Over the past two years, AI has rapidly transformed the landscape of customer support, marking a significant shift in how businesses interact with their customers. From chatbots to advanced machine learning algorithms, AI has no doubt become a valuable tool for delivering quality customer support.
However, one key takeaway from this technological rise is that AI was never intended to replace human agents—but rather, to support and enhance their capabilities. AI enables customer support teams to focus on more complex and meaningful interactions by automating routine tasks and providing agents with real-time data and insights, ultimately creating a more efficient and effective service environment.
Let’s revisit one of our roundtable discussions from two years ago, where experts made predictions about the role AI would play in enhancing human customer support agents. Here’s a link to AI + Human Customer Support Agents: Three Years From Now if you want to revisit it.
How have those insights held up and what has changed in the two years since? With one year to go, are those predictions still holding up?
The growth of AI and customer support
From rising adoption rates to more sophisticated AI-powered tools, the impact on the industry has been profound in the past two years. AI has significantly enhanced customer service support by streamlining processes and improving response times.
Let’s take a closer look at some key statistics that highlight the remarkable growth of AI in customer support.
Market expansion
The global AI customer service market is projected to reach $47.82 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.8% from 2024 to 2030. This rapid growth reflects the increasing reliance on AI-powered solutions to enhance customer experience.
AI adoption
According to a 2023 survey by Mckinsey & Company, 55% of businesses have already implemented AI in their customer service operations. This widespread adoption highlights the growing confidence in AI’s ability to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction by analyzing customer feedback.
Efficiency gains
AI has been shown to reduce customer service costs by up to 30%, thanks to its ability to automate routine queries, handle basic troubleshooting, and provide real-time technical support. This has made AI an attractive investment for businesses looking to improve their bottom line while enhancing the customer experience at the same time.
Customer expectations and customer satisfaction
According to the Customer Experience Trends Report of 2025 by Zendesk, 81% of customers believe that AI has become essential for customer service. This demonstrates the rising demand for faster, smarter, and more personalized support, which AI is well-equipped to provide.
In the 2023 webinar “AI + Human Customer Support Agents: Three Years From Now,” a group of experts explored the evolving role of AI in customer service, focusing on how AI can support and enhance human agents.
Key takeaways from the session included:
- AI will not replace human agents. Rather, AI will be a complement to human agents, enhancing their capabilities and improving service quality.
- AI tools help automate and streamline routine tasks, allowing agents to focus on more complex issues.
- AI can significantly shorten waiting and response times, improving overall customer experience.
- AI systems offer real-time data and valuable insights that help agents make more informed decisions and provide better service.
- AI-powered solutions, like chatbots and automated systems, are already enhancing customer satisfaction by offering quick, efficient support.
These advancements in AI technology are crucial for delivering a positive customer experience, ensuring that every interaction is efficient and satisfactory.
For a more detailed summary of the webinar, you can check out this guide..
AI + human customer service agents two years later
Aside from the above discussions, experts also made bold predictions on the state of the AI + human customer service agents tandem for the next three years.
It’s already been two years since those predictions, and there’s no sugarcoating it—AI has grown and transformed greatly. So let’s revisit each of these predictions and see how they’ve held up so far.
Prediction #1: Widespread adoption of AI-powered tools
Tshili Khupe, Head of Business Development & Partnerships of LTVplus, predicted that advancements in natural language processing and sentiment analysis would drive the widespread adoption of AI-powered tools in customer service, assisting customers with essential services.
He also emphasized that while AI’s role would grow, human agents would remain essential for complex, high-touch interactions. To be more specific, “It’s important to note that while AI will play an increasingly important role in customer service, human agents will still be necessary for complex and high-touch interactions,” Tshili shared.
Checkpoint: Where are we now?
Two years after Tshili’s prediction, AI-powered tools have become increasingly common in customer service, driven by advancements in natural language processing and sentiment analysis. AI now handles routine tasks, automates responses, and provides valuable insights, allowing human agents to focus on more complex interactions.
Here are some real-world examples of these developments:
- Zendesk: AI features like automated responses and sentiment analysis streamline support, aiding agents with routing inquiries.
- LivePerson: AI-driven messaging handles simple queries, while enabling smooth handoffs to human agents for more complex issues.
- Bank of America’s Erica: The virtual assistant assists with basic banking tasks, allowing customers to escalate to human agents when needed.
Prediction #2: There will be more voice assistants with automation at scale
Enryck Serin (Go-To-Market Lead, Partnerships at PolyAI) predicted that AI-powered voice assistants would become more advanced, enabling efficient automation to scale.
