What’s next for customer experience?
In this episode of CX Minutes, Sabina is joined by Thomas Moussafer, co-founder of Jimo. Jimo is a digital adoption platform helping product teams deliver frictionless experiences. Together, they explore what lies ahead for customer experience, from invisible AI to real-time support and the underestimated power of micro-moments.
Tune in to hear why Thomas believes CX is evolving from a reactive support function to a strategic growth engine, and what that means for the next decade.
CX Minutes with Thomas Moussafer, Jimo and our host Sabina Persson, Custellence.
What’s covered in this episode
Guest insights
- The invisible power of micro-moments
- Seamless AI is smart AI
- How is the role of CX evolving inside companies?
- CX without the ticket
- What’s the simplest CX advice Thomas would give?
Quick links
The invisible power of micro-moments
Thomas highlights micro-interactions as a crucial yet often ignored element in CX. While businesses focus on NPS or support volume, it’s often the subtle tooltips or nudges that drive real retention and trust. These aren’t flashy, but they’re powerful moments that shape how users feel in the product, often without being captured in traditional dashboards.
Learn more about micro-interactions: The Role of Micro-interactions in Modern UX (interaction design foundation)
Seamless AI is smart AI
AI is transforming CX from a reactive model into a proactive, predictive one. Thomas sees AI playing a major role in reducing friction, not just after the fact, but before it even arises. The smartest teams use AI not to replace people, but to remove effort for them. This shift enables help to appear in the right context, often before a user realizes they need it.
“The teams who are doing it well are the ones where AI is almost invisible — used to remove friction and speed things up, but still leave room for human touch.”
Related: AI in Customer Experience
How is the role of CX evolving inside companies?
CX is shedding its old identity as a support function. Thomas sees it becoming central to growth strategy not just preventing churn, but actively increasing lifetime value, influencing product decisions, and shaping the overall brand. As tools and systems get more complex, CX takes on the critical role of simplifying the user experience and making products feel more intuitive.
More insights: Using AI to track how customers feel — In real time (Harvard Business Review)
Real-time customer experiences without the ticket
The next frontier of CX is real-time. According to Thomas, we’re heading toward systems where users don’t open support tickets, they simply get unblocked before they even hit friction. Help will be contextual, predictive, and embedded. The shift from “fixing issues” to “preventing confusion” is already in motion, and in five to ten years, it will likely become the norm.
“Users will get help before they even realize they need it — based on behavior signals, context, and predictive systems.”
Read more: Why is CX important for business success
What’s the simplest CX advice Thomas would give?
“Map friction, not features. The best experiences are often the simplest.”
Thomas closes with a strong reminder: stop adding features and start removing obstacles. The most effective teams are those who watch, listen, and act on moments of confusion. It’s about clarity, not complexity — and the only way to get there is to really understand what’s getting in the way.
Related: What is a customer journey, what is it good for and when can I use it?
Key takeaways from Thomas
- Micro-interactions matter more than most metrics — they build or break trust.
- Predictive AI should be seamless, speeding up help before users even ask.
- CX is becoming a cross-functional growth driver, not just a support role.
- The next wave of CX is real-time, embedded, and friction-free.
“Map friction, not features.” – Thomas Moussafer
👉 Want to learn more? Watch the full Episode #8 with Thomas here.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is Jimo and what does it do?
Jimo is a digital adoption platform that enables product and CS teams to create smart in-app experiences like onboarding and contextual help, all designed to boost activation and retention.
Why are micro-interactions so important?
Because they shape how users feel in the moment. Even a small tooltip or nudge can make a product feel easy and intuitive or confusing and frustrating.
How can companies avoid overdoing automation?
By using AI to reduce friction, not personality. The goal is invisible automation that improves experience without replacing empathy.
What does “map friction, not features” really mean?
It means focusing on removing blockers, not just adding functionality. Great CX comes from reducing confusion and making every step clearer not overwhelming users with options.
How is real-time CX different from traditional customer support?
Real-time CX anticipates and prevents issues based on behavior signals and context — instead of waiting for users to report problems. It’s proactive, not reactive.
Final thoughts
This episode reminds us that CX is no longer reactive, it’s a strategic layer for growth. As AI makes more possible, the best experiences will still come from teams that stay close to the details. Because in the end, it’s the smallest moments that make the biggest difference.
AI Summary
In this episode, Thomas Moussafer of Jimo explores how CX is shifting toward proactive, intelligent systems powered by micro-interactions and predictive AI. He shares why companies need to “map friction, not features,” and how CX is becoming a strategic growth lever. The result? Simpler, smarter experiences — built in real time.
Read the transcript
Intro
Sabina Persson (0:08):
Hi everyone I am Sabina Persson from Custellence and you’re so very welcome to the videocast CX Minutes. So it’s six questions six minutes and it’s all about customer experience.
