AI isn’t a strategy, it’s a tool. And too many companies are slapping it on products no one asked for. In this episode, customer experience strategist Sam Chandler joins Alyssa to call out the echo chamber of half-baked AI rollouts and explore what customers (actually) want. They dive into the difference between artificial and augmented intelligence, how to avoid automating your way out of your own differentiator, and why empathy, not efficiency, is still your best competitive edge.

If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at another “AI-powered” pitch, this one’s for you.

Key Moments:

• AI isn’t the value...solving real problems is. Customers don’t care how you fix their issue, just that you do. Slapping “AI” on a solution without a thoughtful design or adoption strategy does more harm than good.
• Empowered humans still matter. The best AI makes people better at their jobs, not obsolete. Augmented intelligence (like giving support reps instant context) drives better outcomes than bots pretending to be human.
• You can’t automate your way out of bad CX. When companies rush to replace empathy with efficiency, they lose loyalty. Real trust is built through small, intentional moments and no AI can fake that.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Episode

00:49 Hot Take: The AI Product Dilemma

01:58 The Evolution and Misconceptions of AI

04:37 Consumer Trust and AI Adoption Challenges

06:22 Empowering Employees and Enhancing Customer Experience

16:21 The Role of AI in Augmenting Human Intelligence

25:06 Building Brand Loyalty Through Exceptional Customer Service

30:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

//

Welcome to The Growth Signal, where we’re throwing out the old playbooks, and reimagining the future of customer relationships.

Connect with Alyssa on LinkedIn

Connect with Amber on LinkedIn

Apply to be a Guest at TheGrowthSignal.com