While AI would handle routine tasks and streamlines workflows, human agents will still be needed for more complex scenarios. The key, he noted, would be balancing AI’s automation with human intervention to improve efficiency without sacrificing the quality of service and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Checkpoint: Where are we now?
Two years after Enryck’s prediction, AI-powered voice assistants are successfully automating routine tasks—freeing human agents to focus on more complex issues. These assistants are handling inquiries, transactions, and basic troubleshooting to scale.
Here are some real-world examples of these developments:
- T-Mobile’s “Magenta” voice assistant: Handles customer service tasks like plan updates and billing inquiries, and seamlessly transfers customers to human agents to more complicated issues.
- Vodafone’s TOBI: Manages customer support for simple queries, such as troubleshooting and billing, before escalating to human agents when necessary.
- Lloyds Banking Group’s Cora: Cora assists with basic banking tasks like account balance checks and transaction history, while more complex requests are passed to human agents.
Prediction #3: Different AI integrations will work together to enhance customer interactions
Neil Forrest, Senior Strategic Partner Manager EMEA at Gorgias, predicted that, in the future, businesses would use a variety of AI tools that work seamlessly together, enhancing customer support.
He anticipated that integrating different AI technologies, such as image detection for eCommerce, would become essential, enabling more efficient and automated customer service processes across multiple channels.
Checkpoint: Where are we now?
Two years after Neil’s prediction, the integration of multiple AI tools has indeed become more common in customer support—with various AI technologies working together to streamline operations and improve efficiency. AI solutions are no longer standalone but are being combined to create more comprehensive support systems.
Here are some real-world examples of these developments:
- Freshdesk: Freshdesk uses AI to automatically route tickets to the right teams and generate knowledge base articles. This speeds up response times and helps both agents and customers find solutions faster.
- Salesforce service cloud: Salesforce integrates its Einstein AI with virtual assistants to automate customer support tasks. Einstein AI analyzes customer interactions and provides agents with real-time suggestions, while virtual assistants handle simple inquiries and escalate complex issues to human agents. This integration improves response times and reduces agent workload.
Prediction #4: Every single hole that can be filled will be filled by AI
Jen Staben, former Head of Customer Experience at Tydo, predicted that in the near future, AI would be ubiquitous in customer support, filling every possible gap with specialized tools.
Whether it’s handling inquiries, automating tasks, or providing assistance at any time of day, AI would offer solutions for nearly every aspect of customer service, streamlining operations and offering constant availability.
Checkpoint: Where are we now?
Two years after Jen’s prediction, AI is now filling nearly every gap in customer service, automating tasks and providing 24/7 support. Check out these examples:
- Intercom: Offers AI tools like chatbots and automated scheduling for round-the-clock support.
- Ada: Automates customer support, handling everything from FAQs to issue resolution with minimal human input.
- LiveChat: Uses AI to instantly respond and route tickets, ensuring quick, efficient service at all times.
Prediction #5: Unique strengths and customer service skills of human customer support agents will become more important
Jen also predicted that as AI and automation take on more tasks, the unique strengths of human customer support agents,such as creativity, empathy, and complex problem-solving, will become even more valuable.
While AI can automate many tasks, human agents will remain essential for handling situations that require nuanced understanding or personalized care. Maximizing these human strengths will be crucial for businesses moving forward.
Checkpoint: Where are we now?
Today, the value of human customer support agents’ unique strengths—such as empathy and problem-solving—has become clearer. While AI handles routine tasks, human agents are essential for complex and emotional interactions.
- Delta Air Lines: AI manages basic inquiries, but humans resolve intricate travel problems.
- American Express: American Express uses AI for routine tasks like fraud alerts, while human agents handle complex issues, providing empathy and problem-solving for sensitive customer concerns.
- JetBlue: JetBlue uses AI for basic inquiries, but escalates emotional or complex issues, like delays, to human agents who offer personalized support and empathy during stressful situations.
AI + human customer service agents: The dynamic duo to enhance customer experience
There’s no doubt—AI has rapidly transformed customer support, streamlining tasks and improving efficiency. While AI handles routine queries, it complements human agents, allowing the customer support agent to focus on more complex and emotional interactions.
So far, predictions about AI adoption, voice assistants, and AI integration have largely been realized, with businesses leveraging AI to enhance service quality without replacing the need for human empathy and problem-solving.
Businesses should not view AI tools as replacements for human agents but as powerful allies.
To deliver the best customer experience, invest in systems that seamlessly integrate both AI and human expertise. You can create a support system that drives satisfaction, builds trust, and enhances every customer interaction by combining the efficiency of AI with the empathy and problem-solving skills of human agents.
Curious to know more about how to seamlessly integrate AI into your customer support strategy? Reach out to LTVplus experts and we’ll show you the ropes.
