The Future of AI in Sales and Customer Service

The Future of AI in Sales and Customer Service

Author: Chad Burmeister February 26, 2026 Duration: 33:53
Summary In this conversation, Chad Burmeister interviews Michelle Donnelly, Chief Revenue Officer at Crescendo, discussing the transformative impact of AI on customer experience. They explore how Crescendo's AI-native platform enhances customer interactions, the integration of human agents, and the efficiency gains from AI implementation. Michelle shares insights on industry applications, ethical considerations, and the future of AI in sales, emphasizing the importance of human touch in customer service. Takeaways Crescendo has achieved $100 million in AI ARR in just two years. AI chatbots can accurately handle 98% of customer inquiries. The integration of AI and human agents enhances customer experience. AI can transform customer service into a profit center. Speed and efficiency are critical in customer interactions. AI can provide insights that improve product offerings. Companies can achieve significant cost savings with AI implementation. The human touch remains essential in customer service. AI can help new sales hires become productive faster. Ethical considerations in AI deployment are crucial for customer trust. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Crescendo and AI in Customer Experience 02:49 Transforming Customer Experience with AI 06:00 Industry Applications of AI in Customer Service 10:55 The Role of AI in Enhancing Human Agents 16:26 Efficiency Gains and ROI from AI Implementation 18:43 The Future of AI in Sales and Customer Interaction 22:12 Ethical Considerations in AI Deployment 24:29 The Future of Physical AI Agents 26:57 Skills for the Future Sales Workforce

Chad Burmeister has spent his career at the forefront of sales transformation, and in The AI for Sales Podcast, he brings that experience into direct conversation with the tools reshaping the profession. This isn't about speculative futurism; it's a grounded exploration of how artificial intelligence is actively being applied to real sales challenges. Each episode delves into practical strategies, dissecting how the synergy between human intuition and machine intelligence can streamline processes, unlock insights, and ultimately close more deals. You'll hear from practitioners and innovators who are using AI to enhance everything from lead generation and conversation intelligence to pipeline management and coaching. The guiding principle here is efficiency, captured well by Dr. Joel Le Bon's observation that in sales, time kills deals, but in this arena, AI kills time. Brought to you by partners like BDR.ai, Nooks.ai, and ZoomInfo, the discussions are rooted in actionable intelligence. If you're in sales, leadership, or entrepreneurship and feel the pressure to do more with less, this podcast offers a clear-eyed look at the technologies that are becoming essential companions. Chad facilitates conversations that cut through the hype, focusing on tangible results and the creative application of these powerful tools in a modern commercial landscape.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The AI for Sales Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Revolutionizing Sales with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:01
Summary In this episode of the AI for Sales podcast, Chad Burmeister interviews Paul Kleen, founder and CEO of Pitchit, discussing the transformative potential of AI in sales and customer experience. They explore the cur…
The Future of AI in Sales [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
Summary In this episode of the AI for Sales podcast, Chad Burmeister interviews Darlene Newman, a veteran in innovation and digital transformation. They discuss the transformative power of AI, particularly in financial s…
The Importance of Authenticity in Video Content [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:40
Summary Eitan Koter, co-founder and co-CEO of Vimmi, discusses the convergence of commerce and media in the video industry and the impact of AI. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity in video content and the role…
The Importance of AI Strategy and Upskilling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:43
Summary In this episode, Chad Burmeister interviews John Munsell, the co-founder and CEO of Bizzuka, an Inc 5000 company. They discuss the importance of AI strategy and the need for upskilling employees in AI implementat…
Disrupting the Sales Industry with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:30
Summary Jason Duncan, a former pastor and school teacher turned entrepreneur coach, discusses the role of AI in business and entrepreneurship. He believes that AI is a tool that can enhance and augment human intelligence…
Building and Licensing Chatbot Applications [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:09
Summary In this episode, Chad Burmeister interviews Joe Ingram, CEO of Ingram Interactive, also known as Sales Genius. They discuss the role of AI in sales and how it can solve the need for instant gratification. Joe sha…
The Importance of Good Data for AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
Summary In this episode, Chad Burmeister interviews Andrew Crider, the Director of Cloud and Analytics at Lumen Data. They discuss the importance of good data for AI and how AI can solve business problems. They also talk…
Enhancing Sales Training with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:41
Summary In this episode, Chad Burmeister interviews Bryan Hayes, founder of Elevate X Sales, about commercial real estate marketing and the role of AI in the industry. They discuss the potential of conversation AI to ass…
Ensuring Successful AI Deployments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:30
Summary In this episode, Chad interviews Alyssa Lee, Senior Go-To-Market Specialist at AWS, about customer success within AI services. They discuss the importance of AI deployments being successful and the key aspects to…
Humanizing AI: Enhancing Sales Interactions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:06
Amarpreet Kalkat, founder of Humantic AI, discusses the role of AI in sales and the importance of humanizing AI. He emphasizes the distinction between assistive AI and replaceive AI, highlighting the potential for AI to…