I still remember a conversation I had with a smart home provider. Their frontline contact center agents were expected to support more than 600 different devices and master tens of thousands of troubleshooting scenarios.
Imagine being that agent. One minute you’re asked about a security camera, the next about a thermostat or a smart lock.
Something as simple as a battery replacement could easily go wrong with these devices. And when the wrong part was shipped, it created massive operational losses for the provider. Not to mention the frustration it caused their customers.
The smart home provider knew that simply adding more scripts, knowledge base articles, or training wasn’t going to cut it.
What they needed was a different approach: technology that could actually stand behind the agent’s shoulder and help in real time.
Not just software that reads and types, but AI that can see, hear, read, and guide - identifying the device, diagnosing the issue - and pulling the right resolution without forcing the agent to juggle 10 different tabs.
That’s when their transformation truly began...
Copilots: Progress, But Not Enough
We’ve all seen the rise of AI copilots in the contact center. They summarize calls, suggest next steps, and provide insights. They’re useful, no doubt.
But as of late 2024, only 14% of customer interactions were fully resolved through self-service. In other words, the majority of customers still end up needing a human.
That means agents are dealing with more complex, emotionally charged issues than ever. In a reality where self-service has clear limits, agent assist must be at the center of companies’ AI strategies, driving both cost reductions and better customer experiences (CXs).
And yet most copilot deployments fall short of their promise. These tools help, but they only go so far. They often lack context, they don’t integrate well, and without vision, they can’t really understand what the customer is experiencing. A copilot that only works with text or voice might keep the plane steady, but it still leaves the pilot flying blind.
Why Vision Matters
Customers don’t just want someone to listen. They want someone to see what they see.
So many service issues are visual: a flashing router light, a miswired cable, an error message on a screen. Trying to troubleshoot those through words alone is like asking a mechanic to fix your car over the phone without ever looking under the hood.
This is where multimodal AI makes the difference. By combining vision, voice, and text with real-time guidance, contact center agents suddenly get the missing piece. They can instantly recognize the devices, interpret the problems, and walk the customers through the solutions with confidence.
The numbers prove it. This smart home provider reported a 50-point jump in their Net Promoter Score (NPS), an 80% boost in CSAT, a 75% drop in truck rolls, and more than $330 million in estimated annual ROI. Those aren’t incremental gains but a transformation.
From CoPilot to Vibe Service
This is where we move beyond copilots to what I call Vibe Service, which blends their core AI assist technology with multimodal AI.
Copilots are transactional. They help you do the same job a little faster. Vibe service is something else entirely. It’s about upskilling the human agent, in real time. It’s about giving them superpowers they never had before.
...most copilot deployments fall short of their promise. These tools help, but they only go so far.
Suddenly a Tier-1 agent performs like a Tier-2 agent, or even like a remote technician. A new hire can handle complex issues without months of training. Contact center agents don’t just read instructions, they can see, diagnose, and resolve problems.
We’ve seen this play out in other fields. Vibe coding gives developers new powers and vibe selling lets sales teams do things they never thought possible.
In today’s agentic reality, AI isn’t just automating work, it’s augmenting people. And in the contact center, that means service that feels more intuitive, more capable, and more human at scale.
The Human Impact
Contact center work is tough. From what we’ve heard from our clients and gathered from our own research, agents are often stressed, at risk of burning out. Not surprisingly many of them think of leaving less than a year after being hired: and some actually do.
When agents are asked to solve complex problems without the right tools, it quickly becomes overwhelming.
Vibe service is about making service not just faster, but smarter, more human, and far more empowering.
Vibe services change that. By taking away the guesswork, it gives agents back their confidence. They feel like experts instead of script readers. They are no longer chasing answers across endless tabs. Instead, they’re guiding customers with precision and empathy.
The metrics from our early adopters are impressive: lower handle times, higher first contact resolution, fewer returns, dispatches, and stronger loyalty. But the real story is the impact on people. The result is lower attrition, higher engagement, and a renewed sense of pride in the agent role.
A Call to the Industry
Every era of customer service has had its breakthroughs. IVR made routing easier. Self-service gave customers more control. Copilots streamlined workflows.
Now it’s time for the next leap. Vibe service is about making service not just faster, but smarter, more human, and far more empowering. It’s about turning Tier-1 service reps into virtual technicians and ensuring that every customer feels truly seen.
The lesson is simple. When you give agents vision, alongside voice and text, and equip them with the right AI tools, you give them the ability to solve problems that once drained budgets and burned-out staff.
This is where multimodal AI powers the Vibe Service transformation, acting as the engine that unlocks these new capabilities.
Copilots helped us fly straighter. Vibe service makes it more human. Agents are supercharged, customers feel understood, and service becomes a genuine differentiator.