Editorial
The Gist
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Soft skills matter. AI requires soft skills like adaptability, collaboration and critical thinking to make an impact in customer experience and marketing.
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Experiment and innovate. Safe spaces for experimentation help teams master AI tools and reimagine customer journeys.
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Role-specific toolkits. Tailoring AI tools to specific roles, like marketing or CX, enhances team efficiency and makes the technology align with daily tasks.
AI has been hyped as the ultimate fix for everything from customer service headaches to marketing inefficiencies. And sure, it has massive potential.
But just having AI in customer experience isn’t enough. Without teams who know how to use it in smart, meaningful ways, it’s just another shiny tool gathering dust.
For customer experience (CX) and marketing leaders, this is a pressing challenge. Customers now expect interactions to be faster, smarter and more personal than ever before. If your team isn’t equipped to meet those expectations, you’re already falling behind. The good news is that with the right skills and mindset, your team can bridge the gap between AI’s promise and real-world impact.
Here’s how you can make sure your CX and marketing teams are ready.
Table of Contents
- Enhance Soft Skills for AI-Driven CX and Marketing
- Encourage AI Experimentation in CX and Marketing
- Create Tailored AI Toolkits for CX and Marketing Teams
- Empower Teams to Thrive in an AI-Driven World
- Core Questions Around AI in Customer Experience and Marketing
Enhance Soft Skills for AI-Driven CX and Marketing
It’s easy to assume that technical skills are all that matter when working with AI, but for CX and marketing leaders, soft skills are the real difference-makers. Soft skills are quickly moving from “nice-to-have” to absolutely essential, especially as AI tools get better at handling the heavy technical lifting.
“This moment with AI is unique because most of the critical skills will be on the soft skills side,” said Vincent Yates, chief data scientist and partner at Credera. “As AI continues to evolve, the technical aspects will likely become easier. We’re already seeing purpose-built applications simplify interactions and even eliminate the need for complex prompts.”
“Because of this, soft skills like adaptability, collaboration and critical thinking will be far more important,” he added. “Viewing this through a change management lens is key, helping employees not just learn new tools but also embrace the shifts in how they work. While I often say AI isn’t going to replace humans, it is changing the nature of jobs. The ability to navigate that change will be the true differentiator.”
For CX leaders, this means cultivating teams that can anticipate customer needs and navigate complex interactions. For marketing leaders, it means encouraging creative thinkers who can identify opportunities AI might miss and turn data insights into impactful strategies.
Related Article: Transforming AI in Customer Experience With Human Insight
Encourage AI Experimentation in CX and Marketing
AI tools are evolving quickly, and the skills your team needs today might look very different to what they’ll need next year. The most innovative companies create “sandbox” environments, safe spaces where employees can explore AI tools without the pressure of immediate results.
For marketing teams, this could mean experimenting with AI-driven customer segmentation or testing content personalization models. For CX teams, it might involve refining chatbot scripts or exploring sentiment analysis tools. These hands-on opportunities help teams understand AI’s capabilities while encouraging creativity.
Learning doesn’t stop there. Offering short, focused lessons that employees can absorb during a busy week keeps skills sharp. Pair this with mentorship programs where experienced team members share how they’re using AI effectively in their roles. Reskilling is also critical for roles experiencing big shifts, such as customer service teams learning to complement AI chatbots or marketing leaders staying ahead of ethical AI practices.
When teams feel supported to explore and innovate, they can reimagine how AI in customer experience enhances the customer journey and marketing strategies.
Create Tailored AI Toolkits for CX and Marketing Teams
AI in customer experience works best when it’s tailored to the people using it. CX and marketing leaders should focus on creating role-specific AI toolkits that meet the unique needs of their teams.
For example, marketing teams might need tools to automate personalized email campaigns or analyze campaign performance. CX teams might benefit from predictive analytics to spot customer pain points or sentiment analysis tools to handle emotional conversations.
These toolkits should go beyond software. Marketing teams could receive practical guides on optimizing campaigns with AI, while CX professionals might get resources for integrating AI insights into human-led interactions. The more relevant these tools feel to daily tasks, the more likely teams are to embrace them as essential partners in their work.
Related Article: Overcoming Customer Pain Points in CX Strategy
Empower Teams to Thrive in an AI-Driven World
AI has the power to transform the way CX and marketing leaders drive impact. By prioritizing soft skills, creating space for hands-on learning and building role-specific resources, leaders can make sure their teams are ready to meet modern customer expectations.
When your team feels equipped and supported, AI in customer experience stops being a source of uncertainty and starts becoming the strategic partner you never knew you needed.
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Core Questions Around AI in Customer Experience and Marketing
Editor's note: Here are two important questions to ask about AI in customer experience and marketing.
How can teams improve their use of AI in customer experience?
Teams should focus on developing critical soft skills like adaptability, collaboration and critical thinking. These skills help employees navigate changes in technology and reimagine how AI can enhance customer journeys. Additionally, encouraging experimentation through sandbox environments and creating role-specific AI toolkits will help make sure that teams are using AI effectively in their day-to-day tasks.
What role does experimentation play in integrating AI into customer experience and marketing?
It allows teams to test different AI tools and strategies in a low-risk environment. By creating safe spaces for experimentation, marketing and CX teams can explore new AI-driven approaches, such as customer segmentation or sentiment analysis, to discover what works best for their audience. This hands-on learning builds confidence and sparks creativity.
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