The (customer) journey to better CX
Wes Dudley, head of CX at Broad River Retail, is creating new roles for his support team to manage their new AI co-workers
Broad River Retail is taking a creative approach to rolling out AI in customer experience—one that goes beyond chatbots and quick fixes for customers of over 3,000 furniture stores across the southern US.
Leading the new strategy is Wes Dudley, Broad River’s VP of customer experience, who led a deep-dive audit of the customer journey after joining the company in 2022. That helped identify broken or inefficient workflows, and led to deploying AI in ways that enhance— but don’t replace—the talents of his team. Dudley is now seeing substantial improvements in service quality and efficiency. (For more insights about how AI is redefining job roles in customer service, see our related story.)
What’s his secret? In a recent interview, Dudley shared how his team at Broad River, a Freshworks customer, is approaching rapid-fire evolution of AI in customer support; how he is upskilling his team to meet the moment; and how Broad River is moving rapidly toward a future where AI-powered service is predictive, not reactive.
Here are some highlights of the conversation.
To improve customer experience, you did a big audit of the customer journey. What did you hope to find?
It was about understanding where our processes were failing the customer. We spent a year mapping the customer journey, focusing on four key touchpoints: post-purchase, pre-delivery, warranty/service work, and any direct CX interactions like calls or texts.
Before implementing any AI, we tackled process waste—eliminating duplications and inefficiencies. Only then did we consider where technology could help, realizing that the easiest customer calls—like rescheduling delivery—were perfect for automation. But that shifted the complexity to our human agents, who now handle more nuanced, difficult calls. This meant we needed to start upskilling agents immediately, preparing them for a higher level of problem-solving.
Don’t miss Wes Dudley discuss CX priorities during an upcoming webinar (March 12). Register here.
What changes did you make on the team?
One key role we evolved was the content manager, who initially focused on managing our knowledge base. As we integrated AI, this role expanded to include “bot manager” overseeing not just the content in the knowledge base but ensuring that our bots aligned with what our agents were telling customers. It was a mind shift, too, as she took on the responsibility of managing technology, not just content.
This person didn’t require formal upskilling because she was involved from day one in the tech selection process. But the role naturally expanded—she now monitors how bots handle customer interactions, checking containment rates and making sure the AI isn’t frustrating customers.
Eventually, I see this role evolving into a “bot supervisor,” someone who not only manages content but also ensures the AI is hitting quality benchmarks and maintaining a positive customer experience.
Before implementing any AI, we tackled process waste—eliminating duplications and inefficiencies.
How are you planning for more AI adoption in your longer-term CX roadmap?
One of the biggest challenges is managing the pace of change. With AI, you need a roadmap that’s flexible enough to adapt without overwhelming your team. We review our CX roadmap quarterly, allowing us to pivot if new tech emerges that could improve the experience.
I’m constantly thinking about how emerging technologies will impact CX. One of the more exciting opportunities is moving toward “zero-contact resolution.” The idea is to have AI not just assist human agents but actually solve customer problems before they realize there was an issue. We’re still in the early stages of that, but the potential is huge.
More immediately, I’m focused on evolving internal roles to work alongside AI. As AI handles more straightforward tasks, agents will take on more complex issues, and new roles—like bot supervisors—will emerge. The key is to stay ahead of that change, ensuring employees are ready to adapt and thrive.
Dudley’s takeaways for CX leaders:
Start with process, not tech. Before deploying AI, map out where your current processes break down.
AI shifts complexity. Automation may remove simple tasks but makes the remaining human roles more complex—upskill accordingly.
Rethink job roles. Think beyond traditional job titles. Just as it’s important to revisit the roadmap regularly as technology evolves, jobs also need a continual review to keep pace with the changes.
Maintain a “live” process. A nimble roadmap that’s reviewed regularly helps adapt to fast-evolving tech landscapes.
