Agentic AI is coming for customer service jobs

Customer service concept image showing two female call center workers with one male colleague speaking to customers using microphone headsets. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Agentic AI is set to be handling more than two-thirds of customer service and support interactions by 2028, with almost all business and technical decision-makers thinking it will do a better job than human beings.

In a survey conducted by Cisco, 93% of global respondents said they believed that agentic AI will enable B2B technology vendors to deliver more personalized, proactive, and predictive services, thereby improving productivity and creating time and cost savings.

The demand for agentic AI solutions is growing, according to Cisco, with 56% of respondents expecting their customer experience interactions to be handled by agentic AI within just 12 months, and 68% expecting it within three years.

Three-quarters reckon that customers are more likely to trust B2B technology vendors that use agentic AI to improve their service offerings, and eight-in-ten expect vendors that strategically deploy agentic AI to gain a competitive edge.

Cisco sees benefits in terms of improved operational efficiency, the ability to scale up customer experience with ease, and access to improved data insights.

It should also lead to increased customer spend - and therefore revenue - and accelerated time-to-market, as well as higher levels of customer trust and loyalty.

"Agentic AI will fundamentally change the very nature of services, enabling customer experience teams to make every interaction personalized, proactive, and predictive across every customer touchpoint," said Liz Centoni, Cisco EVP and chief customer experience officer.

"It’s no surprise then that this research uncovers overwhelming appetite and excitement for agentic AI-led customer experience. What is surprising is the velocity. Business and technical decision makers are expecting their technology partners to pivot to an agentic future faster than anyone anticipated."

It's not all bad news for customer service staff, though. Nine-in-ten said that, for the best customer experience, tech businesses should combine “human empathy” with the efficiency of agentic AI.

Notably, three-quarters said they believed that agentic AI is currently unable to replicate human empathy in customer experience.

"While agentic AI promises unparalleled efficiency, human connection remains irreplaceable. Complex problem solving, ethical judgement and empathy are uniquely human, that no algorithm can replace, at least not any time soon," said Centoni.

Agentic AI deployments require care

The report warned that AI must be deployed responsibly. Indeed, an overwhelming 99% of respondents said they believed it was important for technology partners to demonstrate robust governance arrangements to deliver ethical use of agentic AI.

They called specifically for transparency, security, and a commitment to eliminating data bias.

"For many technology businesses, such a rapid shift towards agentic AI presents a monumental challenge. The technical complexity is daunting, and then if you layer on ethical considerations and the cultural transformation required to integrate AI into workflows at scale, it raises the stakes even higher," said Centoni.

"You have innovation, precision, responsibility and focus on outcomes that need to come together."

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Emma Woollacott is a freelance journalist writing for publications including the BBC, Private Eye, Forbes, Raconteur and specialist technology titles.