WATCH NOW: How to scale customer support in the AI era with HyperJar

In a fast-paced world where technology is driving constant change, customer service departments must “really focus on listening to the voice of the customer”. That’s the sound advice from HyperJar’s Jake Samson who shares his CX insights as the very first guest on Zendesk’s new Speaker Spotlight vodcast series.

The 20-minute episode covers his approach to AI in customer service and how the fintech company is experimenting with technology, while always keeping customer front of mind.

Interviewed by Garrett Lawlor, Regional VP of SMB Sales EMEA at Zendesk, Samson describes his journey at the financial management app HyperJar where he started out as a customer service agent and now has worked his way up to become a Zendesk System Manager.

He says this first-hand experience is integral to understanding customer wants and needs. “I know what it feels like to be the agent speaking to the customer, and I also obviously know what it feels like to be a customer. So, when I get a feeling that something isn’t working, I just go back to the very basics: What did it feel like when I was an agent typing? Do I need a shortcut here? Do I need an automation there? Do I need a trigger here? Do we need to invest in AI?”

The company has indeed invested in AI, but Samson is quick to point out the delicate balance needed when rolling out this divisive technology.

“I know we’re probably all sick of talking about AI.” he admits. “You can’t read a LinkedIn post without reading the word AI, which is hilarious because it probably wrote the post in the first place.”

Still surprised by the impressive speed by which AI has taken off, Samson insists human touch is needed when developing the perfect chatbot – because customers often assume that talking to a virtual assistant will be a bad experience and not solve their query effectively.

“The idea of AI robots can be terrifying for both the end customer and the agent,” he says.

That understanding resulted in HyperJar’s ‘HyBot’ being configured with a humanistic approach. “From day one we configured the bot so if you say the words ‘I want to speak to a human’, you can speak to a human. We’re not going to send you round in an endless loop.”

In the last three years HyperJar has seen phenomenal growth, but with more customers comes more customer queries. Live chat volumes have grown from 200 per day in January 2023, up to an incredible 700 a day, but despite that growth the company’s CSAT scores remain satisfyingly high and its Trust Pilot rating is industry-beating.

“So we’re doing something right, for sure,” says Samson who describes how AI has given the CX team time to provide a more detail-orientated service. “This growth hasn’t changed our customer-centric approach.”

As well as delving into his experience of rolling out AI, this episode also covers the impatient customer, the importance of making the most of sandbox environments for testing, and how highly-regulated fintech companies can’t afford to make mistakes when it comes to the end customer.

Obsessing about customers is one of HyperJar’s core mottos. And Samson shares many strategic learnings from ensuring technology roll-outs come from a humanistic approach.

To watch the full conversation, click here.