The AI-augmented agent: Not replacing, but elevating human CX

Is AI poised to replace customer service agents? My answer, based on decades of providing IT services, end user technical support, and infrastructure operations experience across APAC, is a resounding no—and it absolutely shouldn’t. Rather than regarding the advent of AI as a conflict, we at TP see it as our greatest opportunity. In a significant milestone for the industry, TP is proud to set a new standard where we equip every single APAC employee with access to AI powered tools.

As CTO of APAC, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the true power of AI in customer experience (CX) isn’t about substitution, but about intelligent augmentation. Over the years, we’ve taken the lead to tap into AI’s strength as an enabler, augmenting human agents to deliver superior CX. This is a powerful formula where we combine efficiency with empathy.

Combining AI with human expertise isn’t just our philosophy; it's a rapidly accelerating industry trend. By this year, 80% of customer service companies are projected to use generative AI. Amid this evolving environment, I believe sharing TP's approach to empowering our workforce with AI tools will provide valuable insights for fellow industry peers and leaders.

Elevating human CX: Introducing AI assistants for all agents

A top-notch customer experience can transform skeptical shoppers into loyal brand advocates, but providing that kind of service is increasingly complex. In 2024, our study with Everest Group found that speaking directly with a human remains the preferred method of communication for consumers; however, nearly 70% of respondents say long wait times are an issue. Even when it comes to written communication, at least 30% feel that lack of personalization and miscommunication are challenges.

That’s why TP chooses to empower all employees with AI-powered CXM solutions. Our AI assistant for all agents streamlines mundane tasks, provides quick access to information, and generally makes our employees' jobs more strategic and efficient. Between late 2024 and mid 2025, adoption of AI assistants among our APAC employees increased sixfold—a strong testament to their value and effectiveness.

This technology enhances operational efficiency by supporting agents in real time, delivering automated responses and tailored recommendations to streamline interactions, and handling routine queries—freeing human agents to focus on more complex, high-value conversations. It also helps analyze large volumes of data to uncover customer behavior patterns and preferences, enabling smarter, more informed decision-making.

Indeed, research from PwC shows how AI assistants are delivering increased productivity, cost savings, faster decision-making and improved customer experience. At TP, our AI assistant supports TP’s customer service agents daily. Instead of spending valuable time searching for answers to common questions or drafting routine replies, agents receive instant, context-aware suggestions and summaries. This not only speeds up response times but also ensures consistency and accuracy across interactions, allowing agents to dedicate more time to nuanced customer needs and emotional connections.

Andy Rangel, CEO of TP Malaysia and Thailand, shares: "We've seen firsthand how AI significantly boosts our operational efficiency and enhances our employees' capabilities. We’re investing heavily in comprehensive training programs to ensure every single one of our employees is equipped to leverage these powerful tools effectively."

Persona AI for Advanced Digital Engagement

Complementing our AI assistant for all agents, we built Persona AI to serve as an intelligent engagement tool. Officially launched as part of our Jakarta CX site expansion, Persona AI is a key differentiator in TP’s digital transformation narrative, empowering agents and elevating customer interactions.

Persona AI is designed specifically to enhance digital service performance through smart automation and real-time assistance. Its capabilities are especially relevant in customer support, marketing, and sales contexts, where rapid, accurate, and emotionally intelligent communication is critical. It enhances efficiency through:

• Real-time message summarization.
• Intelligent intent detection. 
• Smart response suggestions.
• Tone adaptation and brand voice consistency.
• Multilingual support and personalization at scale.

That’s not all. We’re also pairing Persona AI with generative AI platforms and other internal tools to enable features such as localized language generation, email summarization, voice-to-text transcription and summarization, quality assurance, and CSAT improvement. For example, employees can quickly grasp the essence of lengthy email threads through AI-generated summaries, enabling faster and more accurate responses. Similarly, real-time response suggestions ensure brand voice consistency and provide immediate support, especially valuable in multilingual APAC markets.

Tailoring solutions for APAC

However, successful AI integration across such a vast and diverse region isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It requires a deep understanding of local nuances and adaptability, which is precisely where our approach to tailoring solutions for APAC comes into play.

At TP, we deeply understand the diverse linguistic, cultural, and market specificities within the APAC region. Our AI tools, including Persona AI and our other internal AI initiatives, are designed with adaptability in mind. This enables us to tailor and scale these solutions to meet the unique needs of various APAC clients and markets, ensuring that our AI-augmented agents can provide culturally relevant and effective support across diverse customer bases. 

“Access to AI is one thing, but empowering super users is what truly moves the needle.” Andy further emphasizes, “Our focus on continuous improvement means we are constantly refining our AI models and training our teams to leverage these tools effectively, ensuring optimal performance for our clients across the region. This includes actively running AI prompt challenges to deepen adoption and truly drive real world impact for the brands we support."

Forging the future of CX with AI

TP is not merely adopting AI; we are strategically deploying it to elevate human CX, making agents more effective and customers more satisfied. We believe in a hybrid approach where AI handles routine tasks, allowing our live CX agents to focus on complex, high-value, empathetic interactions. This empowers our agents to build customer trust and lasting loyalty by empathizing, personalizing interactions, and resolving complex issues with nuanced judgment and creativity.

We’re also constantly looking ahead to future-proof TP and our agents with new, innovative solutions. This year, our interaction analytics platform, which leverages generative AI and natural language processing to boost CX performance, was recognized with a 2025 BIG Innovation Award for product innovation by Business Intelligence Group. We’re aiming to ensure every employee has access to our analytical systems as the next stage of our long-term CX innovation roadmap. 

Our commitment to shaping the future of customer interactions with AI firmly positions us at the forefront of innovation in the CX industry. In particular, our extensive rollout and demonstrated impact of AI across our operations put us on the right path for achieving our long-term vision: continuing to drive continuous innovation in AI features and tools, pursue strategic expansion into new markets, and maintain our steadfast commitment to developing emotionally intelligent CX solutions that truly augment human capabilities. 

Excited to join us in pioneering the next era of customer experience? Connect with us to learn how TP’s proven approach to human-augmented AI can help you unlock new value.

Learn more about the authors: Jonanthan Phang and Andy Rangel