Overlook the whole lot you thought you knew about customer support. AI has modified the sport completely, and the methods that labored yesterday could already be outdated.
At Intercom, we have been documenting gradual developments in customer support for years. However AI has modified the whole lot, completely altering the trajectory of customer support. The brand new AI-powered options — together with AI brokers, copilots, and analytics instruments — are higher, quicker, and less expensive than something earlier than.
This turns into much more apparent once we evaluate conventional chatbots with at present’s extra superior AI brokers.
Historically, chatbots relied on inflexible, rules-based methods and required intensive guide configuration to ship related curated responses. AI brokers, however, are powered by giant language fashions (LLM) and might perceive pure language, interpret and keep in mind context, and generate human-like responses.
This stark distinction represents a quantum leap ahead in functionality and impression. We are able to now not predict what’s going to occur by wanting on the previous. As an alternative, we should embrace the chance to reimagine the longer term.
That is why we have developed our annual Buyer Service Developments Report into The Buyer Service Transformation Report. Primarily based on insights from over 2,000 assist professionals, this report examines how AI has basically modified the panorama and gives steering on the right way to navigate this new atmosphere.
Right here, I’ll share a few of the key findings from our analysis, highlighting 5 insights into how AI is reworking customer support together with sensible suggestions for groups to thrive on this AI-driven period.
1. The window for gaining a aggressive benefit with AI is closing
For some time, many organizations performed a “wait and see” recreation when it got here to AI. Not completely satisfied of its potential, they opted to see the way it performed out for others earlier than investing in it themselves.
However now, AI is an absolute must-have. Our analysis reveals that whereas 54% of assist groups deliberate to put money into AI for customer support in 2024, 76% really did. Why? It’s probably that groups raced to undertake the know-how after they realized simply how huge this transformation could be and the way a lot they risked falling behind in the event that they didn’t begin utilizing it.
Heading into 2025, that trajectory is about to proceed, with 79% of assist groups now planning to put money into AI within the yr forward. With such an accelerated uptake of the know-how and so many groups planning to put huge bets on AI, the window for gaining a aggressive benefit is closing quickly.
Supply: Intercom’s Buyer Service Transformation Report 2025
Sensible tip
In case your staff is not utilizing AI but, you don’t should go all in without delay. However you may simply hit the bottom working. Begin with a strategic, phased implementation targeted on high-impact areas. For instance, an AI agent can save your staff hours by:
- Managing inbound buyer queries
- Automating beforehand guide work
- Proactively partaking with prospects
When you begin seeing measurable leads to these quick-win areas, you may regularly roll out AI to assist handle extra complicated challenges.
For groups already utilizing AI, uplevel your technique by exploring its capabilities. AI is all the time advancing, and each step ahead is a chance to please your prospects and improve your effectivity. Listed below are some potential use circumstances to look into:
- Implementing AI copilots to spice up human brokers’ productiveness
- Utilizing AI brokers to carry out extra complicated duties and take actions on behalf of shoppers
- Utilizing predictive analytics to get forward of recognized issues
2. The economics of customer support have been rewritten
Historically, scaling customer support meant including headcount to satisfy demand. This was time-consuming, costly, and unsustainable.
AI modified that by breaking the normal linear development mannequin. Our survey reveals that 81% of groups agree that AI is altering the economics of customer support. By unlocking the potential to do extra with much less, assist groups can handle rising quantity rapidly and cost-efficiently whereas offering a wonderful buyer expertise. Principally, it’s now potential to supply higher, quicker, and cheaper customer support.
“The Transformation Report reveals that AI has damaged the faster-better-cheaper-pick-two iron triangle. Firms can now scale up prospects with out dealing with crushing headcount necessities. Count on Agentic AI to reinforce this over the subsequent few years.”
Tim Sanders
VP of Analysis Insights at G2
Sensible tip
To win buy-in and display the strategic worth of customer support, think about quantifying and sharing the impression AI has in your staff, KPIs, and enterprise’s backside line.
Take Firsty, for instance. An Intercom buyer, Firsty is a startup within the telecom area. It makes use of AI to scale assist to satisfy the wants of the 1000’s of latest prospects signing up every day with out sacrificing high quality or growing headcount and prices.
“Intercom’s platform has saved us round €50,000 ($55,000) in wage prices over the previous 5 months, which is essential at this level for our startup,” says Gauthier Thierens, co-founder of Firsty. “And we all know that the headcount prices we’ll save with Intercom’s automation will scale exponentially the extra we develop.”
Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to quantify the impression of AI, listed below are some key metrics you may have a look at to know the place it’s shifting the needle:
- Elevated AI agent involvement and backbone charges
- Enhanced buyer satisfaction when evaluating AI agent interactions with human assist experiences
- Weekly hours saved and value reductions per decision by AI automation
- Enchancment in first response time
Seize these insights in an “AI impression dashboard” which you could share often along with your management staff. It will assist give them a fast, clear concept of simply how transformative AI is in your operations.
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3. 81% of CS groups say their present instruments don’t all the time totally assist their wants
Earlier, groups picked a assist instrument and caught with it. Even when it did not carry out optimally, groups simply adjusted to it. Altering instruments was not often thought-about useful sufficient for the trouble to be worthwhile.
The place groups as soon as settled for sufficient instruments, at present’s assist panorama calls for extra. Our analysis reveals that 81% of groups say their present instruments cannot all the time totally assist their wants, and 50% are looking out for brand new platforms, instruments, and applied sciences, both most or all the time.
This seek for new options isn’t nearly getting flashy new tech for the sake of it; as an alternative, it’s pushed by actual challenges like price, knowledge safety issues, and platform reliability.
Supply: Intercom’s Buyer Service Transformation Report 2025
Sensible tip
When evaluating AI options, like AI brokers, don’t simply take into consideration the quick time period. Positive, getting up and working quick at an excellent value level is necessary. However in the end, you wish to put money into one thing that can be a long-term asset to your staff.
Take your time when assessing your choices. Keep in mind, it’s straightforward for an AI agent to look good in a demo atmosphere. What you wish to decide is how nicely it’ll carry out in your particular real-world context.
Listed below are some key inquiries to ask your self to find out your only option:
- How does this answer deal with queries of various complexity ranges?
- How simply can it combine along with your current instruments and workflows?
- How does it deal with knowledge, safety, and privateness?
- Is it simply customizable?
- What’s its complete price of possession?
You may also check out The Buyer Service Transformation Toolkit to find the whole lot it’s essential make the most effective resolution for your small business.
4. Prospects have modified their minds about AI
Many individuals had been skeptical of AI in its early days. However now that prospects have skilled more and more refined AI interactions of their every day lives and seen what it will possibly ship, how are they feeling about it?
Our analysis reveals that 89% of assist groups consider that buyer attitudes in direction of AI have modified prior to now 12 months — 80% consider that prospects really feel constructive, or a minimum of neutral, concerning the know-how. It’s now changing into extra regular and anticipated, and has already had a serious affect on what prospects anticipate from customer support.
Supply: Intercom’s Buyer Service Transformation Report 2025
Sensible tip
To fulfill, and exceed, the repeatedly rising buyer expectations, assist groups should be ready to radically overhaul their method to how they ship customer support.
To reinforce the client expertise, give attention to leveraging AI’s distinctive strengths. As a place to begin, this might embrace:
- Utilizing an AI agent to supply an on the spot first response to the vast majority of inquiries
- Enabling 24/7 availability to assist your world buyer base
- Providing multilingual assist to make sure high-quality service for purchasers world wide
- Organising a seamless handoff to human brokers for complicated points
5. Help roles and profession paths are evolving
There was a interval when many assist professionals fearful that AI would change them.
Issues have modified. Our survey reveals that 82% of groups really feel constructive about working alongside AI, and 60% are seeing roles on their staff evolve. With specialised positions like information managers and dialog analysts rising, we’re witnessing the start of completely new profession paths.
Supply: Intercom’s Buyer Service Transformation Report 2025
AI is creating alternatives for human brokers to ship higher-impact work. The positivity that comes with this can be a robust sign that assist groups are seeing and feeling the advantages of incorporating AI and AI brokers into their workflows.
Sensible tip
The way forward for customer support requires a very new method to staff growth. Leaders will be proactive about this by:
- Figuring out potential specialization areas, like AI coaching, information administration, and dialog design and evaluation
- Growing particular coaching applications for these new specialties
- Creating hybrid roles that mix AI administration with conventional assist expertise
- Establishing clear development paths that incorporate AI experience
The way forward for customer support isn’t coming — it’s already right here
This was only a snapshot of AI’s elementary impression on customer support. We’re residing by a novel second in time, and the alternatives we’ve proper now gained’t all the time be there. The aggressive benefit innovators acquire will solely develop wider as time passes, making this second essential for transformation. The window of alternative is open now. However, it will not keep open without end.
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Edited by Supanna Das.
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