---
title: "Transformation in action: Raising the bar for customer experience"
description: "AI is shifting support from reactive backlog management toward proactive experience design, as teams gain capacity through faster, more efficient service across languages and time zones. The report says 58% rank experience and satisfaction as their top 2026 priority, up from 28%, while mature deployment triples the share able to always meet expectations from 9%. Intercom’s support team expanded access, improved first-response rates, and added onboarding sessions while absorbing a 300% demand increase without expanding headcount, enabled by deep integration of Fin. Clay uses Fin across Slack, email, and in-app chat, where it handles half of roughly 7,000 monthly queries and participates in 90% of all queries. The recommended model treats support as a product, combines AI with human handoffs, anticipates needs, builds trust, and personalizes interactions."
---

# Transformation in action: Raising the bar for customer experience

[Intercom](https://yomu.fyi/company/intercom) · Declan Ivory · Mar 20, 2026

**Type:** Explainer

## Summary

AI is shifting support from reactive backlog management toward proactive experience design, as teams gain capacity through faster, more efficient service across languages and time zones. The report says 58% rank experience and satisfaction as their top 2026 priority, up from 28%, while mature deployment triples the share able to always meet expectations from 9%. Intercom’s support team expanded access, improved first-response rates, and added onboarding sessions while absorbing a 300% demand increase without expanding headcount, enabled by deep integration of Fin. Clay uses Fin across Slack, email, and in-app chat, where it handles half of roughly 7,000 monthly queries and participates in 90% of all queries. The recommended model treats support as a product, combines AI with human handoffs, anticipates needs, builds trust, and personalizes interactions.

## Context

This is part three of a five-part deep dive into The 2026 Customer Service Transformation Report. It focuses on how mature AI deployment changes support priorities, enables proactive work, and creates consistent experiences across channels.

## Approach / What changed

The post recommends five principles for scaling an AI Agent: manage customer experience like a product; lead with AI while designing seamless human handoffs; proactively anticipate customer needs; build trust through effective interactions and contextual escalation; and personalize the experience with tone control, fallback logic, and language preferences.

## Takeaways

- Intercom’s support team absorbed a 300% increase in total demand without adding headcount, while opening support to trial customers, improving first-response rates, and adding consultative onboarding sessions.
- Clay deployed Fin across Slack, email, and in-app chat. Fin is involved in 90% of queries, handles half of total volume, and supports more than 7,000 queries monthly.
- Planned 2026 investment is nearly equal across chat, email, and social messaging at 36% each, followed by phone or voice at 31%, reflecting a focus on omnichannel consistency.

## FAQ

### How does mature AI deployment change the role of a support team?

AI takes on more manual work and becomes the first responder for most conversations. People can then focus on high-stakes handoffs, improving AI performance, proactive assistance, and the broader customer journey.

### How did Clay use AI to maintain consistency across support channels?

Clay deployed Fin across Slack, email, and in-app chat to provide a unified support experience. Fin handles half of Clay’s total volume and is involved in 90% of queries, while the team uses resulting insights to identify content gaps and product feedback.

### What helps customers trust an AI support agent?

The post recommends exposing customers to the AI Agent early rather than hiding it behind menus, and ensuring human agents receive the context needed for complex queries. Successful resolutions, seamless handoffs, and consistent interactions help demonstrate that the system works.

**Tags:** [AI](https://yomu.fyi/topic/ai), [AI Agents](https://yomu.fyi/topic/ai-agents), [Customer Experience](https://yomu.fyi/topic/customer-experience), [Omnichannel](https://yomu.fyi/topic/omnichannel)

- Source: [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/blog/raising-the-bar-for-customer-experience)
- Source URL: https://www.intercom.com/blog/raising-the-bar-for-customer-experience
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-09-17T14:06:21.189Z

[Read original post](https://www.intercom.com/blog/raising-the-bar-for-customer-experience)