GARTNER, INC.
Q&A with
Leaders are looking to self-service and emerging technologies like generative AI to reduce the need for agents and generate greater returns. High-quality assisted service is increasingly expensive and difficult to provide as organizations struggle to attract and retain skilled talent.
We spoke with
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Q: Will self-service and GenAI reduce the need for agents in the long run?
A: We do not expect to see a significant reduction of agents for through the next five years. In fact, a Gartner survey of 822 business executives from September through
While customer service and support organizations have historically turned to self-service as a way to both reduce assisted service costs as well as respond to the shifting preferences of customers, they have not seen a significant headcount reduction from this focus on self-service. Self-service instead helps reduce the need for additional headcount, with some leaders noting they could keep their service headcount flat as their organizations grew.
Q: If customer service and support leaders can't remove the need for assisted service, how can they find a way to make assisted service sustainable?
A. It is clear that the current state of self-service is challenging, with very few customers experiencing self-service success from beginning to end. Given that self-service capabilities are limited in their ability to fully resolve customer issues - unexpected and/or sensitive situations will inevitably arise that GenAI-powered chatbots cannot address - some level of assisted service will always be needed.
Rather than trying to replace employees with the above strategies, it is critical that organizations invest in employee enablement technology that leads to more efficient and effective performance. Providing employees with context and guidance through their technology will reduce a dependence on skills and expertise, and in doing so, lower costs and widen the available talent pool that can engage in customer-facing work.
Q: How are organizations successfully enabling their employees with technology?
A. There are three main ways we've seen organizations use employee enablement technology to maximize the impact of their employees and reduce the need for technical skills, product knowledge and industry expertise:
? Many organizations find their new hires leave shortly after being fully onboarded - or sometimes even during onboarding. Instead of making onboarding more comprehensive, successful organizations use technology to help new hires start handling customer contacts faster, getting more out of these new hires while they still have them.
? Successful organizations also use employee enablement technology to develop their employees - helping supervisors choose the right behaviors to focus on in coaching sessions, and helping managers measure whether supervisor efforts are effective.
? Customer service and support leaders often find themselves in a position where they need to support a growing customer base, but they are not receiving additional headcount. Successful organizations are strategic in how they engage their customers, using technology to deliver customized engagements at scale.
Gartner clients can learn more in the report: 'Assisted Service in the Age of AI: Use Technology to Support, Not Replace Reps.'
About Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders
The customer service and support function is vital to maintaining customer loyalty and influencing brand perceptions. Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders provides indispensable insights, advice and tools needed to achieve service and support leaders' mission-critical priorities, specifically improving the customer experience while managing costs; designing an optimal service channel strategy; measuring and reducing customer effort; and how to hire, develop and retain high-potential frontline talent.
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