Horsham, West Sussex, United Kingdom - February 19, 2026 - As organisations across industries race to adopt artificial intelligence, a new book offers a clear, grounded alternative to hype-driven AI narratives. The AI Service Playbook: Journeys, Guardrails & Economics for Modern Customer Service Operations delivers a practical, governance-first approach to embedding AI and AI voice agents into real-world service environments.
Written by industry practitioners Keith Hamilton and Lionel Thain, The AI Service Playbook is designed for executives, operators, and transformation leaders who must balance innovation with regulatory scrutiny, operational risk, and customer trust. Rather than presenting AI as a disruptive replacement for human teams, the book reframes it as an infrastructure upgrade—one that must be governed, measured, and optimised like any other core operational capability.
The book walks readers through how customer service has evolved, why many AI initiatives stall, and how organisations can redesign customer journeys where humans, AI, and systems each perform the work they are best suited to do. Key topics include agentic AI and AI voice agents, practical guardrails for ethics and compliance, board-ready business cases, and a clear 90-day plan for moving from intent to live deployment without loss of control.
Distinctive in its plain-English tone and operational realism, The AI Service Playbook avoids speculative futurism in favour of repeatable patterns, tested frameworks, and concrete tools. Extensive appendices provide templates and schemas leaders can use immediately, including guardrail checklists, benefits trackers, and reporting structures.
Published in January 2026, The AI Service Playbook is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats through major book retailers.
About the Author
Keith Hamilton is a UK commercial leader and AI strategist in the contact-centre industry. Lionel Thain is a British entrepreneur whose career has been shaped by data, consumer insight and the mechanics of scalable customer engagement. They are part of the team that formed Voice Artificial Intelligence in 2025, to combine human expertise and artificial intelligence.
The book has been independently reviewed over 10x. Cover art has been awarded a 5 star rating by Mobius (Sarasota, Florida, USA). Comparative title: The AI Agent Blueprint: A Practical Playbook for Building Agentic Artificial Intelligence: Launch Your First Agent in 30 Days, written by Alexander J. Daniels.
Abstract Terms: agentic AI, AI voice agents, conversational AI assistants, customer service operations, contact center transformation, call center modernization, customer experience (CX), human-in-the-loop, governance, guardrails, risk controls, legal and compliance, identity verification, consent, knowledge management, orchestration, integrations, observability, monitoring and logging, pilot rollout, business case, unit economics, cost per resolution (CPR), value per resolution (VPR), first-contact resolution (FCR), average handle time (AHT), CSAT, containment, kill switch
Published by First Edition Design Publishing (http://www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com), in hardcover case laminate, paperback and eBook formats. The book contains approximately 210 pages. Genre: Business Technology, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Customer Service
Contact support@mobiuswriter.com for contact details, review copies, photos, and full author bios.
5/5 Stars - Jessica's Review - The AI Service Playbook
The AI Service Playbook is a well-structured, highly disciplined work that positions itself firmly as a field manual rather than a thought-leadership manifesto. The authors demonstrate deep operational experience in customer service, contact-center economics, and governance-heavy environments. The book's greatest strength is its credibility: it is written by practitioners who clearly understand the real constraints leaders face—regulatory, financial, cultural, and human.
This is not speculative AI writing. It is sober, pragmatic, and intentionally grounded in execution.
5/5 Stars - Marci's Review - The AI Service Playbook
In The AI Service Playbook, industry practitioners Keith Hamilton and Lionel Thain deliver a disciplined, operations-first guide to deploying artificial intelligence in modern customer service environments. Rejecting hype in favor of governance, economics, and execution, the authors frame AI and AI voice agents as infrastructure rather than disruption, emphasizing guardrails, accountability, and measurable outcomes. Clear frameworks, plain-English explanations, and board-ready business logic make complex concepts accessible without oversimplification, while extensive appendices provide practical tools leaders can apply immediately. Serious, pragmatic, and refreshingly restrained, this book is best suited to executives and operators tasked with scaling AI responsibly in regulated, real-world settings.
5/5 Stars - Dave's Review - The AI Service Playbook
In The AI Service Playbook, Keith Hamilton and Lionel Thain offer a rigorously pragmatic guide to deploying AI in customer service, privileging governance, economics, and operational discipline over technological enthusiasm. The book's insistence on guardrails, baselines, and rollback plans lends it credibility, though its dense, framework-heavy approach may challenge readers seeking narrative momentum or quick wins. While real-world examples are convincing, the analysis would benefit from more detailed case studies to balance its methodical tone. Still, the authors' refusal to oversell AI—and their clear-eyed treatment of risk, compliance, and human judgment—sets this work apart from more speculative titles. Best suited to senior leaders and operators, this is a sober, no-nonsense manual for organizations serious about scaling AI without losing control.
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