Will AI Soon Handle 80% of Customer Service Calls? Gartner Inc, Reveals

By 2029, agentic AI will autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service issues, leading to a 30% reduction in operational costs, according to according to Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm. This shift promises a significant impact on how service requests are managed, compelling support teams to rethink existing processes and integrate automation as a core strategy.

Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can act independently to complete tasks on behalf of users or organizations.

Previously, many AI solutions merely generated text or summarized interactions, but agentic AI can take direct actions such as canceling memberships, negotiating shipping rates, and proactively identifying potential issues.

Both businesses and consumers will benefit, as this new form of AI effectively reshapes the relationship between service teams and their customers.

“Agentic AI has emerged as a game-changer for customer service, paving the way for autonomous and low-effort customer experiences. Unlike traditional GenAI tools that simply assist users with information, agentic AI will proactively resolve service requests on behalf of customers, marking a new era in customer engagement.”

Daniel O’Sullivan, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice

A shift in customer expectations and organizational readiness

As these AI-powered solutions become more widespread, service teams must learn to balance human-to-human requests with a growing AI-to-service demand.

Customers will rely on agentic AI to perform tasks automatically—often without direct human input—and expect swift, accurate results.

To stay competitive, organizations will need to revise their inbound handling strategies, aiming to manage the escalating volume of machine-driven interactions effectively.

“Organizations will need to rethink their approach to managing inbound service interactions, preparing for a future where AI-driven requests become the norm. In this future, automation will need to become the dominant strategy for all service teams.”

Daniel O’Sullivan, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice

Transforming Service Interactions for the Future

For customers, agentic AI will significantly enhance the service experience by taking real-time action on requests—going beyond static chatbot replies or basic troubleshooting guides.

These AI agents may automatically seek refunds, update account settings, or spot issues before a customer even realizes there’s a problem.

On the organizational side, this widespread adoption of agentic AI will introduce new challenges in data collection, privacy protocols, and compliance with security standards. It also opens fresh opportunities for organizations to deliver value-added services and strengthen customer loyalty by streamlining the entire service process.

Preparing for AI-driven demand

To address the rising influence of agentic AI in customer service, Gartner recommends that customer service and support leaders:

• Prepare for Automation: Expect more interactions from AI agents, invest in scalable infrastructure, and optimize self-service channels to handle bot traffic.
• Revise Service Models: Update existing frameworks to accommodate AI-driven service volumes and deploy dynamic routing to differentiate between human and AI-originated requests.
• Set AI Interaction Policies: Establish clear guidelines for AI-led interactions, covering data privacy, security, and escalation procedures.
• Collaborate with Product Teams: Work jointly to integrate agentic AI into products, enabling proactive issue detection and reducing reliance on external AI solutions.

“As customers increasingly leverage agentic AI-powered agents to initiate, manage, and negotiate service requests on their behalf, service teams must adapt to this transformative shift, embracing new roles and skills to effectively collaborate with these intelligent systems”

Daniel O’Sullivan, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice