AI to handle 60 per cent of Australian customer queries by 2027
Australian customer service is expected to undergo significant change over the next three years as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more deeply embedded in operations. New research shows that AI is currently resolving 31 per cent of customer service cases in Australia, with projections indicating this will rise to 60 per cent by 2027.
AI priorities
AI has moved to the forefront of priorities for service leaders in Australia. Local organisations are focusing on AI to reshape customer experience strategies.
AI's growing capability to operate as an independent agent is at the centre of this change, handling routine and repetitive tasks so that human workers can address more complex customer needs.
"AI is now the undeniable, number one priority for Australian service leaders as our local organisations evolve and elevate their customer experience approaches. This monumental shift to the 'agentic enterprise' will free up valuable human talent to focus on complex problem-solving, developing new skills, and capturing high-value opportunities," said Jane Brown, SVP Sales, Salesforce in ANZ.
Financial and business impact
Service leaders anticipate tangible business benefits from integrating AI agents. They project a 15 per cent increase in upsell revenue in Australia, with cost reductions and improvements in customer satisfaction also top priorities. In New Zealand, the potential revenue increase is estimated at 20 per cent.
The report indicates that as AI agents or digital labour become standard, service teams will use these tools to manage a majority of routine enquiries. This is expected to reduce operational costs and allow human employees to engage in higher-value tasks.
Changing work roles
The shift to AI has changed the nature of work for service representatives. In the Asia-Pacific region, representatives using AI spend 20 per cent less time on routine service cases, freeing up roughly four hours each week to focus on more demanding or unusual problems.
The addition of agentic AI enables reps to devote up to a quarter of their week to highly complex cases.
"Our implementation of Agentforce on Service Cloud is allowing us to scale our service operations effectively, providing a means of augmenting our customer service teams with digital labour that will help reduce call volumes by an anticipated 20%," said Robert Sutton, Commercial Director, Sutton Tools.
"By taking on tasks like providing product and inventory information autonomously, Agentforce will enable our teams to concentrate on personalised support and complex issues, rising to the challenge of meeting increased customer expectations, while we navigate the same challenges many service leaders called out in this research, such as operational costs, talent shortages and resolution times," said Sutton.
There is evidence that staff are adapting to the changes brought by AI. Among those working with AI in Australia, 91 per cent have developed new skills, and 92 per cent say their role has become more specialised. Mentoring colleagues, leading projects and working with key clients are increasingly common among AI-enabled staff.
Security issues
Security remains the most significant obstacle to broader AI implementation, cited as a limiting factor by nearly half of Australian service leaders.
For many organisations, managing the risks around data protection and system accuracy is critical as they move to greater reliance on automated agents.
"While AI is the clear number one priority for Australian service leaders, the top challenge they face during implementation remains security concerns. These results provide a clear path forward: Australian enterprises that ground these implementations in a foundation of security and trust can ensure they are safely accelerating their adoption of agentic AI, turning their investment into measurable business value and overcoming siloed complexity," said Brown.
