With 2024 drawing to an end, Gartner has made a bold prediction for the future of the customer service space.
Moving forward, the research and consulting firm believes that customers will increasingly look to unofficial third-party generative AI (GenAI) tools to solve their queries.
Indeed, Gartner predicts that unofficial solutions - such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Apple Intelligence - will solve 40 percent of all customer service issues by 2027.
The company argues that the widespread availability of GenAI within popular consumer tools is altering customer behavior, which will result in more and more customers turning to these platforms for their convenience.
Consequently, customer service teams could well see a decrease in direct first-party service interactions.
In expounding on the prediction, Daniel O’Sullivan, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service and Support practice, commented:
As customers increasingly self-solve issues through GenAI-enabled tools, there will be diminished demand for official first-party service.
"When customers do have to engage with first-party service, their expectations will be higher."
Evolve and Adapt
Unless Gartner’s crystal ball is malfunctioning, customer service departments will have to make some considerable adjustments to their offerings in the next three years.
But this is a lot easier said than done.
The nature of first-party service channels dictates that they often require customers to navigate unfamiliar interfaces or wait for assistance.
GenAI-powered third-party platforms on the other hand, offer customers a more effortless experience – providing instant solutions within familiar apps, devices, and websites.
For Gartner, the best way to combat this is by prioritizing unique self-service experiences and investing in handling complex queries that third-party tools cannot easily address.
Customer service leaders should concentrate "their investments on self-service capabilities that supplement, rather than replace, third-party options," O’Sullivan explains.
The research firm also predicts that the low-effort allure of third-party GenAI tools will inevitably lead to higher customer expectations.