You may have noticed that some standard automated customer service systems have been replaced by more sophisticated AI assistants in recent years. However, more conversational interactions and other advancements are not very popular, according to a new survey from Gartner. In fact, 64% of customers would prefer that companies did not implement AI in their customer service functions.
The survey, conducted in December 2023, involved 5,728 respondents. Companies that flock to AI platforms to replace or expand their customer service setups may be poorly received, and those who expect it to solve customer service issues may actually be driving people away. Just over half, 53%, indicated they would consider switching to a competitor if they found out a company was using AI for customer service.
“Sixty percent of customer service and support leaders are under pressure to adopt AI in their roles,” said Keith McIntosh, senior research director for customer service and support at Gartner, in a statement. “But they can’t ignore concerns about using AI, especially when it could mean losing customers.”
Consumers are concerned that AI improvements will only exacerbate the difficulty of communicating with human agents, with 60% of respondents saying their top concern is that AI will make it harder to communicate with a human agent. The fear is that AI, while efficient at certain tasks, may not provide the personalized and empathetic responses that human agents offer.
“Once customers exhaust self-service options, they are ready to reach out to a person,” McIntosh said. “Many customers fear that GenAI will simply become another obstacle between them and an agent. The onus is on service and support leaders to show customers that AI can optimize the service experience.”
Lack of customer service
As seen above, another major concern is the possibility of AI replacing human jobs. 46% of respondents express concern about job losses, demonstrating a clear fear that AI could replace human jobs, leading to increased unemployment in the customer service sector.
Furthermore, 42% of respondents are concerned that AI will provide incorrect information. This concern underlines the potential for AI systems to misinterpret or mishandle customer queries.
Beyond immediate concerns about interaction, 34% of respondents cited data security as a major issue. Integrating AI into customer service involves handling large amounts of personal data, raising fears about how securely this information is managed. According to Gartner, there are solutions, but they are not quick fixes.
“Customers need to know that the AI-powered interaction process will provide them with better solutions and seamless guidance, including connecting them to a human when needed,” McIntosh said. “For example, AI chatbots should communicate to the customer that they will be connected to an agent in case the AI is unable to provide a solution. It should then seamlessly transition to a chat with an agent that picks up where the chatbot left off. This way, the customer can trust that they will be able to find their solution efficiently while using the AI-powered channel.”
The appeal of AI-powered customer service to businesses in terms of cost and potential better use of human employees’ time is obvious. The vision of satisfied customers for less money has already driven a lot of development and implementation. But if Gartner’s survey from seven months ago is applied today on a national or global level, these may be short-lived projects and we will all immediately go back to pressing 0 to speak to a human agent and avoid automated menus.
