is critical to CX success," he said. "Without the integration of a summary of past communications and purchases, AI is still going to go through the routine of trying to figure out why you're calling, which is just going to make you angry."
Telecom Integration Supports Better CX
Eckes sees a contributing factor to AI's failure to improve CX as a misuse of AI. Companies invest heavily in AI without addressing the root cause of their CX issues.
He contends that companies should use AI to enhance customer interactions rather than replace human agents. The goal should be to use AI to send personalized messages to customers, thereby improving their experience. That’s where an integrated telecom solution delivers smarter, faster resolution, leading to better customer interactions.
"In today's world, what wins customers is the feeling that a company knows you and not just your 18-digit account number you give to somebody named Steve in the Philippines," Eckes said.
For example, consider this exchange with a customer of a flower shop. Your customer ordered flowers for his wife's birthday last year, but didn't call to place a repeat order this year. TieTechnology's CRM-integrated telecom system sends out a text message that says, "Hey, last year at this time, you ordered flowers for so and so. Do you want to order that again?" Then the forgetful customer taps "Respond" and is connected directly to a call with the store.
According to Eckes, that is what should be taking place with AI. Those are the kinds of practical tools that AI can help with to make customers feel known, remembered, and valued by the business.
"That's where AI really should be. That is the big takeaway for customers and businesses. Because I don't think they realize how expensive it is to go to a large language model (LLM)," Eckes said.
He explained that companies could be talking about $50,000 to train it, with the hopes of replacing some $10- or $15-an-hour employees. If the company had the proper integration with its CRM platform, it could deliver a better customer experience. Instead of workers being replaced, those employees would know who they’re talking to, what the customer last ordered, and why they’re calling.
"That human interaction is what people are missing these days," he concluded.
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