The field of Customer Success (CS) is evolving, as new technologies offer a path to scale CS teams while guiding users through today’s increasingly digital customer journey more efficiently and effectively. One of the most profound drivers of this CS evolution, like nearly every industry today, is Generative AI.

In a world that prizes speed and efficiency, Gen AI promises to be the magical wand. But what does this really mean for CS teams? We polled over 400 CS professionals to find out. The good news: Robots aren’t coming for our jobs. In fact, we found that AI and humans are not at odds. Gen AI is helping Customer Success Managers (CSMs) become more effective, while preserving more their most limited resource: time.

Here are our top takeaways from The State of AI in CS, 2023 Report.

Gen AI Is Helping CS Teams Recover From Burnout

One of the biggest takeaways from the new report is that Customer Success teams are feeling burnt out. 74% of respondents say burnout is a significant or moderate factor for their CS teams. And it makes sense, given the state of the SaaS market, that CSMs in particular would be feeling the burn.

The good news? Gen AI is offering a path out of burnout by automating repetitive tasks and enabling personalized messaging at scale. In fact, efficiency and personalization through automation are the two biggest benefits of AI for CS. Let’s double-click into each category.

AI Helps CSMs Automate Personalized Messaging at Scale

Even with email templates, it can be difficult to scale customer messaging in a truly personalized way. 43% of survey respondents say AI can help automate and personalize customer experiences at scale.

We’ve already seen Gainsight customers like MoveWorks optimize their CS operations in this way—and more will follow in the new year.

AI Saves CSMs Time by Automating Repetitive Tasks

No one likes drowning in manual, repetitive tasks like logging call notes. Generative AI solutions for CS, like Gainsight’s Meeting Assist feature, are coming to the rescue. Meeting Assist will automatically generate an AI-powered summary of your calls, create recommended follow-up actions, and even flag risks presented during the call.

The impact of these time-saving features for CSMs can’t be overstated. 47% of survey respondents say AI is helping them save time and drive efficiency by automating redundant tasks. This allows them to zero in on more strategic action items to protect Net Revenue Retention (NRR).

There’s Plenty of Confidence in AI’s Accuracy and Analytics Capabilities

The promise of Generative AI to revolutionize the SaaS market is undeniable, but it is critical to select a vendor you can trust. The good news is the technology has matured to a point where most survey respondents are confident in the accuracy of AI tools:

• 94% of respondents are very confident or confident in Generative AI’s accuracy and analytical capabilities
• Fewer than 6% of respondents are not confident about Generative AI’s accuracy and analytical capabilities

We also found that 68% of survey respondents think it’s very important or important that CS vendors have an AI strategy.

Want to learn more about the history of Gainsight’s AI engine? Horizon AI, the first AI solution for CS on the market, officially launched in November of 2021, and has matured into a powerhouse supporting the Gainsight platform today.

AI Is Changing the Nature of CS—But Humans Will Still Be the Face of It

An overwhelming majority of respondents believe that AI will not replace humans. 79% of respondents believe AI will only automate repetitive tasks, and a mere 11% believe AI will start calling the shots—demoting CSMs to a supporting role in some kind of robot-dominated sci-fi future. No, it’s clear that CSMs will still play the leading role, with AI as an increasingly powerful sidekick.

Generative AI is changing the nature of technology, and it will undeniably be a driving force as we push the bounds of the Customer Success industry in order to achieve scale and uplevel the digital customer experience. One final takeaway is that CSMs will grow their skill sets in the new year. 45% of respondents believe AI will require CSMs to become more skilled in technical areas like data analysis. As CS evolves, Gen AI is poised to act as a catalyst to help CSMs be more effective, efficient, and downright superpowered.

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To get the full scoop, read the State of AI in CS, 2023 Report.