The Validity of a Human Interaction. How Salesforce's Agentforce is Changing the Human Connection.
A few days ago, I had a Linkedin conversation that made me pause. The interaction was instant, and eerily non human like responses. When I asked to make the conversation more "human" things felt really... off. Was I engaging with a robotic person (hey they are out there!), or was this AI?
I doubt I will ever know. But that is not the real issue. The bigger question? Are we losing the human element in Sales and Service?
As someone who's spent over a decade in the Salesforce ecosystem, and seen its evolution, I've always believed that sales and service are built on relationships and connections (Ironically a play on words for an ISV I helped to bring to market). It's about trust, connection, and understanding- not just closing deals and resolving tickets. But now- with AI-driven agents like Salesforce's Agentforce being embedded into workflows, I can't help but wonder: Are we moving too far into a transactional world?
AI is No Longer Just Support- It's Selling and Servicing Customers
Salesforce's Agentforce is leading a shift where AI isn't just assisting- it's the first touch point for many organizations sales and services interactions. And a customer's first interaction oftentimes with the company / brand.
How Agentforce is Reshaping Sales & Service
Sales Cloud: AI qualifies leads, sends outreach, and books meetings- turning sales into an algorithm.
Service Cloud: AI resolves support cases, eliminating the need for human interaction (unless escalated within a flow)
Marketing Cloud: AI-Driven automation tailors messaging, ensuring hyper-personalized campaigns and digital experiences.
A McKinsey study found that AI-Driven automation increases sales efficiency by 40% and reduces customer costs by 30%.
And I get it- this level of efficiency is appealing, especially for the bottom line. But at what cost? Are we optimizing for transactional growth at the expense of relationships?
Are We Sacrificing Authenticity for Speed?
We all know that sales and service aren't just about transactions- they're about trust. I've built a career on real connections, understanding people's needs, and working (and building) teams who put relationships first. But when AI is the one handling the outreach, follow-ups and even negotiations, what happens to the human element?
The EU's AI Act now requires AI-Driven interactions to be disclosed to ensure transparency. But does the average customer even care?
A PwC study found 63% of customers are fine with AI service- until they aren't (and hit a complex issue).
70% still prefer a human interaction- especially when stakes are high.
This is where the paradox seems to be: AI speeds things up, but it removes the nuance and emotional intelligence that build lasting relationships.
Agentforce 2.0: AI as a Co-Pilot, Not the Driver
Salesforce is tackling this challenge with their Agentforce 2.0, ensuring AI enhances- rather than replaces- human interaction. In their own words "The way AI should be", with the goal of balance.
For Sales Teams: AI assists, but humans drive meaningful connections
For Service Teams: AI deflects basic requests, but escalates when empathy is needed (sentiment analysis).
For Customers: AI Speeds up resolutions, but doesn't replace human understanding.
Having been now to many "Agentforce" events- I see the potential. AI / Agentforce should handle the repetitive, low- value tasks so that humans can focus on what matters most- building trust and driving real impact. But if we let AI dictate the entire customer experience? We risk turning relationships into workflows- and that is a BIG mistake.
The future of AI in Sales and Service: A Fine Balance of Efficiency and Cost
Whether your on the AI train or not, AI is here to stay- whether in the form of OpenAI's Operator, Salesforce's Agentforce, or otherwise. I'm all for leveraging it- but as leaders, consultants and architects within the ecosystem, we need to be intentional about how we use it. If we let AI drive everything, we risk also driving away the very relationships that make sales and service truly valuable.
So the next time you engage with a Sales or Service rep, ask yourself: Are you building a relationship, or are you just moving through an optimized workflow?
Whats your take?
Sources:
When the two worlds of PX and CX Collide
AI isn’t here to replace human expertise—it’s here to enhance it, support it, and make every interaction more valuable. The companies and healthcare organizations that figure out how to balance AI-driven automation with human oversight will be the ones that succeed in this new era of digital transformation.
As the husband of a patient navigating the evolving world of agentic AI in healthcare, I find myself at a unique intersection—where my background in customer experience (CX) meets the complexities of patient experience (PX). It’s one thing to read about AI’s impact on these industries, but it’s another to witness firsthand how these technologies are reshaping the way we interact with businesses and healthcare providers. The question isn’t just what AI can do anymore; it’s how it’s being applied in ways that genuinely improve human experiences.
For years, Robotic Desktop Automation (RDA), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and chatbots have been used to streamline digital interactions. These tools automated repetitive tasks and enhanced customer service, but they had their limits. Now, we’re seeing the evolution of agentic AI—AI that learns from interactions, adapts in real time, and provides proactive guidance rather than simply responding to inputs. Companies like Automation Anywhere have led the charge in automation, paving the way for AI that is more intuitive and integrated into the customer and patient journey (Automation Anywhere).
Conversations with Industry Leaders
To understand where AI is truly making an impact, I reached out to Nate Brown and Rob Rogers, two industry leaders whose perspectives shed light on how AI is changing the way businesses and healthcare organizations interact with people.
