In an era defined by rapid technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations, customer service is undergoing a profound transformation. Maureen Chong, RVP Asia & India at Zendesk, discusses how businesses must embrace proactive, AI-powered strategies to deliver seamless, personalised, and resolution-focused experiences. From the rise of personal AI assistants to the revolutionary role of agentic AI, Maureen offers insights into the future of customer experience and what it takes to stay ahead.
DT: How is the nature of customer service evolving in response to shifting consumer expectations and technological advancements?
Maureen: Customers today expect fast, highly personalised, and effortless service across every channel. They want more than just support–they want resolutions without having to repeat themselves or navigate complicated systems. This shift is prompting businesses to rethink their customer service strategies, moving from reactive responses to proactive, conversational and personalised experiences that feel more human—even when powered by AI.
Technological advancements, particularly generative AI, play a pivotal role in this transformation. With tools like Zendesk’s AI-powered Resolution Platform, we help companies scale support, reduce friction, and solve complex issues faster than ever before. It is important to remember that AI isn’t replacing human agents—it’s augmenting them. We’re heading to a future where 100% of customer issues will be resolved with some form of AI. Companies that embrace this evolution and leverage intelligent, resolution-focused platforms will stand out and build long-term customer loyalty–especially as customers increasingly expect brands to use AI to enhance their experience.
DT: What major transformations do you foresee in how consumers shop and engage with brands—and how will customer experience evolve in response to these shifts over the next three years?
Maureen: Personal AI assistants will become more widespread, ushering in a transformative era for customer experience (CX) delivery. These intelligent companions will offer personalised, efficient, and proactive engagement, fundamentally reshaping how consumers shop and interact with brands. According to the CX Trends Report 2025, over two-thirds of consumers in India say they expect to have their own personal AI assistant interacting with companies on their behalf within the next two years.
The increasing adoption of AI assistants like Siri, Alexa and Gemini, comes from their ability to execute tasks seamlessly via voice command or simple taps. What started as tools for setting reminders or playing music have evolved to handle transactions, manage bookings, and engage with brands directly. As their capabilities expand, consumers will expect businesses to integrate with these AI-driven experiences.
This is why 73% of CX leaders in APAC are planning for a near future where consumers use AI assistants to interact with customer service ecosystems. Soon, personal AI assistants will communicate directly with brands’ AI Agents to resolve issues. Businesses must prepare for AI-to-AI interactions becoming the norm in CX.
DT: Agentic AI is revolutionising communication between consumers and brands. What should businesses do to prepare for this change?
Maureen: Preparing for agentic AI starts by embracing a mindset shift that puts customer outcomes at the centre of every decision. This means moving beyond viewing AI as a simple automation tool and instead recognising it as a strategic partner that can elevate the entire CX.
Agentic AI thrives on comprehensive, accurate, and well-organised data, so companies should prioritise building a strong foundation of data integrity and accessibility to enable AI to provide meaningful, context-ware assistance. For example, companies can leverage generative AI tools to build and maintain AI-ready knowledge bases, providing AI-powered insights to keep content up to date and assist in crafting clear, concise and effective articles.
Equally important is fostering cross-functional collaboration across the business. Agentic AI implementation is not just a technology project–it can be a transformational initiative that requires alignment on goals, workflows, and customer journey mapping. By bringing together diverse expertise, organisations can design AI-powered experiences that truly resonate with customers and employer agents.
Training and change management are also critical. Teams need to be equipped not only to use AI tools but to work alongside AI agents effectively, understanding when to step in and how to collaborate seamlessly. This human-AI partnership is key to delivering personalised, timely resolutions that exceed customer expectations.
DT: Why is Customer service transitioning from query deflection to a resolution-focused model?
Customer service is evolving because simply deflecting queries no longer meets the expectations of today’s empowered consumers. In an era where convenience, speed, and personalisation are paramount, customers want their issues fully resolved—not just redirected or delayed.
