In today’s fast-changing digital world, customer support has transformed from a transactional service into a strategic, experience-driven function. In this exclusive interview, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor of Digital Terminal, speaks with Nishant Banthia, Vice President at Dell Technologies. Nishant shares how digital transformation, AI, and automation are reshaping support operations. He offers key insights on balancing technology with empathy, building resilient global support frameworks, and why customer service must be a core pillar in any digital strategy.
Rajeev: With your vast experience in ITES and BPO, how do you see enterprises leveraging digital transformation to redefine customer support and service delivery in today’s hyper-connected world?
Nishant: Customer support and service delivery have undergone a fundamental shift, from being transactional touchpoints to becoming experience-driven engagements. At the heart of this transformation lies the intent to deliver superior human experiences while staying cost optimal. A great support experience today is defined by three core elements: clinically precise resolution, minimal effort for the customer, and an empathetic, human-centric approach.
Digital transformation is a foundational enabler of this shift. We’re seeing advanced technologies, AI, machine learning, natural language processing, robotic process automation, machine translation, and process mining, being woven into support ecosystems to enhance both the customer and agent journey.
Enterprises are building intelligent routing systems that ensure customers are directed to the right channel for resolution. Omnichannel platforms give customers the flexibility to engage on their terms via chat, voice, email, social media, or self-help portals. Auto-healing systems and algorithm-driven decision trees are helping achieve first-time resolution with greater accuracy.
From the agent’s perspective, automation is reducing transactional workload through innovations like auto-summarization and automated case logging. Real-time translation tools are enabling support teams to deliver seamless experiences across geographies, regardless of language constraints. The rapid pace of technological evolution is allowing organizations to move away from legacy systems and siloed processes. Digital transformation is no longer optional, it’s essential to stay relevant in today’s hyper-connected, experience-led world.
Rajeev: AI and predictive analytics are becoming central to CX strategies. How is Dell Technologies using these technologies to enhance customer experience and drive proactive support models?
Nishant: At Dell Technologies, AI and predictive analytics are embedded deeply into our support architecture, and they’re helping us move from reactive to truly proactive support. We’ve trained diagnostic and resolution models to algorithmically recommend the next best action based on customer inputs. This has become a game-changer for our teams, enabling faster resolution, higher productivity, and improved customer satisfaction.
We also leverage machine telemetry data to predict and prevent critical failures before they occur. These proactive interventions, developed by our engineering teams, drive high system uptimes with zero effort from the customer. Our predictive case outcome models, combined with sentiment analysis, help identify cases that may be veering off-course. This enables our teams to intervene early and steer outcomes back on track. These AI-powered initiatives are not only improving customer experience but also elevating employee engagement by giving our teams tools that enhance decision-making, speed, and precision.
Rajeev: Automation is often viewed as a path to cost-efficiency. From an enterprise transformation lens, how can CIOs strike the right balance between automation and human intelligence in support operations?
Nishant: The most effective transformation strategies are those that see automation and human intelligence not as trade-offs, but as complements. The man-machine partnership is where the true value lies. At Dell Technologies, we view automation as a means to eliminate repetitive, non-value-adding tasks. This allows our team members to focus on more complex and meaningful aspects of customer engagement. Rather than replacing human effort, automation augments it, helping our people make better, faster decisions.
What makes this approach powerful is that all our technology solutions are developed with direct input from our frontline teams. Their real-time feedback enhances machine learning models, making them smarter and more adaptive. Automation has also helped us drive enterprise-wide standardization, streamlining legacy processes and unlocking hidden efficiencies. When automation is guided by human insight, it becomes a catalyst for transformation rather than just a cost lever.
Rajeev: Can you share key learnings or best practices from leading a large-scale global tech support team that could help tech leaders in building scalable, resilient support frameworks?
Nishant: Leading a large, globally distributed support organization has taught me that success in transformation is as much about people as it is about technology. First, it pays to be an early adopter. In a space that’s evolving rapidly, hesitation can lead to irrelevance. Transformation is no longer a matter of ‘if’, but ‘how fast’. Second, communication is everything. Change inevitably brings anxiety. Taking the time to explain the ‘why’ behind every initiative helps drive alignment and accelerates adoption. Celebrate wins visibly and frequently, momentum builds when teams see the impact of their efforts.
Third, clarity of purpose matters. Technology can solve almost anything, but not everything is worth solving. Prioritization through an ROI lens ensures effort and resources are channelled to where they can make the greatest impact. Fourth, it’s critical to experiment without fear of failure. Not every idea that looks good on paper will translate into value. Monitor ROI throughout the implementation journey and be prepared to pivot, or pull the plug, when necessary. Lastly, adopt the 80/20 mindset. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Focus on iterative improvement. Track the direction and velocity of change, not just the final outcome. Transformation, after all, is a journey, not a destination.
Rajeev: In today’s digital-first environment, how critical is it for customer support teams to evolve beyond just technical proficiency and develop empathy-driven, human-centred approaches?
Nishant: Technical expertise has become table stakes. With automation now handling many of the simpler tasks, customer support professionals are increasingly dealing with more complex issues, often involving emotionally charged situations. In this context, empathy becomes the real differentiator. How a customer feels at the end of an interaction often matters more than the technical solution itself. That’s why we’ve made a conscious shift in our hiring strategy, moving from pure technical profiles to individuals who bring strong interpersonal and conversational skills.
By investing in emotional intelligence, we are equipping our teams to not only resolve issues but to build trust and long-term customer loyalty. Empathy isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a business advantage in a world where customer expectations are rising faster than ever.
Rajeev: What advice would you give to CIOs and CTOs leading digital transformation journeys—especially in integrating customer support as a strategic pillar rather than a back-end function?
Nishant: It’s easy to view customer support as a cost center, a function that kicks in after the sale is made. But in reality, support is the only function that consistently engages the customer throughout the product or service lifecycle. It’s where trust is either built or broken. At Dell Technologies, we’ve always placed a strong emphasis on listening to our customers. Many of our most impactful product and process changes have stemmed from direct support feedback. When CIOs and CTOs integrate support into their transformation strategy, not as an afterthought, but as a core pillar, they unlock a powerful feedback loop that can inform innovation across the organization. Support is where the brand promise is either validated or disproven. Elevating it from the back office to the boardroom ensures that the customer’s voice remains at the heart of every transformation initiative.
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