Fears that AI will lead to mass layoffs in customer service may be unfounded. New research from Gartner shows that business leaders are redesigning roles rather than axing them.
In a survey of over 320 customer service leaders worldwide, Gartner found that while 31% have already begun or are planning AI-driven job cuts, far more are expanding human agent responsibilities.
85% of customer service leaders see AI as an opportunity to reduce contact volumes and add new tasks for human workers. Additionally, 78% are moving employees into different roles within the same service, and 58% are shifting them to other business units.
Workforce transformation is underway, with 80% of leaders feeling pressure to make changes as AI reduces contact volumes and improves efficiency. However, most organizations are taking a measured approach:
- 63% are reducing frontline headcount gradually through attrition.
- 50% have paused new hiring.
“As AI begins to automate simple work, that success creates a new challenge,” said Eric Keller, senior director analyst at Gartner. “Service leaders must decide whether to simply do the same work at lower cost or to redeploy human agents into roles that AI cannot replace and that customers value most.”
Human interaction remains critical. In a separate survey of over 5,800 US consumers, 54% trust humans more than AI for product or service recommendations, compared to 32% who trust algorithms. This highlights the importance of human contact in complex, high-stakes interactions.
“Organisations that only use AI to reduce costs risk missing a strategic opportunity,” said Keller. “The real advantage comes from combining AI efficiency with human judgment, empathy and experience to deliver outcomes that technology alone cannot.”
Comments
Join Our Community
Sign up to share your thoughts, engage with others, and become part of our growing community.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts and start the conversation!