Gartner says it has identified the most valuable use cases for AI in service and support functions, encompassing Agent Enablement, Low-Effort Self Service, Automation and Agentic AI.
The firm’s survey of 265 service and support leaders from a variety of industries and business in April and May 2025 found that 77% of service and support leaders feel pressure from other senior executives to deploy AI, and 75% report increased budgets for AI initiatives compared to last year.
The typical leader is planning to add five new full-time-equivalent (FTE) roles in the next 12 months to manage these investments.
“Service and support leaders are looking to AI for a wide variety of goals – efficiency, better CX, lead generation, and delivering other value back to the business,” said Keith McIntosh, Sr. Principal, Research in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “The most impactful use cases are four-fold: those that enable assisted agents, empower customers through self-service, automate operational support, and introduce agentic AI across their stack.”
Key Areas of Value for AI in Service and Support
- Agent Enablement: AI-powered agent assist tools, such as generative AI-driven content summaries, quick answers, real-time customer data insights, and next-best action recommendations, save agents significant time without compromising accuracy. They enable agents to deliver more personalized, effective support by allowing them to focus on connecting with customers, instead of spending time searching for answers.
- Low-Effort Self-Service: Intelligent virtual assistants and advanced search capabilities are empowering customers to resolve issues quickly and independently. These AI tools not only enhance customer satisfaction by providing immediate answers but also reduce the volume of routine inquiries reaching human agents.
- Automating Operations Support: AI in analytics, knowledge content generation, and quality assurance are streamlining back-office processes. By automating repetitive tasks and providing actionable insights, these tools help organizations optimize resource allocation, maintain consistency, and scale their operations efficiently.
- Agentic AI: Emerging agentic AI solutions are taking automation a step further by autonomously handling complex workflows and multi-step service requests. This new class of AI is poised to transform both employee-facing and customer-facing functions, potentially driving significant efficiency gains and enabling new service delivery models.
“Organizations that prioritize these high-impact use cases will be best positioned to achieve operational excellence, deliver superior customer experiences, and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving AI landscape,” added McIntosh.
