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Human contact in times of AI chatbots, how technology can enhance customer contact

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Why work with us:

– We improve your accessibility
– We enhance your customer experience
– We increase your efficiency

Want to know how we’ve been using AI to enhance the customer experience for years?

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“With Pegamento, we found not just a supplier, but a true partner in change. Thanks to their expertise and our joint DevOps approach, we have made great strides in a short time. The technology supports our people so they can focus on where they make a difference: personal contact with entrepreneurs.”

Laila de Rooij
Director of Valuable Customer Contact
Chamber of Commerce

On October 2, 2025, the Consumer & Market Authority (ACM) and the Authority for Personal Data (AP) made a clear call: keep human contact accessible at a time when AI chatbots are increasingly the first, and sometimes only, link between organizations and their customers.

De uitdaging: efficiëntie versus menselijke nabijheid

Chatbots have become an integral part of customer contact. They offer speed, scalability and 24/7 reachability. But practice also shows that customers often get lost in digital menus and sometimes don’t even remember whether they are speaking to a human or a machine. The risk? Frustration, lack of clarity and loss of trust.

The ACM and AP rightly point out structural risks:

  • Access to human contact is under pressure.
  • Customers have difficulty recognizing whether they are talking to an employee or AI.
  • Incorrect or confusing answers from chatbots are not always easy to correct.

De EU AI Act: meer transparantie en vertrouwen

As of August 2026 passes the EU AI Act goes into effect, the first European legislation that creates clear frameworks for the use of AI. For chatbots and other AI applications in customer contact, this means, among other things:

  • Transparency: organizations should make it clear from the first interaction that someone is interacting with an AI system.
  • Recognizability: the design and presentation of chatbots should not be misleading (e.g., typing dots that suggest human interaction).
  • Accessibility: users should have easy access to human support if they want it.

This legislation fits seamlessly with the call of the ACM and AP: technology can enhance service, but should never become a barrier that undermines the human touch in customer contact.

Onze visie: AI als versterker, niet als vervanger

At Pegamento, we believe that AI is a tool to improve customer contact, not to supplant human contact. Technology should increase accessibility, speed up processes and support employees, but control should always remain with the organization and the customer.

Specifically, this means:

  • Transparency: customers should always know whether they are talking to a chatbot or an employee.
  • Freedom of choice: a quick and clear route to an employee when the situation calls for it.
  • Security: careful handling of personal data and protection against data breaches.
  • Inclusiveness: customer contact that is also accessible to people with disabilities or limited digital skills.

Hoe Pegamento de klantcontact-propositie waarmaakt

Pegamento develops customer contact solutions in which AI and humans reinforce each other:

  • AI chatbots and mail assistants that answer routine questions, giving employees time for more complex cases.
  • Integrations with CRM and back office systems so that customers are served faster and better.
  • Security and privacy by design: fully AVG and AI Act compliant, with data storage within the EU.
  • Accessible communication: always the ability to easily transfer to a staff member.

Klantcontact mét vertrouwen

The call by ACM and AP, combined with the arrival of the EU AI Act, shows that the future of customer contact is not only technological, but above all human. Companies that deploy AI without losing the human touch are building trust, loyalty and lasting customer relationships.

At Pegamento, we are committed to making just that possible: smart technology that makes customer contact more personal, secure and effective.

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Ernst Vegter-Business consultant Pegamento

Ernst Vegter

Business Consultant

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Hospitality is one of my deepest motivations.
Not surprisingly, of course, customer service is a common thread in my career. Aspects of hospitality is being able to connect, to facilitate but mainly to make someone feel genuinely welcome. My intuition is my greatest asset to be able to put myself in the shoes of a guest. A customer is my guest.

Fed by various senses, an image forms around the client. I listen to what is being said, watch facial expressions, taste the underlying tone and get a feel for the challenge to be addressed. An image literally forms on my retina. I have to be able to see it. If I can see it, I can create it.

In this, the trick is to pursue simplicity, give the client a warm feeling that the problem is understood, receive good advice, facilitated and carefully guided to the solution. Trust, connect and unburden.

The feeling when a guest arrives at your hotel after a long tiring journey, can sit in front of the fireplace, be handed a good glass of wine and stare carefree at the fire. My guest knows it will be okay.

This piece was written by Ernst Vegter, working as a Business Consultant at Pegamento.

Ger Koedam-Communication & Marketing Pegamento

Ger Koedam

Marketing & Communications

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How can I help you? That’s pretty much the first question I ask when talking to people who are curious about our services. In such a conversation, the use of senses is very important. Because not everyone is the same. One person thinks in images, while for another words are important or how something feels. For me, sight and hearing are the most beautiful senses, because both eyes and ears absorb information and can convey or process emotions.

Why hearing? Because listening is essential in contact. And it’s the key to unlocking valuable insights.

I developed this skill early on. As a child, I enjoyed radio plays on the radio, bringing the stories to life in my head.

Rob Roode-Research Development

Rob Roode

Research & Development

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Recognizing and automating patterns. Tasks we are constantly working on when implementing our robots at Pegamento. My 2 Drentsche Patrijshonden are hunting dogs and certainly not robots. The hunting instinct and intuition is basically in their genes. Continuing to offer new forms of training has taught them to recognize and act independently in hunting situations. Even “unsupervised,” even if I’m not around.

But when you try to teach a brain something, it also starts to see things you don’t expect. Dogs pick up on the slightest deviation in your voice or directions. To start recognizing that and correcting it again is perhaps the most complex challenge. But in our work, for the wonderful clients for whom we get to work, it often yields the most beautiful new insights!

This piece was written by Rob, founder of Pegamento and in charge of Marketing and R&D.

Serge Poppes-CEO Pegamento

Serge Poppes

CEO

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Feeling. That’s the best thing Pegamento stands for. Feeling for technology in the broadest sense of the word. Not only feeling for the exciting stuff like AI, but also for the basics of communication.

The very best part of my job is selling, listening, translating and thinking about what really matters. We bring the digital transformation with a great team!
The diversity of our team, how sharp we are, but especially the wonderful things we get to make makes me feel extremely good. Hence, I intuitively chose the sense of “feeling.

Feeling gives life and differentiation!

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