Nobody calls customer service because it is the highlight of their day. Usually, something has gone wrong, self-service has failed, or an answer is needed quickly. Too often, the result is hold music, a maze of menu options, and the need to explain the same problem more than once.
Cresta has partnered with former NFL star Marshawn Lynch for a new campaign asking enterprises to put their customer experience into “Beast Mode.”
The campaign plays on Lynch’s action-first personality, but it raises a serious question for CX leaders. Can AI customer service make support faster and more personal without creating another barrier between customers and the help they need?
In this interview with Russell Banzon, Cresta’s CMO, uncovers the thinking behind the campaign, the persistent friction in AI-to-human handoffs, and why businesses need to rethink automation from the customer’s perspective.
Watch the full interview with Russell Banzon above to hear his perspective on building AI customer experiences that are fast, personalized, proactive, and still grounded in the human moments that matter.
Why Does Customer Service Still Create So Much Friction?
Customer service creates friction when the process intended to solve a problem gives customers more work to do. Long waits, rigid IVRs, repeated authentication, and disconnected agents can make even a simple request feel unnecessarily difficult.
Cresta’s campaign uses one of Lynch’s most recognizable lines, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” as a stand-in for the customer who has spent too long on hold and simply wants the interaction to end.
It is a playful hook, but it reflects a real problem. Organizations have invested in automation for years, yet many customer journeys still feel fragmented. The issue is not automation itself. It is automation that focuses on deflecting contact rather than helping a customer reach a resolution.
Can AI Agents Help Instead of Becoming Another Obstacle?
AI agents can improve customer service when they understand why a customer is reaching out, use relevant context, and either resolve the issue or transfer it smoothly to the right person. They become another obstacle when businesses use them as a new version of the menu-driven systems customers already dislike.
Enterprises should not treat AI as a direct replacement for older forms of automation. Instead, they should start by considering the ideal experience they want to deliver.
Banzon says:
“The right starting place is thinking from first principles: what does the most ideal customer experience really look like?”
That changes the conversation from containment rates to customer effort. If an AI system can recognize a recently purchased product, a previous interaction, or the likely reason for contact, it can begin with a more useful question and avoid making the customer start from scratch.
Why Do AI-to-Human Handoffs Still Break the Customer Journey?
AI-to-human handoffs fail when the context from the automated conversation does not travel with the customer. A successful transfer should give the human agent the interaction history, the customer’s intent, and the actions already taken.