Research firm Gartner said 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies will streamline post-purchase tasks, such as expansion, service, success, and renewal, into a single customer-facing employee role by 2027.
The integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into customer service operations is expected to automate significant portions of traditional customer service agent roles. This automation will create additional capacity for employees, enabling customer service and support leaders to explore innovative talent management approaches.
Salesforce says you can embed AI-powered chatbots across channels to streamline the customer service experience. These AI-powered chatbots can greet your customers, serve up knowledge base articles, guide them through common business processes, can send out a field technician for field requests, and can route more complex questions to the right person.
To optimize AI investments, boost employee efficiency, and meet evolving business needs, some organizations will consolidate post-purchase tasks into unified roles, the report said.
Emily Potosky, Senior Director of Research at Gartner’s Customer Service and Support practice, emphasized the blurring lines between post-purchase services. As these lines blur, leaders in service, sales, and success will vie for ownership of the customer relationship.
Gartner also predicts that customer service and support leaders will face regulatory impacts from governments, particularly those with digital-only ambitions.
By 2028, the European Union (EU) is expected to mandate “the right to talk to a human” in customer service interactions. This move reflects the EU’s commitment to consumer protection and may require organizations to adjust their service strategies accordingly.
The proliferation of GenAI is accelerating the trend towards self-service, prompting some organizations to experiment with concealing or even discontinuing their assisted service channels. However, in response to growing consumer dissatisfaction with AI-generated service, Gartner anticipates that the EU will amend its consumer protection laws to mandate access to a human customer service representative.
Emily Potosky commented on the EU’s role as a standard-setter in consumer protection, stating that organizations overly reliant on generative AI-assisted service may need to enhance their assisted service offerings if the EU enforces this regulation. Despite current emphasis on the cost-saving benefits of a digital-only strategy, organizations may find themselves compelled to adapt to regulatory requirements and consumer preferences for human interaction in customer service.
