Agentic AI is set to transform the customer service landscape by autonomously resolving 80% of common service issues without human intervention by 2029. Gartner predicts the advancement will result in a 30% reduction in operational costs for organisations.
Agentic AI represents a significant evolution from previous AI models, which primarily focused on generating text or summarising interactions. This new technology enables AI systems to take independent actions, allowing both customers and organisations to automate service interactions through AI agents and bots. Daniel O’Sullivan, a senior director analyst in Gartner’s Customer Service & Support Practice, emphasises the profound implications of this shift, stating, “Agentic AI has emerged as a game-changer for customer service, paving the way for autonomous and low-effort customer experiences.”
The rise of agentic AI necessitates a paradigm shift for customer service teams, which will increasingly need to support not only human customers but also a growing number of machine customers driven by these advanced AI tools. O’Sullivan notes, “Organisations will need to rethink their approach to managing inbound service interactions, preparing for a future where AI-driven requests become the norm.” This transition poses challenges for teams accustomed to responding reactively to human inquiries.
The service experience for customers will also undergo a significant transformation. AI agents will not only provide information but will proactively take actions such as navigating websites to cancel memberships or negotiating shipping rates on behalf of business clients. Moreover, agentic AI has the potential to identify and resolve issues proactively, fundamentally altering the dynamics of customer interactions.
As organisations brace for these changes, they must reconsider how they manage service requests. Gartner advises customer service leaders to prepare for an increase in automated interactions by investing in scalable infrastructure and optimising self-service channels. It is also crucial to update service models to accommodate the anticipated rise in AI-driven requests and to establish guidelines for AI interactions that address data privacy and security.
O’Sullivan concludes, “As customers increasingly leverage agentic AI-powered agents to initiate and manage service requests, service teams must adapt to this transformative shift, embracing new roles and skills to effectively collaborate with these intelligent systems.” The future of customer service is poised for significant change, driven by the capabilities of agentic AI.
