KPMG in Singapore’s Guillaume Sachet on the role of AI and empathy in redefining the customer experience

He discusses how agentic AI and human-led strategies both play a crucial role in transforming engagement across industries.

As customer expectations continue to evolve, organisations face the challenge of delivering experiences that are not only personalised and consistent, but also deeply human. Technologies like agentic AI are accelerating the shift towards smarter, more empathetic engagement at scale.

Guillaume Sachet, Partner, Corporate Transformation at KPMG in Singapore, brings invaluable insights drawn from over 25 years of experience in the technology, government, and financial services sectors. He has built deep expertise in digital and customer experience across the Asia-Pacific region, working in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Korea, and China.

Prior to his role at KPMG, Sachet held leadership positions at multinational corporations, where he spearheaded strategies for digital transformation and innovation for clients across Southeast Asia. Sachet has written multiple thought leadership articles and whitepapers on tech and innovation for various organisations and publications and is also a regular keynote speaker.

As a judge at the Asian Experience Awards 2025, Sachet discussed the challenges of achieving consistency across diverse channels, the importance of data-driven personalisation, and how businesses can engage with a wider generational range.

What do you see as the most significant shifts in how companies across industries are redefining the customer experience in today’s fast-evolving and experience-driven landscape?

The emergence of agentic AI has changed the way companies engage their customers. The technology harnesses the speed and scale of AI, whilst locking down the personal touch and empathy that research shows are valued highly by customers, both in the B2C and B2B settings.

This stems from Agentic AI’s ability to make decisions for complex processes at scale. When integrated strategically into workflows, agentic AI models can enable mass personalisation that is achievable, affordable and scalable, whether for marketing optimisation, product development or virtual assistance. These models can also complement a business’ CRM (customer relationship management) system and customer data platforms, resulting in greater efficiencies in serving customers and more accurate insights into customer behaviour.

What are the most critical challenges organisations face today in delivering consistent and meaningful customer experiences across diverse markets?

Consistency can be a challenge across digital and physical channels, and few organisations can honestly claim to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience. Organisations must realise that when it comes to customer experience, they are not competing simply against their peers. They are also competing in what we might call a broader “customer experience market,” where they are also benchmarked against global industry leaders. Falling short of these expectations can have a detrimental impact on a business’ mind share, regardless of the experience offered by its direct competitors.

Additionally, there is now increased availability of data for businesses to assess customer needs and preferences. However, this comes with challenges – businesses must be able to analyse data effectively or risk suffering from data overload. Data management and analysis are often resource-intensive, but businesses can leverage AI tools to lighten some of the load.

How can companies better leverage emerging technologies to deepen customer relationships and create more personalised experiences?

AI-led analytics enable organisations to analyse large volumes of data quickly, whilst predicting future trends amongst their various customer profiles. Businesses can leverage agentic AI to carry out certain tasks, such as responding to customer requests and offering suggestions of specific products or services that best meet customer needs. This results in a more proactive customer engagement strategy and an enhanced overall experience. By attending to routine tasks, agentic AI also frees up time for employees to create meaningful touchpoints with customers and strengthen brand loyalty.

With customer expectations changing rapidly, how can businesses ensure that their innovations enhance the overall customer experience?

Customers are living longer, which means that businesses will have to engage with a wider generational range than ever before. This extends to Generation Z and Alpha, whose expectations for a fully digital service are redefining how people shop and work.

One effective response is to assemble squads of high-potential employees from younger generations, who can drive transformation through their intuitive understanding of how their generation interacts with brands and technology. These employees should also have an innovative mindset that enables them to implement solutions which challenge the status quo for the better. Businesses should also not assume that younger generations place less focus on empathy than older people – our research shows that, on the contrary, they prefer to interact with brands that care.

As a returning judge for the Asian Experience Awards, what specific qualities will you be looking for this year when evaluating how nominees deliver exceptional brand experiences to their stakeholders?

Beyond the rhetoric, I am looking for real-world applications where organisations have applied AI in ways that have enhanced their customer experience. I will assess the extent to which empathy is core to that experience, and how advanced technologies have successfully created moments that make customers feel seen and cared for. These are the organisations well-positioned to lead in the Intelligent Age.