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Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

  • 1.  Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 7 days ago
    Edited by Fnu Ganesh 7 days ago

    Hey everyone,

    AI agents keep getting better at sounding natural, handling context, and actually resolving issues. So here's a fun one.

    As a customer, when do you actually prefer talking to an AI agent? And when do you still want a human right away?

    If you're building AI agents (AVA, bots, and so on), have you seen customers' comfort with them change lately? Have any of them surprised you, good or bad?

    I'm curious where everyone draws the line! 😄


    #General
    #IndustryTopic

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    Thanks!
    Ganesh S
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  • 2.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 7 days ago
    I prefer AI for speed and convenience, but I want a human for complex decisions, exceptions, or sensitive situations. I've definitely seen customer trust in AI grow, especially when it solves problems efficiently and doesn't make it hard to reach a person when needed. 👍


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    Francis Guo
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  • 3.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 7 days ago

    I'll talk to an AI agent and process tasks with it just fine if it is clear and up front about what it is and what it can do.  The second I hear fake office sounds, or it tries to humanize itself I fail out intentionally.  In the age of AI deepfake voices in scam calls, you are only sullying your brand with these methods.

    I'd prefer to talk to a human, though, but that's simply not the direction the industry is pushing towards.



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    Aaron Lael
    State of Utah - comments on this forum reflect my own personal opinions\observations and are separate from any entity I am otherwise involved in.
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  • 4.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 7 days ago

    I'd choose AI first and human when needed.



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    Akhil
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  • 5.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 5 days ago

    Good question, Ganesh. For me it depends on how complex the problem is and how easy it is to reach a person.

    I'm happy to start with an AI agent for quick, well-defined things (checking a status, a simple request, basic information), especially if it's clear from the start that it's AI and what it can do. I want a human straight away when the issue is complex, urgent, or involves money, security or an exception to the rules, or when the AI has failed to understand me once or twice.

    To me the real line is the exit: if there's a fast, obvious way to reach a person, I'll try the AI first. If I get stuck in a loop with no way out, trust drops quickly, however good the AI sounds. Curious whether those building AVAs here measure how often customers ask for a human, and at which point in the conversation.



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    Robson
    Coordenador de Infraestrutura
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  • 6.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 5 days ago

    For me, AI is great for straightforward tasks-checking a status, finding instructions, or booking a callback especially outside business hours.

    I'd want a human sooner for a complaint, a sensitive issue, or when I've already tried the suggested steps and they haven't worked.

    Working in education, we built an after-hours callback bot so customers could request a callback without waiting until we reopened. That's where I see real value: making the next step easier.

    My biggest expectation is a smooth handover. If I need a human, please carry the context across so I don't have to start again! 😄



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    Phaneendra
    Technical Solutions Consultant
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  • 7.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 4 days ago

    Hi Ganesh,

    Personally, I prefer AI first, human second, but only when the transition between the two is seamless.

    For simple and repetitive tasks, I'd actually rather interact with an AI agent. Things like:

    • Checking an order or ticket status
    • Resetting a password
    • Scheduling an appointment
    • Finding documentation or basic information

    In these scenarios, speed is usually more important than human interaction, and a well-designed AI agent can often provide a faster experience than waiting in a queue.

    However, I immediately prefer a human when the situation involves:

    • Complex troubleshooting
    • Financial impact or billing disputes
    • Security-related concerns
    • Complaints or highly emotional situations
    • Anything that requires exceptions to standard processes

    One thing that has changed over the last couple of years is my expectations. I no longer expect AI to solve everything, but I do expect it to understand my intent, collect the right information, and route me efficiently if a human is needed.

    From a customer experience perspective, I think the biggest success factor isn't whether the interaction starts with AI or a person. It's whether the customer reaches a resolution quickly and without repeating information.

    The best experiences I've had were not "AI-only" or "human-only." They were hybrid experiences where the AI handled the routine work and the human focused on judgment, empathy, and decision-making.

    My golden rule is simple: use AI to reduce effort, not to create barriers between the customer and a human agent.

    Curious to hear whether others measure customer satisfaction differently when AI resolves the issue versus when AI assists a human agent.



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    Cesar
    INDRA COLOMBIA
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  • 8.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 4 days ago
    My take: AI for routing, humans for resolution. Identifying a customer's intent and routing them to the appropriate queue reduces transfers and gets them to the right person faster. When agents aren't available, AI can step in to enable self-service for common requests and simple issues, providing support without requiring customers to wait for business hours.


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    Artur
    Software Developer
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  • 9.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 3 days ago

    I would prefer AI agents to do all initial tasks, however with respect to talking would prefer human right away.
    Yes, nowadays the AI agents have surprised me with respect to adaptability while conversation with human.  



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    Akshay
    Senior Network Consultant
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  • 10.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 2 days ago

    Like nearly everyone else has said: AI when it's straightforward or multi-step but guided; human when it's emotional or highly complex. Plus, when needed, an easy handoff from AI to human agent, including the context traveling with me so I don't have to repeat myself. Also, I want to know it's a bot and, if so, I prefer straight talk, not an attempt at faking empathy, like "I'm sorry to hear that." Just get to the fix. 



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    Ginger Conlon
    Director of Customer Stories
    Genesys
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  • 11.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 2 days ago

    Hi Fnu Ganesh!

    For me, the ideal model is always a smart hybrid approach: AI first for speed and efficiency, seamlessly escalating to a human if the issue isn't resolved.


    When I prefer AI:
    Quick resolutions & self-service: Checking request statuses, password resets, balance inquiries, document requests, or simple operational queries.

    24/7 Availability: Handling urgent basic tasks after hours without having to wait until the next business day.


    When a Human is essential:
    Complex or edge-case scenarios: Situations requiring critical thinking, empathy, policy exceptions, or negotiation.

    Failed resolution paths: Nothing kills customer experience faster than getting stuck in an infinite bot loop that refuses to transfer you to an agent.



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    Juliano Fernandes Mendes Pimentel De Paiva
    Genesys Analyst
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  • 12.  RE: Would you rather talk to an AI agent or a human? 🤖👤

    Posted 2 days ago

    Like many on this thread, it depends on how complex my reasons for calling are or how many topics I need to cover.  I may need to address several broad subjects that either are or are not connected.  For basic tasks, AI is great, just be upfront about what it is and what it can do.  Also, the transition between AI and human needs to be smooth. I had a recent experience where after I asked for a human agent, it tried to ask me several other questions seemingly in an attempt to save the containment of the interaction.  This was far from a good experience.



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    Alisa
    NA
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