This AI Gets Your Customers Better Than You Ever Will

This week on Funnel Frontier: Think your customers aren’t rolling their eyes at your service? Here’s an AI that can actually help with that.

This week:

• This AI gets your customers better than you ever will
• Before deploying your AI agents, Salesforce says: Test first!
• What 2024 taught us about CX—and why it matters for 2025
• When deals stall, pipeline reporting paves the way forward
• Your CRM implementation is more likely to fail than not – unless you do this…

Stat of the Week

More than 50% of consumers will switch to a competitor after only one bad experience. (Zendesk)

This AI gets your customers better than you ever will

84% of businesses think they’re customer engagement rockstars. The catch? Only 54% of customers agree. Ouch.

Twilio’s AI Assistants are here to bridge the gap, heal the hurt, and maybe, just maybe, make your CX dreams come true.

The company just dropped its AI Assistants framework into developer preview, and it’s looking to fix the eternal disconnect between businesses and their customers.

What do these AI Assistants have that others don’t?

Let’s start with the cool stuff. These AI Assistants integrate seamlessly with Segment, Twilio’s customer data platform, and tap into its Customer Memory feature. 

Translation? They remember everything—from past purchases and support tickets to your customer’s favorite emoji. No more “Hi, I’ve explained this five times already” frustrations.

The assistants also shine with omnichannel capabilities, so whether your customer prefers texting on WhatsApp or firing off an email, Twilio’s got it covered. 

Even better? Real-time interaction analysis means these bots learn and adapt on the go, adding insights to customer profiles for future interactions, marketing, or even in-store experiences.

Here’s what Twilio is tackling:

• Data Silos: Marketing, sales, and support teams often work in isolated systems, leading to fragmented customer views. Twilio’s AI Assistants unify data, creating one clear picture to streamline engagement across touchpoints.
• Complex Tech: Building integrations and managing workflows is often a nightmare. Twilio simplifies this with seamless connectivity and an easier-to-deploy framework—no army of developers required.
• AI Growing Pains: From security concerns to ever-changing tools, AI adoption can feel overwhelming. Twilio tackles this with robust guardrails, real-time updates, and built-in scalability to make AI work without the headaches.

Twilio’s Assistants even analyze interactions to improve customer profiles, enabling ultra-targeted marketing and support. 

Oh, and they can be deployed on third-party platforms like Slack and Messenger. No walled gardens here.

Customer engagement just keeps getting smarter, faster, and easier to manage.

The Week @ CRM.org

CRM for Small Business. Just because your office space is tiny doesn’t mean your customer relationships should be, too.

Sales CRM. Find your way back to earthly revenue growth: 2024’s tops in a crowded market. 

Weekly Bloom 

The Benefits of Reading Fiction in a Digital Age. So many stimuli, so little time. Yet it turns out peeping ol’ fashioned fiction-diction has practical benefits (as well as airy abstract ones).

Before deploying your AI agents, Salesforce says: Test first!

Can your AI agents work under pressure? Salesforce thinks it’s time to stop guessing and start testing. Their newly launched Agentforce Testing Center is like a boot camp for your AI—training them to handle everything from cranky customers to obscure data requests without breaking a sweat.

Let’s be real: AI agents can be overachievers, but they also mess up—big time. Think hallucinations, awkwardly robotic responses, or completely missing the point. Salesforce wants to turn that hot mess into a smooth operator.

Here’s how it works:

• Fake it ‘til you make it: With synthetic data sandboxes, your agents can practice without the risk of going rogue on real customers.
• Tough love: Automated tests run hundreds of interactions, poking and prodding until your agent’s answers are airtight.
• Keeping tabs: Real-time insights track accuracy and performance, so you know when they’re slaying it—or slacking off.

Oh, and if this sounds familiar, it might be because Microsoft made waves last week with its agentic AI launch, showing off multi-modal capabilities and real-time learning. 

But Salesforce is taking a different approach—focusing on trust by providing the industry’s most rigorous AI testing environment. Because no one wants a bot that confidently says, “Yes, your flight is at 6 PM,” when it’s actually at 6 AM.

In a market racing toward AI everything, Salesforce is saying, “Slow down, let’s make it reliable first.” So, are your bots ready for boot camp?

Stellar Strategies: Tips & Tricks for Sales, Marketing & Service

What 2024 taught us about CX—and why it matters for 2025

Let’s talk real-world customer service problems: tight budgets, overloaded agents, and outdated processes. Sound familiar? You’re not alone—but with AI, fixing these issues is no longer a pipe dream. It’s a strategic move.