Query deflection may have been a useful tactic in the past to manage volume, but it often left customers frustrated when their problems remained unresolved or required repeated interactions. At a time when roughly two-thirds of customers in India are ready to delegate tasks like tracking orders and receiving personalised recommendations to AI, service technology must evolve to meet consumer demand.
The shift to a resolution-focused model reflects a deeper understanding that customer satisfaction and loyalty are driven by outcomes, not just interactions. Customers expect seamless, end-to-end experiences where their needs are anticipated and addressed efficiently, ideally in the first contact. This approach goes beyond managing tickets to orchestrating meaningful solutions that truly close the loop. Consumers also recognise AI’s importance—85% of customers in India say AI is essential for companies to provide high-quality support.
Moreover, advances in AI have made it possible to deliver this resolution-centric service at scale. Instead of bouncing customers around or pushing them to self-serve without adequate support, modern platforms enable intelligent, context-aware assistance that guides customers through complex issues toward real solutions. This transition also empowers human agents to focus on high-value, nuanced cases while AI handles routine or repetitive tasks.
DT: How will it impact customer satisfaction?
Maureen: A resolution-focused approach significantly improves customer satisfaction by shifting the focus from merely deflecting inquiries to solving problems quickly, effectively and empathetically. Instead of measuring success by how fast an agent responds or how many tickets are closed, this approach prioritises outcomes. Customers today don’t just want responses—they want their issues resolved.
Achieving resolutions often requires collaboration among multiple AI agents. When CX tools feature a network of AI agents designed for every service role working together, they can drive resolutions across channels–even for the most complex service issues. For instance, Zendesk’s Resolution Platform leverages generative AI agents that use adaptive reasoning to handle complex inquiries, take precise action, and deliver faster, more accurate resolutions.
By guiding conversations to resolution, understanding context, and even preventing repeat issues, CX becomes proactive and personalised, reducing customer frustration. This builds trust, and ultimately boosts satisfaction.
Customers feel more valued when support is outcome-oriented rather than reactive. By adopting this approach, businesses transform support interactions into moments of impact, increasing satisfaction while also improving efficiency.
DT: What is the ROI on Agentic AI for CX?
Maureen: Agentic AI is a powerful competitive advantage, and businesses that embrace it early for their CX stand to gain significantly. Customers already notice the difference—86% in India see a clear distinction between companies that leverage AI effectively in customer service and those that don’t. CX leaders should proactively prepare for agentic AI adoption because early adopters are 128% more likely to report high ROI from their AI investments.
This ROI manifests through improved operational efficiency, reduced support costs, and enhanced customer loyalty. As AI takes on an increasing share of consumer interactions, early investments in agentic AI position companies for sustained success in a rapidly evolving landscape.
DT: What role does Zendesk play in enabling companies to maximise the return on their customer service investments while enhancing overall efficiency?
Maureen: Zendesk is helping businesses to scale rapidly by providing a clear path to outcomes through the Zendesk Resolution Platform. At a time when consumers expect swift issue resolution, Zendesk helps companies maximise their ROI with AI Agents that do more than execute tasks–they reason, learn, and adapt to solve even the most complex problems. We are transforming AI for service with a network of intelligent, service-specific AI agents–designed to understand and act within their area of expertise– that collaborate to drive real resolutions. AI is no longer just assisting; it’s actively solving problems, automating tasks, and ensuring service teams deliver faster, smarter resolutions across every channel.
A great example is Lush, the renowned ethical beauty retailer, which achieved a 369% ROI after implementing Zendesk AI, recovering its initial investment in the software in less than one year. Previously, Lush engaged customers through a mix of social channels, phone, and email, which hindered metric tracking and limited visibility into pressing issues. After deploying Zendesk, Lush improved service agent productivity by 17% and manager productivity by 30%, resulting in over £350,000 in annual cost savings from avoided headcount.
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