Qualtrics bets its new 'empathetic' AI agents can fix customer service

AI agents are the next frontier of AI assistants, going beyond answering questions to performing tasks. Qualtrics is implementing agents so its technology can interact directly with customers to improve their experiences. 

On Monday, ahead of Qualtrics’ X4 2025 Experience Management Summit, which kicks off on Tuesday, the company unveiled Experience Agents, assistants who can step into customer interactions to learn more about and resolve existing issues. Experience Agents offer speed, empathy, and resolutions, according to the company. 

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“Our approach here was how can we expand on what customers are already using us for, to enable them now to act on every single interaction,” said Brad Anderson, president of products, user experience, and engineering at Qualtrics, to ZDNET. 

Experience Agents can interact across various customer touchpoints, including surveys, call center chats, online reviews, and other online interactions. The agents will try to close the customer feedback loop by instantaneously providing an answer tailored to individual requirements. 

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Qualtrics gave the example of a sports fan leaving feedback about slow food service at a game. The Experience Agent can interact with the fan, learn more about their issue, and respond in a personalized manner. 

In a briefing before the announcement, I had the opportunity to watch the agent in action. An airline user provided feedback on an issue they handed into a Qualtrics survey. I was impressed by the speed and quality of the AI agents’ responses. Not only were the responses immediate, but they were also empathetic, a quality in customer service often missed by traditional chatbots and even professionals.

A standout feature is that Experience Agents interact directly with customers to ensure they have a better experience rather than just streamlining internal processes. In the future, Qualtrics expects the agents to anticipate client needs based on previous interactions with employees and the company’s industry expertise. 

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When asked about hesitations companies might have about having AI interact directly with their clients, Anderson said Qualtrics values accuracy and has a team working on AI ethics and guardrails. To help reduce customer hesitancy, the company also makes many research findings available on its Trust Center for clients to explore. We will keep you informed as more news comes out of the conference.