Customer Experience with AI: Where to Automate and Where to Stay Personal
This workshop helps entrepreneurs understand where automation genuinely serves customers (response times, follow-ups, order updates) and where the human touch is irreplaceable (relationship-building, handling concerns, expressing gratitude).
About this event
Walk in unsure what to automate without losing your personal touch. Walk out with a clear framework for balancing AI and human connection — so loyal customers keep coming back.
What this is:
A free, practical 60-minute virtual workshop for creators, makers, and small business owners scaling their customer experience — without losing the personal touch that makes customers come back.
No fluff. No hype. Just a working session on where AI belongs in your CX and where your voice needs to lead.
This workshop is built for you if you're:
→ A maker or e-commerce seller whose customer base is outgrowing your current CX bandwidth
→ A creator watching response times slip and feeling the gap between you and your customers
→ A small business owner who's tried automation and worried it made things feel transactional
→ A founder who wants a clear system for what to automate and what to protect
If your customer base is growing and you're feeling the pull between efficiency and connection, this workshop gives you a practical way to have both. Loyal customers come from the moments that matter — here's how to protect them while AI handles the rest.
What you'll learn
- A clear framework for deciding what to automate and what to handle personally in your customer experience
- Practical AI-supported tools for handling routine customer service (response times, order updates, follow-ups) without losing brand warmth
- Strategies for preserving the relationship-building moments — gratitude, issue resolution, check-ins — that turn first-time buyers into loyal fans
Speakers
Sarah Lowrie
Vice President of Customer Experience, Croux
Sarah Lowrie is the Vice President of Customer Experience at Croux, bringing 20+ years of experience scaling support infrastructure and building data-driven customer retention strategies across industries including staffing software, nonprofit fundraising, and political advocacy. She previously led Customer Support at Hello Alice, where she developed the "Voice of the Customer" framework for personalized resolution strategies that boost loyalty — the same practical, empathy-driven approach she brings to this conversation.
Yolanda Knox
Founder & CEO, ArayaSunshine Candle Company
Yolanda Michelle Knox is the Founder and CEO of ArayaSunshine Candle Company, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based business known for handcrafted, non-toxic candles and immersive mobile candle- and perfume-making experiences. A graduate of Goldman Sachs' One Million Black Women initiative, Our Village United, and Hello Alice's BOTOX Confidence Collective, Yolanda has grown her business by pairing smart use of AI and automation with the personal relationships that keep customers coming back. She's joining us to share what she's learned firsthand about scaling a business without losing the heart behind it.
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