Early insights from our AI implementation journey—with Zendesk’s Steven Warfield

Change of any kind can be tough. Not only is Steven Warfield navigating life as Zendesk’s new Vice President of Customer Service and Technical Support, he’s also now in charge of one of the biggest evolutions the team has gone through to date.

“AI’s impact really extends beyond just efficiency. It’s transforming what the work looks like,” he said. “It elevates the role of the agent to that of a problem solver or a consultant—roles that require a deeper level of expertise and customer engagement.”

Though he’s new to Zendesk, Warfield has more than 20 years of experience in customer service. From Erlang staffing calculators to whiteboards and Google Docs, he’s seen a lot, but AI unlocks opportunity on another level. Some of the biggest benefits, he stressed, are coming to agents.

“One of the biggest pieces of feedback that we’re getting now is people are able to focus on cooler things, things that are challenging, things that are fun, and things that customers care about the most.”

It’s an exciting time for CX leaders, but success hinges on getting early buy-in from the team.

“It’s moving really fast, but sizing a space for people to deliver feedback and really define what we’re looking for, what’s working really well, and what needs to be improved is critical,” he said, ”and leaders need to be trained on how to do that.”

Tune in for a deeper dive into Zendesk’s own AI transformation, including Warfield’s top tips for upskilling agents, the skills he’s prioritizing as he grows his team, and what he’s most excited about for the future.

Watch CWZ on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts

Have a question for a Zendesk expert, interested in being a guest, or want to suggest a topic for a future episode? Drop us a line at cwzpodcast@zendesk.com—we’d love to hear from you.