John Henry still leading the race vs. AI in customer service

The world’s smallest digital violin is playing for AI chatbots, which are having a hard time elbowing out their human counterparts for jobs in customer service, according to a Gartner study.

Researchers found that only 20 percent of customer service and support leaders reported reducing agent staffing to favor our would-be robot overlords.

“Customer service and support leaders should avoid framing AI initiatives solely around headcount reduction,” said Melissa Fletcher, senior principal of research in the Gartner Customer Service Support practice. “Leaders should plan for new roles, leverage central resources, and communicate transparently about AI’s impact to manage expectations effectively.”

Meanwhile, 42 percent of organizations are hiring for newly created jobs for humans that incorporate AI into their workflow.

“Although conversations about AI in customer service tend to focus on AI’s role in headcount reduction, many leaders (42%) have found themselves hiring specialized staff to help with ...