We’re squarely in the era of tech democratization, where a rush toward feature parity and an oncoming wave of AI tools is set to lower the barrier of entry to product creation. Modern customers can afford to be picky, and they expect perfection in every product interaction they have.

The last bastion of true differentiation is at the intersection of brand and customer support. That’s where great products have an opportunity to not only offer tangible solutions, but also convey the less tangible “feel” that competitors can’t replicate.

For Heather MacKinnon, Head of Brand at Mercury, customer support isn’t just a functional necessity—it’s one of the most powerful expressions of a company’s brand.

Resetting mindsets: “Customer support can reset how people think about brand. They’re interacting with our customers one-to-one, and that’s a direct extension of the brand—a really important one,” MacKinnon explains. “Because if you have one poor experience with customer support, that can potentially ruin all the goodness that the product or marketing has done to make you feel great about that brand.”

A real voice: Mercury recently raised a large Series C on the strength of its financials and longtime customer loyalty. Its businesses banking products first launched in 2019, offering startups a new way to access services that felt more like a modern tech product, and less like a stodgy bank. As a brand, Mercury has always had a voice rooted in authenticity—one that feels ‘real’ to customers. Upholding this voice across marketing and communications extends naturally into the customer experience. “We’ve been working with our customer support team to help agents understand the Mercury voice and tone, and be able to communicate in a way that feels very Mercury,” she notes.

AI as leverage: The challenge, of course, is keeping that voice present, consistent, and believable. This is where AI is being creatively leveraged—as a behind-the-scenes brand editor and support system for agents representing Mercury’s voice on the front lines. While AI is often seen as a threat to human-powered customer support, Mercury has found a way to make the two work symbiotically. AI isn’t replacing human interaction—it’s enhancing it, helping support agents communicate in a way that captures the fintech leader’s characteristic realness.

With the help of an AI bot, agents can refine responses and ensure their tone aligns with the company’s voice. “If you're drafting an email and thinking, ‘I’m not sure this really captures Mercury’s voice,’ our team now has a tool that helps translate their work into something that feels more truly ‘real,’” MacKinnon explains.