So this is a series of episodes where we bring you actionable insights, practical knowhow and personal stories from top professionals, all in just around six minutes.
Welcome
Sabina Persson (0:30):
And with me today I have Thomas Moussafer from Jimo. Welcome Thomas! How are you?
Thomas Moussafer (0:36):
Hello Sabina, thank you. I’m doing well and thank you for having me today.
Sabina (0:43):
It’s great to have you. So we’re going to jump into the questions in a very short time but, or actually my first question to you will be, if you could just tell us who you are and what you do?
Who are you?
Thomas (0:56):
Yeah sure! So I’m Thomas, co-founder of Jimo. Jimo is a digital adoption platform that helps software editors boost user activation and retention by guiding users to the value faster. And we do this by enabling product and CS teams to create smart and contextual in-app guidance like onboarding flows, in-app guidance and help.
Sabina (1:18):
I love Jimo I have to say.
What CX trend should we pay more attention to?
Sabina (1:29):
So what is one, and we’re going to talk about the future of CX — that’s the topic for today. What is one overlooked CX trend that you think people should pay more attention to?
Thomas (1:35):
One trend that I think is still underestimated is the importance of micro interaction in the product experience. We often focus on high level metrics, like NPS or support volume which are very important of course. But they sometimes overlook all small moments of friction or clarity shape how people feel about a product.
And we see this a lot when working with product teams. For example a small tooltip that clarifies a next step, or a subtle nudge that helps users to discover a new feature. It can have a big impact on retention and personal value. And these moments are not always showing up in dashboards but it’s often where trust and satisfaction are won or lost.
Sabina (2:33):
I totally agree. I think what you said like the devil is in the detail. You know, that’s kind of something that we tend to say and I think that’s super super important. Yeah that’s a good one.
How do you see AI shaping customer experience?
Sabina (2:44):
So how do you see AI shaping the future of customer experience?
Thomas (2:52):
Good question, because it’s something that is, I would say, up to date even for us. And my perception is that AI is going to reshape customer experience by making it more predictable and personalized. I think we’ll move from systems that respond to problems to systems that predict and prevent them based on usage patterns, behavior signals and context.
But I also think the challenge will be to balance between automation and human touch. Not everything should be automated of course and overdoing it can feel cold or generic. The teams who are doing it well are the ones where AI is almost invisible and used to remove friction and speed things up — but still allow room for human touch.
Sabina (3:52):
Yeah that’s how we see the future of AI in this industry.
What role will CX play in organizations?
Sabina (4:02):
And how do you see the role of CX evolving in organizations going forward?
Thomas (4:11):
I think it’s becoming less of a support function and more of a strategic growth driver. I think it’s no longer just about reducing churn, but about increasing lifetime value, influencing product roadmap and shaping brand perception.
Customer experience teams are now tightly connected with product strategy, marketing and even sales. And as products become more complex, it becomes the strategic layer that makes the experience simple.
What will CX look like in 10 years?
Sabina (4:48):
And what’s one thing about CX that you think will look completely different in, let’s say, about 10 years?
Thomas (4:58):
10 years feels a long time — 5 to 10 years let’s say that — because things move so fast. That one is difficult, yeah. It’s quite difficult to predict 10 years out, especially with how fast this landscape changes.
But of course I think it will look completely different from now. The way we see it with Jimo is that instead of opening tickets, users will be guided, helped or unblocked in real time, without needing to reach out. It means users will get help before even they realize they need it, based on again behavior signals, context and predictive systems. So yes, the way we see it is that we’ll move from fixing issues to preventing them — preventing confusion.
Sabina (5:59):
I look forward to that.
What’s one piece of advice you’d share?
Sabina (6:05):
And then finally, thinking about the future of CX and what we’ve been talking about here — if you were to share just one piece of advice, what would that be?
Thomas (6:12):
I would say it’s mapping friction and not features. The best experiences are often the simplest. So of course it’s very easy to say, but it’s trying to understand where users get stuck, confused or drop off — and fix that. And of course it’s also talking to them, watching how they interact with your product, and looking for patterns. And in the end, it’s about how easy and clear the experience feels for the users.
Sabina (6:52):
That’s a really good advice, I would say. You know what — we’ve been through these six questions and thank you so much Thomas Moussafer from Jimo for giving all the good advice and for your view on the future of CX.
Thomas (7:08):
Thank you for having me today and allowing me to discuss with you. It was a nice time, thank you Sabina.
Sabina (7:22):
Thank you. And with that, it’s a wrap and thank you for watching and we’ll see you next time. Bye!
Check out other episodes of CX Minutes here.
By Tove Lundell