Post-Call Summaries = Quick Wins

Many agents spend 1-3 minutes on after-call work (ACW). That adds up fast—especially for contact centers handling millions of calls. AI-powered transcription and summarization tools can shave minutes off every interaction. The result? Not just time savings, but agents freed up to focus on the customer experience.

If you’re skeptical, remember: “during-call work” (a.k.a. frantic multitasking) counts, too. With genAI handling notes, your agents can actually listen.

Intelligent Routing = Smarter, Not Harder

Predictive routing isn’t yesterday’s news—it’s today’s low-hanging fruit. By directing customers to the right agents automatically, you can save seconds per call. One health insurer cut 50 seconds off their average handle time just by implementing it. Multiply that across hundreds of agents, and the savings are transformative.

Voice Isn’t Dead—It’s Evolving

If your contact center still relies on “press 1 for billing,” it’s time to rethink. Voice AI is catching up, making calls smoother, faster, and more intuitive. With tens of millions of calls a year at stake, ignoring this channel could mean leaving money—and customer satisfaction—on the table.

The Takeaway?

2025 isn’t just about flashy AI goals—it’s about using tools you probably already have. Post-call summaries and intelligent routing aren’t groundbreaking, but they deliver real ROI. Efficiency gains aren’t the end game—they’re your fuel for elevating the entire customer journey.

Check out the full guide to prepare for what’s next in customer service.

When deals stall, pipeline reporting paves the way forward

Quick question: Do you know which deals in your sales pipeline are closest to closing right now? If not, your pipeline report might be missing some critical insights.

A strong pipeline report isn’t just a snapshot—it’s your map to revenue growth. Companies that master pipeline reporting can see up to a 28% boost in revenue.

But not all metrics are created equal. These are the must-haves for a pipeline report that actually drives results:

• Sales stage conversion rate: Pinpoint where deals get stuck and set benchmarks to smooth out friction points.

• Pipeline velocity: Your pipeline’s speedometer—know how fast deals move and address slowdowns.

• Lead-to-opportunity conversion rate: Measure the quality of your lead-gen efforts and filter out time-wasters.

• Deal value & opportunity amount by stage: Spot where your revenue potential sits and prioritize high-value opportunities.

• Win-loss ratio: Track performance to refine sales strategies and coaching opportunities.

Think of your pipeline metrics like a GPS. Without them, you’re guessing which deals need attention and how close you are to hitting targets. With them, you’re steering your sales team with clarity and purpose.

Struggling to pinpoint what’s holding your deals back? Or maybe you’re not sure how to prioritize high-value opportunities?

This guide breaks down the exact metrics you need to track—and how they’ll transform your pipeline into a revenue-driving machine.

Your CRM implementation is more likely to fail than not – unless you do this…

Did you know that 75% of CRM implementations fail? That’s a staggering number, but with the right strategy, you won’t be part of that statistic. A successful CRM isn’t just about choosing software—it’s about transforming how your team works. Here’s how to set yourself up for success:

1. Define clear goals & budget: Before diving in, ask yourself—what do you want to achieve with this CRM? Whether it’s boosting customer retention or streamlining sales, clear objectives paired with a realistic budget are key.

2. Prioritize data prep: Let’s face it—garbage in, garbage out. Clean and organize your data before migration to avoid costly errors down the line.

3. Customize to fit your needs: Forget one-size-fits-all. Tailor your CRM to align with your processes and set up dashboards that spotlight the metrics that matter most.

4. Train, train, train: Your CRM is only as good as the people using it. Invest in training your team to ensure seamless adoption.

These steps are just the beginning. For a detailed, step-by-step roadmap to CRM success, including insights on avoiding common pitfalls, check out our full CRM implementation guide.

Galactic Gourmet

CRM blips from around the web

IBM unveils watsonx Orchestrate to manage AI agents. The new tool acts as a “supervisor” for autonomous AI agents, simplifying workflows with natural language commands. IBM also teased sector-specific AI agents to boost productivity across business functions.

Zoom lands largest CCaaS deal, boosts customer base by 82%. Zoom secures a record 20,000+ seat deal with Spain’s Agencia Tributaria, expanding its CCaaS footprint. This move highlights Zoom’s growing role in enterprise communications, offering new tools that could change the way businesses engage with customers.

LinkedIn boosts Sales Navigator with AI tools. LinkedIn introduces Lead IQ and enhanced Account IQ to its Sales Navigator, providing deeper insights into prospects and accounts. These AI-driven tools help sales teams engage more effectively, speeding up research and improving productivity.

Astronomical Assets

Significant moves in the past seven days 

^{DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets. Please be careful and do your own research.}

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