Customer Service and Support Leaders Must Prioritize Blending Human Strengths with AI Intelligence in 2026

As the customer service landscape rapidly evolves, customer service and support leaders are focusing on how AI can help advance their priorities for 2026 and beyond. From enhancing customer experience to improving operational efficiency, leaders are looking to go beyond individual AI use cases, seeking to embed AI more deeply into their operating model and employee workflows.

We spoke with Brad Fager, Chief of Research in the Gartner Customer Service & Support Practice, to explore the actions heads of customer service and support can take to balance the adoption of new AI tools and assistants with the vital role of human agents - whose contributions remain essential in this era of technology integration.

Journalists who would like to speak with Brad regarding this topic can contact Juliette.Dixon@Gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.

A: AI is no longer just a back-office tool—it’s now at the heart of customer service strategy. In a survey of 321 customer service and support leaders from September 2025 through October 2025, Gartner found that 91% of respondents are under executive pressure to implement AI, not just for efficiency, but to directly improve customer satisfaction. The focus is shifting toward using AI to resolve issues on first contact, reduce customer effort, and deliver greater value. This marks a significant evolution from cost-cutting to value-driven service.

A: AI is driving a major transformation in the contact center workforce. The Gartner survey found that over 80% of organizations expect to reduce agent headcount in the next 18 months, mainly through attrition, hiring pauses, or layoffs. But it’s not just about fewer agents—roles are evolving with nearly 80% of organizations planning to transition agents into new positions, and 84% are adding new skills to agent profiles. Heads of customer service and support will need to focus on preparing agents to deliver higher-value, more complex, and empathetic customer interactions.

A: AI is powering a new era of customer engagement and self-service. Leaders are investing in AI-enabled assistants for both customers and agents, intelligent routing, and proactive value delivery. 

Self-service success is a top priority, but many organizations face significant knowledge management challenges, such as backlogs of knowledge articles and inconsistent content review. To address this, 58% of leaders plan to upskill agents as knowledge management specialists, preparing them to review and curate AI-generated content.

Leaders are investing in AI-enabled knowledge systems to accelerate content creation, review, and dissemination. As a result, these leaders are seeing faster, more accurate answers for customers, and a scalable approach to delivering value at every touchpoint.

A: To maximize the benefits of AI, leaders should pursue both customer-facing and agent-facing use cases that support first contact resolution, enable seamless journeys, and drive value delivery. We recommend investing in robust knowledge management strategies and upskilling agents to work alongside AI.

Success will depend on the effective combination of AI tools—such as personalized AI assistants and AI-powered knowledge management systems—and the unique strengths of human agents. Balancing technology with human expertise is key to achieving ambitious customer experience and efficiency goals in 2026.

 Gartner clients can learn more in the report: 2026 Survey Results: Service and Support Leaders’ Goals and Game Plans.

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