The 80/20 Trap: When AI Stops and Customers Drop

Kristin Oelke
Aug 29, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Dec 2, 2025

By Kristin Oelke, Managing Director, Growth Services, Brightrose Ventures, and author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World

In customer support, there’s a common rule of thumb: AI can resolve about 80% of tickets, leaving 20% for human agents. Sounds efficient - until you realize that the “last 20%” is made up of the hardest, most sensitive, and highest-stakes issues. When those go unresolved, customer loyalty doesn’t just dip - it disappears.

And the stakes are only rising. In fact, 2025 research projects AI could handle up to 95% of customer interactions across channels. But even with that level of automation, the “unsolved remainder” - whether 20% or just 5% - still holds the most complex and loyalty-defining cases. Research also shows that 52% of customers prefer a human for complex or emotional issues, despite faster AI response times and resolution rates.

The Trap of Over-Relying on AI

Unresolved complexity → churn: A single failed service interaction can send a customer packing.
Overloaded teams: When exceptions are poorly routed, human agents burn out.
Brand risk: High-value clients don’t forgive being stuck in chatbot purgatory.

The Hybrid Model That Works

The best-performing companies don’t ask AI or human? They orchestrate both. AI filters and solves at scale, while humans step in seamlessly for exceptions. Efficiency plus empathy - that’s where loyalty is won.

Enter Sirius Support: A Brightrose Portfolio Company

That’s exactly why Sirius Support, a Brightrose Ventures portfolio company, exists. Sirius delivers a Per-Ticket Human Support Layer designed to complement AI:

AI handles the routine volume → reducing cost and boosting resolution speed.
Sirius human agents resolve the remainder → protecting loyalty without ballooning overhead.
Flexible, per-ticket pricing → scalability that grows with your business.

Because whether AI solves 80% or 95%, the last mile is where customers decide if they stay or leave. Sirius Support ensures that last mile is covered.

About Kristin Oelke

Kristin Oelke brings 20 years of experience modernizing and scaling marketing functions across Big Tech, high-growth startups, and global partner ecosystems. She partners with investors, founders, and C-Suite leaders to design and execute strategies that drive measurable revenue impact.

She is also a frequent speaker and the author of TRUST: Unlocking B2B Growth Strategies in Today’s AI World, where she explores how companies build credibility, reduce buyer friction, and scale predictably through transparent execution, public proof points, and trust-driven content.

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