97: Using AI for Customer Support: Voice AI vs Humans in Customer Service Strategy with Nathan Strum

Send us Fan Mail Most leaders assume AI in customer service means replacing people, but the data tells a more complicated story. In this episode Chris talks with Nathan Strum, CEO of Abby Connect, about what actually works when deploying voice AI in real business environments. Drawing on two decades of customer service experience, Nathan explains why AI excels at structured workflows like scheduling, but still struggles with unpredictable edge cases where human judgment matters most. He also shares why many companies that experiment with full automation quietly return to human support, and how Abby is growing both its AI and human workforce at the same time. The conversation goes deeper into practical implementation, including where AI is safe to deploy today, why outbound AI calling is a high-risk move, and how to design systems that combine speed, scalability, and trust. Nathan also outlines a leadership approach to AI adoption that focuses on reducing friction across systems, reskilling employees, and using AI to enhance rather than replace human capability. This episode gives leaders a grounded, experience-based framework for deciding where AI belongs in their customer experience strategy. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Where Voice AI Delivers Immediate Value 02:29 Introducing Abby’s AI + Human Strategy 04:21 The Limits of AI in Real Customer Interactions 06:52 Best Use Cases: AI Scheduling vs Human Sales Calls 08:30 Why AI Adoption Is Increasing Human Headcount 11:04 Lessons from Failed “AI-Only” Customer Service Experiments 15:23 Where AI Is Safe vs Risky in Phone Workflows 17:31 Why Transparency About AI Improves Customer Trust 23:06 The Future of Offshore, AI, and Voice Technology 27:29 AI as a System Redesign Tool, Not Just Cost Reduction 29:56 Managing Employee Fear During AI Adoption 32:57 Selling Outcomes Instead of AI Products 35:18 How to Evaluate AI Vendors in Customer Experience 🔎 Find Out More About Nathan Strum Abby Connect Website https://www.abbey.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanstrum https://www.linkedin.com/company/abby-connect/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/abbyconnect/ X: https://x.com/abbyconnect Website: https://www.abby.com/ 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned OpenAI https://openai.com Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com Google Gemini https://gemini.google.com ElevenLabs https://elevenlabs.io