Using AI at Work: AI in the Workplace & Generative AI for Business Leaders 97: Using AI for Customer Support: Voice AI vs Humans in Customer Service Strategy with Nathan Strum
Mar 30, 2026
Nathan Strum, CEO and co-founder of Abby Connect with two decades in voice and phone-based customer service, discusses where voice AI shines and where human judgment still wins. He contrasts AI scheduling strengths with risky outbound calls, explains why AI often increases human hires, and describes practical hybrid systems that balance speed, trust, and reskilling.
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Use AI For Scheduling And Calendar Tasks
- Use AI for scheduling and calendar tasks where friction is mostly lookups and availability.
- Nathan explains AI instantly finds available times and caller identity, reducing tedious UI lookups for receptionists.
AI Adoption Can Grow Demand For Human Roles
- Introducing AI can increase human headcount because interest in AI drives new customers who then buy human services.
- Nathan notes AI is a small but fast-growing part of revenue while human receptionist demand also rose after AI publicity.
Clients Tried AI Then Rehired Humans After Poor Fit
- Some clients moved from human receptionists to AI, then reverted after callers didn't 'jive' with the AI.
- Nathan recounts customers who switched back to humans because roughly half their callers were dissatisfied.