Customer service and support leaders are facing increased executive expectations to invest in AI, according to a survey by Gartner.
Ninety-one percent of service and support leaders surveyed reported pressure from executive leadership to implement AI – marking a sharp increase in urgency for AI‑enabled transformation.
The Gartner survey of 321 customer service and support leaders conducted in October 2025 found leaders identified improving customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and self‑service success as their top priorities for 2026.
Many are now turning to AI to support first‑contact resolution, reduce customer effort, and guide customers through more seamless service journeys, evolving beyond traditional use cases focused solely on back‑office efficiency.
“Service organisations are entering a period where AI and human expertise must work in tandem,” says Kim Hedlin, director: research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “Leaders are not just deploying AI – they are redesigning service models to ensure that technology enhances the customer experience while humans provide context, empathy, and judgment.”
Service and support leaders also expect to significantly reshape frontline roles, with nearly 80% of organisations planning to transition at least some agents into new roles, driven by expected automation of routine tasks, and the need for human expertise in complex or emotionally sensitive interactions.
Additionally, 84% of leaders plan to add new skills to the agent role and adjust hiring profiles to support this shift.
“Service organisations are entering a period where AI and human expertise must work in tandem,” says Hedlin.
As organisations scale self‑service, leaders are also prioritizing knowledge management improvements. The survey showed 58% of service leaders aim to upskill agents into knowledge management specialists, acknowledging the need for accurate, continually updated content to support both AI systems and customer self‑service interactions.