Page 25 - EngineerIT April May Issue 2026

CRM

The empathy gap in the rush to automate The Capita (2026) CX Trends report
The pressure to automate is huge. Gartner (2026) reports that 91% of service makes it clear that trust is the
leaders are under executive instruction to implement AI. At the same time, more new currency. As AI continues to
than 80% expect to reduce frontline headcount within the next 18 months. clone voices and generate infinite
content, customers are becoming
This creates a structural risk. AI should support people, not replace them. When more sceptical. They are punishing
you cut human capacity to meet efficiency targets, you remove the safety net for brands that use AI as a wall to
when automation fails to interpret nuances, urgency and emotions. hide behind and rewarding those
that use it to make their human
It also highlights an important distinction. Empathy is not the same as agents more accessible and better
compassion. Empathy recognises that a customer is frustrated. Compassion informed.
recognises it and feels compelled to act.
A pragmatic reset
Customers do not just want to be heard. They want the problem fixed. An If we continue down the current
automated reply might recognise frustration, but if it cannot take ownership and path of cost-cutting disguised
resolve the issue, there’s really no point to it. Rather let AI handle the heavy data as innovation, we will find that by
work so humans can focus on context, judgement and solving the customer’s the end of 2026, we will have very
problem. efficient systems and few customers
left to use them. What we need is a
Voice as a VIP channel pragmatic reset. The goal of digital
As self-service tools mature, voice is changing too. Customers no longer call to transformation in the contact centre
check a balance or track a parcel. They call when something has gone wrong. shouldn't be to see how many
If customers cannot reach a capable human at that point, the message is clear people we can remove from the
that efficiency has taken priority over resolution. That’s effectively telling your process, but how many meaningful
customer that their most complex problems aren't worth the company's time. conversations we can enable.

Tiny Footprint. Big

Possibilities

Sma

Dual-core performance meets industrial precision.

Powered by an Arm® Cortex®-M4F (up to 160 MHz) with a dedicated Cortex®-M0+, the XMC5000 enables
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Engineered for What Matters Most: Why XMC5000?
Industrial automation and control Performance. Efficiency. Control.
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Motor control and digital power

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For more information contact Willem Schmidt | wschmidt@arrow.altech.co.za| www.altronarrow.com
25 | EngineerIT April/May 2026