In an industry where innovation feels constant, Amanda Wiltshire-Craine, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Customer Services at PayPal, brought refreshing insights on personalization and automation during her keynote at the Customer Response Summit (CRS) in Palm Springs. Her message was clear: CX leaders must create human-centric experiences through the integration of advanced technologies. The continued advancement of technology and data has made this even more possible.
Amanda began by taking us back 15 years to a meeting at Disney, where she first encountered the idea of what we now know as wearable tech. Disney’s vision was bold: wristbands that provided guests seamless access to everything—from meeting their favorite characters to buying snacks without a wallet. What Disney envisioned back then is now a reality, and it serves as a powerful reminder of how quickly CX expectations have evolved.
This story served as the foundation for Amanda’s core message: customer experience is an ongoing journey, one that’s shaped by technology, data, and human connection. She emphasized that while customers’ needs—ease, recognition, and problem-solving—remain consistent, how those needs are met has fundamentally shifted. Amanda highlighted that today’s customers expect more than just reactive service; they demand proactive solutions that make their lives easier without compromising the quality of interaction.
Why Personalization and Automation Are Critical to Service Delivery Success
At PayPal, Amanda has been instrumental in reimagining their service delivery model to meet these changing expectations. In her first year, she focused on transforming PayPal’s service by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into their core operations. However, what stood out was Amanda’s focus on humanizing these technological advancements.
She acknowledged that while AI, such as Generative AI (GenAI), enables companies to scale globally and deliver more consistent service, the human element remains irreplaceable. The challenge for CX leaders today is to make technology feel personal. PayPal’s approach combines data-driven insights with empathetic customer support, ensuring that while bots handle routine tasks, humans are there for the critical moments that require care and complex understanding.
Enhancing (Not Replacing) Human Interaction
One of Amanda’s key strategic tenets is treating every customer contact as a defect—meaning, if a customer needs to reach out, something is likely not working as expected. This philosophy drives PayPal’s commitment to removing friction from the customer journey, preventing problems before they
happen, and providing seamless, personalized service across all channels.
Amanda also touched on the evolving role of customer service professionals. As automation becomes more widespread, frontline teams are transforming from problem-solvers to proactive partners in the customer journey. They’re not just addressing issues but are part of the product refinement process, leveraging their direct insights from customers to fine-tune AI models and improve service delivery.
In closing, Amanda reminded us that while technology continues to evolve, the heart of customer experience remains the same—placing customers’ expectations at the heart of design and service delivery. As CX leaders, our job is to harness the best of technology and to integrate human touch where it matters most to deliver the best experience for customers.
We want to thank Amanda and the PayPal team for their leadership, insights, and inspiring vision for the future of service delivery.
