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Balancing AI efficiency with 'back-of-the-hand' customer knowledge to build loyalty in CS
Lorikeet News Desk
Aug 11, 2025
TL;DR
Hootsuite's Taylor Conyers discusses the need for CSMs to know their clients personally, beyond AI's capabilities.
AI helps streamline complex tasks, freeing CSMs for strategic decision-making and reducing burnout.
Conyers stresses the importance of human intervention in sensitive client interactions to avoid AI missteps.
Embracing AI as a supportive tool can enhance work efficiency and promote a healthier work-life balance.
One of the main things about being a CSM is building that rapport, and AI cannot do that. You need that human touch. Every CSM should know their book like the back of their hand.
Taylor Conyers
Senior Customer Success Manager | Hootsuite
AI can automate tasks, surface insights, and move at a speed no human can match. But in customer success, loyalty is built on the human touch. For top CSMs, that means knowing their customer book like the back of their hand, catching the nuances, history, and context that no algorithm can fully read.
Taylor Conyers, Senior Customer Success Manager at Hootsuite, has spent eight years in B2B SaaS and now manages more than $4 million in enterprise revenue. She argues that while AI is a powerful tool, its worth is defined as much by what it cannot do as by what it can.
Know your book: "One of the main things about being a CSM is building that rapport, and AI cannot do that," Conyers states. "You need that human touch." For Conyers, that human touch is anchored by a simple, non-negotiable principle. While she uses AI to analyze client health data, the technology serves as a confirmation tool, not a crystal ball. "Every CSM should know their book like the back of their hand," she says. This deep, personal knowledge is the ultimate source of truth, allowing her to validate AI’s suggestions and make the final call on strategy.
Proactive vs. pushy: That strategy often involves navigating the delicate balance between helpful proactivity and overwhelming a client. Conyers explains that the job is not just about managing accounts, but about managing the diverse emotions and personalities of the people behind them—a task far beyond the capabilities of any algorithm. Pushing automated messages too aggressively can backfire, leaving clients feeling pestered rather than supported. "AI doesn't know emotion, it doesn't know tone," she warns.
If you feel that a customer is at risk, you take them off the automation list so that AI isn't sending those messages and putting you in a risky situation.
Taylor Conyers
Senior Customer Success Manager | Hootsuite
Despite its limitations, Conyers is enthusiastic about AI's potential to handle the administrative burdens that can bog down a CSM's day. She uses it to streamline complex tasks like forecasting revenue retention and analyzing client usage reports, a process that once took her hours. By uploading raw data into a private AI model, she can get instant insights and strategic suggestions.
A little data analyst: "You're able to actually talk to AI through data," she explains. "It's like having a little data analyst doing it for you." By automating renewal reminders and drafting follow-up emails, AI can clear the path for more strategic work. "Having those automated touchpoints is going to do complete wonders for customer success."
The human override: But this enthusiasm comes with a critical warning: the most important skill is knowing when to turn the automation off. When a relationship feels sensitive, Conyers applies a strict rule of human intervention. "If you feel that a customer is at risk, you take them off the automation list so that AI isn't sending those messages and putting you in a risky situation," she advises. In these moments, a personal check-in is essential to read body language and gauge sentiment in a way that AI cannot, reinforcing the need for human judgment.
Ultimately, Conyers urges her peers to move past their fear of being replaced and reframe their relationship with the technology. To those who say they’ve gotten by just fine without it, she points to the tangible benefits for personal well-being. By offloading rote tasks, she has cut down on 12-hour workdays and created a more sustainable work-life balance. "Think of it as a little sidekick," she suggests. The question every CSM should ask themselves, she says, is, "How can I make my life easier versus harder so then I'm not burning myself out? You have to figure out what works best for you."