Nate Brown, co-founder of CX Accelerator and Head of Education and Enablement at Metric Sherpa , has spent years helping organizations rethink how they connect with customers. He’s a big advocate for using AI to bridge the gap between employees and customers, making engagement more meaningful instead of just more efficient.
Rob Rogers, founder of A-Line Consulting, brings a different angle—his work focuses on leveraging AI to enhance healthcare operations and improve patient engagement. He’s seen firsthand how AI is shifting patient interactions away from traditional clinical settings and into proactive, AI-supported models.
What stood out from these conversations was that AI isn’t just changing how businesses operate—it’s changing how people experience those businesses. Whether it’s a customer trying to resolve an issue or a patient navigating their care, AI is playing an increasingly central role in shaping those interactions.
Beyond Automation: AI as a Guide
We’ve all interacted with chatbots that can answer basic questions, but agentic AI goes beyond that—it learns from past interactions, anticipates needs, and delivers responses that feel more natural and personalized.
Nate made an interesting point about this shift. “Customers today expect AI to be more than a scripted bot—they want intelligence that understands their journey, anticipates their needs, and provides guidance that feels personal,” he explained. A recent PwC study backs this up, showing that 59% of customers believe companies have lost touch with the human element of CX. AI-driven engagement strategies aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about restoring meaningful connections in a digital world.
But it’s not just about what AI can do; it’s about how organizations integrate it. Nate was quick to stress that employee experience (EX) and company culture play a huge role in making AI feel seamless and intuitive. If AI is implemented without aligning it with real business and customer needs, it becomes just another tech tool that people struggle to adopt.
AI’s Role in Patient Experience: More Than Just Efficiency
Rob sees a similar transformation happening in healthcare. AI is no longer just being used for administrative tasks—it’s helping healthcare providers engage with patients in ways that weren’t possible before.
“Contact centers are becoming an essential point of intervention,” Rob told me. “AI allows for real-time patient monitoring, automated check-ins, and predictive risk assessments, helping prevent unnecessary ER visits and ensuring better adherence to treatment plans.”
This shift is significant. Instead of just handling appointment scheduling, AI-powered healthcare assistants are helping patients manage their conditions proactively, ensuring that minor issues don’t turn into major health concerns.
Here’s what’s happening right now:
Proactive Patient Engagement: AI-powered virtual assistants reach out before health issues escalate, ensuring timely interventions and better adherence to care plans.
Administrative Efficiency: AI is streamlining workflows by automating appointment scheduling, patient follow-ups, and documentation, easing the burden on healthcare staff.
Personalized Care Recommendations: AI-driven insights help doctors and healthcare providers tailor treatment plans based on real-time patient data and historical trends.
Of course, there are still challenges. Rob was clear that AI’s growing role in healthcare comes with ethical and regulatory responsibilities. “AI models must be designed with transparency and strict compliance in mind,” he emphasized. “Without proper FDA approvals and oversight, AI in healthcare can pose risks to patient outcomes.” The lesson here? AI can be a powerful tool, but only if it’s implemented responsibly.
Agentic AI in CX & Healthcare: The Bigger Picture
The AI landscape isn’t just about individual tools—it’s about how AI is becoming a central part of entire ecosystems. Solutions like Salesforce’s Agentforce , Microsoft’s AI for Healthcare, and AI-powered customer engagement platforms are demonstrating how AI can create more intelligent, connected experiences at scale.
Salesforce AgentForce is making AI-driven service guidance a reality, helping teams resolve cases faster while maintaining a human touch.
AI-Powered Contact Centers ( NICE , Vonage, others) are using AI-driven insights for sentiment analysis, predictive engagement, and case resolution, transforming both customer support and healthcare engagement.
These innovations all point to the same trend: AI is evolving from a passive tool into an active partner in engagement, decision-making, and empowerment.
The Trust Factor: Getting AI Right
Despite all its potential, AI still faces a big challenge: trust. Customers and patients need to feel confident that AI is working in their best interest, not just making businesses more efficient.
Rob put it plainly: “AI is a tool, not a decision-maker. The key is making sure AI augments human expertise rather than replacing it.” The same applies to CX. As Nate said, “If customers feel AI is being used purely for automation and not for improving their experience, they will push back. AI must build trust, not erode it.”
Final Thoughts: Where Do We Go from Here?
Agentic AI is no longer just a concept—it’s here, and it’s changing how businesses and healthcare providers interact with people. But the key takeaway isn’t about the technology itself—it’s about how AI is deployed, integrated, and aligned with real-world needs.
AI isn’t here to replace human expertise—it’s here to enhance it, support it, and make every interaction more valuable. The companies and healthcare organizations that figure out how to balance AI-driven automation with human oversight will be the ones that succeed in this new era of digital transformation.
So, where does your organization stand? Are you using AI just to automate, or are you leveraging it to create real impact?