AI is Reading Your Emotions While You Shop
PLUS: Unlock conversation insights that predict churn + Build empathy engines that outperform humans
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🗓️ July 31, 2025 ⏱️ Read Time: ~5 minutes
👋 Welcome
Here's what's wild about where we are right now: while everyone's still arguing about whether AI will replace human agents, the smartest companies have already figured out something way more interesting. They're using AI to make their humans absolutely irreplaceable.
Think about it—we've been asking the wrong question. Instead of "How do we automate customer service?" the real question is "How do we amplify the parts of human intelligence that customers actually value?" And the answers are starting to get really, really good.
📡 Signal in the Noise
There's a pattern emerging if you know where to look. Companies aren't just throwing AI at customer service anymore. They're getting surgical about it—using technology to solve problems customers didn't even realize they had. The shift is subtle but profound: from reactive service to predictive intelligence.
🧠 Executive Lens
We've hit what I'm calling the "collaboration ceiling"—that moment when AI stops being a productivity hack and becomes strategic intelligence that understands customer behavior better than customers understand themselves. The winners aren't the ones with the fanciest technology. They're the ones using technology to unlock human potential that was always there but never accessible at scale.
📰 Stories That Matter
🎭 The invisible AI revolution that's making your customer service superhuman
You know what's crazy? While everyone's focused on chatbots and voice assistants, the real transformation is happening where customers never see it. Companies are using AI-powered knowledge bases that feed agents real-time info, intelligent routing that reads sentiment before directing calls, and predictive systems that spot problems before they happen. Take Moneypenny—their AI "co-pilots" listen to calls and surface exactly what agents need mid-conversation. Customers get VIP-level service without ever knowing there's a whole tech orchestra playing behind the scenes.
Why This Matters: The most powerful AI isn't trying to replace human conversation—it's eliminating every friction point that prevents great service from happening.
Try This: Map out your customer journey and count every time agents have to pause to hunt for information. Those pauses? That's where the magic happens.
Source: Fast Company
📈 Freshworks drops $828M on a bet that humans and AI make better teams than either alone
Here's what caught my attention: while everyone else is racing toward full automation, Freshworks is doubling down on AI-human collaboration. Their $828M strategy embeds AI into core offerings, but not to replace people—to make them superhuman. Their Freddy AI doesn't just answer questions; it analyzes sentiment, automates the boring stuff, and delivers hyper-personalized interactions across multiple languages. The results? Hobbycraft saw 25% better customer satisfaction and 82% first-contact resolution. That's not automation winning—that's augmentation.
Why This Matters: The smartest money isn't betting on AI vs. humans. It's betting on AI + humans being unstoppable.
Try This: Look at your current AI projects—are they designed to replace human moments or amplify human superpowers? Be honest about the answer.
Source: AI Invest
🤝 EXL and Genesys just built a crystal ball for customer intent
This partnership is fascinating because it's not about better chatbots or faster routing. EXL and Genesys are combining data science with cloud orchestration to create real-time, 360-degree customer intelligence. We're talking about systems that don't just respond to what customers say—they predict what customers need based on behavioral patterns, life events, and intent signals. They're targeting specific high-value scenarios like fraud detection and sales opportunity identification. It's like having a crystal ball, but one that actually works.
Why This Matters: The future of CX isn't about having better AI—it's about having AI that knows what each customer needs before they do.
Try This: Map your current customer data and identify which behavioral signals could predict intent if you analyzed them during live interactions.
Source: StockTitan
🌍 Telus Digital just made a billion-dollar bet on the Middle East becoming an AI powerhouse
This move tells you everything about where the smart money is going. Telus Digital opened their first Middle East office in Dubai, positioning to capture the Gulf region's massive digital transformation wave. We're talking about the UAE's AI 2031 strategy and multi-billion-dollar infrastructure investments. They're bringing proprietary GenAI platforms and a 30-country delivery model to serve energy, transportation, healthcare, and financial services. It's not just expansion—it's strategic positioning around government-backed AI initiatives.
Why This Matters: Regional AI strategies aren't just policy papers—they're creating massive opportunities for companies that can deliver localized AI-powered experiences at scale.
Try This: Research which emerging AI innovation hubs are in your target markets. Regional capabilities might be the competitive advantage you're missing.
Source: Tech Africa News
🔍 Mystery shopping just got mind-reading superpowers with AI emotion detection
This one blew my mind. Bare International—a mystery shopping company—just deployed AI that reads emotions in customer feedback in real-time. Not just positive or negative sentiment, but subtle shifts and hidden patterns that humans miss. Their AI agents now generate tailored action plans based on what they detect, so field teams can respond faster and smarter. We're talking about real-time dashboards, interactive sentiment maps, and behavioral analysis that turns mystery shopping from reactive reporting into predictive intelligence.
Why This Matters: We've evolved from measuring what happened to preventing what could go wrong. That's a fundamental shift in how customer experience works.
Try This: Look at your current feedback loops and measure the time gap between when negative emotions emerge and when your team can respond. That gap is your opportunity.
Source: Bare International
✍️ Prompt of the Day
Customer Churn Prediction Engine
Analyze this customer conversation data to identify early warning signals for potential churn. Review [INSERT CONVERSATION HISTORY/SUPPORT TICKETS] and identify:
1. Language patterns indicating frustration or disengagement
2. Escalation triggers that correlate with future churn
3. Resolution timeframes that impact satisfaction scores
4. Emotional sentiment shifts throughout the customer journey
Provide a churn risk score (1-10) with specific behavioral indicators and recommended intervention strategies for high-risk accounts.
What this uncovers: Hidden patterns in customer communication that predict churn way before traditional metrics catch it
How to apply it: Build early warning systems that trigger proactive outreach based on conversation analysis rather than waiting for surveys
Where to test: Start with recently churned customers and work backward to identify the warning signs you missed
🛠️ Try This Prompt
You are an AI empathy coach analyzing customer service interactions. Review this conversation: [INSERT CUSTOMER INTERACTION] and provide:
1. Emotional temperature reading (1-10 scale) at each exchange
2. Missed opportunities for emotional connection
3. Three specific phrases that would have improved customer feeling
4. Script variations that acknowledge feelings while solving problems
5. Follow-up touchpoints that demonstrate care beyond resolution
Focus on building customer emotional equity, not just solving immediate problems.
Immediate use case: Transform your team from problem-solvers to relationship builders
Tactical benefit: Create customer advocates through systematic empathy application instead of hoping it happens naturally
How to incorporate quickly: Run this on 5 recent interactions daily to build empathy pattern recognition in your team
📎 CX Note to Self
"The future of CX isn't about making AI more human—it's about helping humans become more consistently empathetic than any AI could ever be."
👋 See You Tomorrow
That's it for today. Hit reply and tell me what you think—are we watching AI make humans irreplaceable, or is this just a really sophisticated way to automate relationships? I'm genuinely curious about your take. 👋
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Have an AI‑mazing day!
—Mark
💡 P.S. Want more CX prompts? Grab the FREE 32 Power Prompts That Will Change Your CX Strategy – Forever to start transforming your team, now. 👉 FREE 32 Power Prompts That Will Change Your CX Strategy – Forever
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