CRM in 2025: AI Should Be Used to Humanize Not "Hyperize" CX

One of the more interesting discussion points that came up during our discussion with vendor executives was how the conversational aspects of what OpenAI unleashed with ChatGPT have been overshadowed by the generative artificial intelligence phenomenon. But, as Paul Greenberg said during the discussion, it's the conversational aspect that makes he AI more approachable. And in this clip the group talks about why they think the conversational component can humanize personalization to have major impact on all kinds of important experiences in the years ahead.

Executives participating in this conversation include:

• Adam Justis - senior director of product marketing, Adobe Experience Cloud.
• Anthony Leaper - senior vice president of Sales and Service Cloud product management, SAP.
• John Taschek - chief market strategy officer, Salesforce.
• Rob Pinkerton - senior vice president, Oracle CX.
• Terence Chesire - vice president of product management for customer and industry workflows, Service, ServiceNow.

Edited Transcript

Paul Greenberg: One of the reasons that OpenAI and ChatGPT and all that took off was the conversational side of it, not the AI side of it per se. The AI side provides an incredibly rapid response, but it's highly conversational. You feel a little more personal with it even though you're not really. All of those things are where CX and CE goes.

John to your earlier point about the future being personalization, and also to your point Adam about hyper not being a word in this ever. In 2025 whatever evolution and breakthrough happens, it's not really in the CRM side except in management. But more on the human side of it really is where AI can help improve the actual experience. And ultimately my interaction as a customer and every one of us needs the company to do something we need it to do. Otherwise we're not going to continue with them.  2025 goes to the point of personalization and more humanization of that, using AI for that. How do you see that even being possible?

John Taschek: And not just personalization as far as marketing goes. It's personalized everything. Personalized IT. Personalized customer service. Personalized sales. Every aspect of all technology will be more personalized.

Rob Pinkerton: I think you'll know it's arrived at that point when certain roles reverse. Like right now salespeople call their customer and sell them something. Customers call their service people to get help. When the AI is good enough, service will call you before something breaks. And a salesperson won't call you. You'll call the salesperson because you're ready and you know what you need and you figured it out, and now you need guidance.

John Taschek: That's where agents will make the most impact in 2025 It's more proactive.

Anthony Leaper: Every interaction centers around me and enables me to get what I need faster, quicker, more accurately, and better. At the same time making sure that the company's interest is still maintained in the background. They have to be profitable. It has to work alright. But for me it'll turn exactly as you said, Rob. It'll turn the conversation around, And that's the biggest value we will end up delivering.