Agents, Automation and AI in CS | Natasha Evans, VP of Customer Growth at Hook

In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike Marshall and Deborah Knight sit down with Natasha Evans, VP of Customer Growth at Hook, an AI-based platform built to free up CS and account management teams to focus on what actually drives revenue. Tash has spent 12 years in customer success at companies including LinkedIn, SalesLoft and now Hook, and brings an honest, practical perspective on what actually works when it comes to AI agents and automation in CS. In this episode we cover: The real difference between automations and agents, and when to use each Why you must define what great looks like before you automate anything The "human in the loop" approach and why it matters more than you think How to position AI and agents with your customers so they feel added to, not replaced Why small organisations can move faster and get more from this than large ones A "whoops moment" from Tash's own experience at Hook that every CS leader should hear How agentic workflows are changing what the CSM role actually looks like Plus our Reddit segment this week: a team's AI chatbot starts giving customers completely wrong answers because of messy, duplicate documentation. Tash, Mike and Deborah break down why this happens and how to avoid it. If you are a CS leader, first CS hire, or founder thinking about bringing AI into your post-sales motion, this one is essential listening. 👍 Like and follow so you never miss an episode. (00:00) Introductions (02:27) Tash's background and what Hook does (05:10) Today's topic: AI agents and automation in CS (06:13) Reddit: AI chatbots going wrong due to messy documentation (10:39) Human in the loop as the right starting point (12:07) Icebreaker (14:00) Automations vs agents: what is the difference? (17:43) How automations and agents work together (18:23) When to use each one (20:45) How agents get triggered in practice (22:46) Agents vs traditional tech touch (25:41) Where to start: jobs to be done first, automation second (28:43) Building new vs unravelling what already exists (29:13) Getting CSM and customer buy-in (31:05) Should agents send emails or should CSMs? (33:33) Cultural differences in accepting AI-led CS (36:30) Tash's whoops moment at Hook (38:17) Keeping the human in the loop (42:32) Impact at Hook: NRR and efficiency (44:43) Don't build for the sake of it (46:08) Wrap up Customer Success from the Ground Up is hosted by Mike Marshall , Global CS Programme Lead, and Deborah Knight from KaptivCX. Find us on Spotify, subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and join the community. LinkedIn Community -   / customer-success-from-the-ground-up   Customer Success from the Ground Up Programme: https://www.skool.com/cs-from-the-gro... KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com