Artificial intelligence has become the fastest-scaling technology in customer support since the IVR system of the 1990s. Every vendor claims their chatbot can cut costs, reduce wait times, and handle more customer interactions than a small call center. And yet, the single biggest obstacle isn’t the technology. It’s trust. Customers don’t believe the bots.
In the last 90 days, trust in AI-driven customer support has taken several high-profile hits. Cursor, a rising AI startup, saw its support bot hallucinate login policies and lock out paying users. Customers fled. Klarna, the fintech giant, pulled back its “AI-only” service strategy after customers complained about confusing answers and broken hand-offs. Surveys show two-thirds of customers have had a poor experience with chatbots in the last year.
When customers feel ignored, misunderstood, or misdirected, no amount of cost savings matters. The CX battle is no longer about efficiency — it’s about whether customers feel safe putting their problems in the hands of an algorithm.
AI often fails where trust matters most: empathy, escalation, and accuracy. Customers don’t mind automation when it works — think package tracking, appointment confirmations, or balance checks. But the moment AI guesses wrong, invents policies, or refuses to escalate, the damage compounds.
In CX, one bad interaction outweighs ten good ones.
For mid-market and enterprise leaders, this is the critical inflection point. AI is not just a cost lever — it’s now part of the brand promise. And if customers don’t trust the experience, they won’t trust the brand.
“In customer experience, one bad interaction outweighs ten good ones.”
Here’s the truth: AI is brilliant at scale but brittle with nuance. It can handle millions of repetitive queries, but it still struggles with exceptions and human emotion.
That’s why the future of customer support isn’t “AI vs. human” — it’s “AI with human.”
The right balance looks like this:
AI done right removes friction. AI done wrong removes loyalty.
CFOs love AI because it promises lower labor costs. But the real ROI isn’t in cost-cutting — it’s in retention.
Customers who feel heard and supported stay longer, spend more, and advocate for the brand.
In fact, companies that focus on trust-driven support see 2x the customer lifetime value compared to those that chase efficiency alone.
The winners of this next wave will be those who move past the “bot for bot’s sake” mindset and instead build AI systems that earn trust.
The future of customer experience will belong to those who recognize a simple truth: trust is the currency of AI in support.
If companies can’t build confidence in their digital frontline, no amount of investment in back-end technology will matter.
At Calder & Lane, we help enterprises and mid-market firms design AI readiness strategies that balance automation with human empathy — ensuring AI isn’t just faster, but trusted.
