Experience Makers Is Back - Reflections from a Closed-Door Conversation on AI and the Real Estate Customer Voice
This week, we hosted our first Experience Makers Lunch & Learn since relaunching the network - and I can honestly say, it exceeded every expectation.
A small group of senior leaders from across real estate joined us for an off-the-record discussion under Chatham House rules — no panels, no presentations, just an open, honest exchange about one big question:
How is AI reshaping the way we understand our customers — and what are we gaining, or losing, in the process?
Why We Brought Experience Makers Back
For those unfamiliar, Experience Makers is the UK’s leading community for customer experience professionals in real estate - connecting people across offices, retail, industrial, residential, and mixed-use.
After a short pause, we’ve relaunched the network with a sharper focus: practical, senior-level conversations, grounded in research and real-world application. Not buzzwords — actual insight.
Our first topic: AI and the Customer Voice.
My Reflections
In my opening remarks, I shared something I’d been thinking about all week. Silicon Valley journalist Eric Newcomer recently said in his podcast that 2025 was supposed to be the year of voice and agents in AI - but both have supposedly underperformed. Which seems weird to me because I feel like things have come leaps and bounds, but I suspect its a comment on the current limitations.
Voice tools still feel awkward. AI agents still need human supervision.
And yet - in real estate, we’re already seeing examples like a leading agency's conversational AI tool, which manages leasing conversations so naturally that according to a senior executive at their company, many people don’t even realise it’s AI.
The catch? As soon as they do realise, the trust shifts.
That moment is what psychologists call the Uncanny Valley - when something feels almost human, but not quite. It’s why the characters in The Polar Express unnerved everyone, and why a hyper-realistic robot can make your skin crawl.
When AI sounds human but can’t feel human - when it mimics empathy but doesn’t mean it - the illusion breaks. And in customer experience, that break matters.
Because at its core, CX isn’t just about efficiency or automation — it’s about trust, tone, and human understanding.
A Closed-Door Discussion with Real Insight
What followed was one of the most nuanced, thought-provoking discussions I’ve heard in years. People spoke freely about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.
I won’t share specifics - but the insights were powerful. Leaders are experimenting, learning, and asking the right questions about how to balance data with humanity, automation with authenticity.
What’s Next
Our first Experience Makers white paper, “AI and the Customer Voice,” comes out later this month. Everyone at the lunch got a sneak peek, and the full version will explore the six biggest opportunities and six watch-outs for AI in customer experience.
If you’d like to get involved with the Experience Makers Network, whether as a participant, speaker, or host, drop me a message, or check it out here: https://www.experiencemakers.com/
We’ll be sharing our calendar of events soon, including webinars, study tours, and more in-person sessions like this one.
Because Experience Makers isn’t just back - it’s evolving. And it’s clear there’s never been a more important time to talk about how we listen.
#ExperienceMakers #CustomerExperience #AI #RealEstate #Leadership #PropTech
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