Customer support is one of the first places many companies put AI to work. Chatbots answer routine questions, assistants help agents write replies and some vendors now sell AI agents that resolve issues end to end. In 2026 a series of surveys from the research firm Gartner, reported in press releases and trade media, gave a fairly detailed picture of what support leaders and customers are doing.
This article summarises those findings with dates, sample sizes and caveats. All of them come from one research firm, so they are a view from one source, not the whole market. We could not open every original release, and where a figure comes from a trade report of a Gartner survey we say so. This is a news summary, not a recommendation.
Key takeaways
- In a Gartner survey of 321 support leaders, 85 percent said they were expanding human agents’ responsibilities and 31 percent had implemented or planned AI-driven frontline layoffs through the first quarter of 2027.
- A Gartner customer survey of 3,566 people, reported on 8 July 2026, found customers about three times more likely to use third-party generative AI than a company’s own chatbot when resolving a service issue.
- Gartner reported that only 24 percent of service and support leaders saw positive financial returns across their AI use cases, even though the function put a median 12 percent of its 2025 budget into AI.
- Gartner-reported figures say 87 percent of customers want a way to reach a human when a company uses generative AI.
- All of these findings come from a single research firm, so compare them with your own data before you act.
Summary
The 2026 findings tell a mixed story. Leaders feel pressure to adopt AI and are spending more on it, yet only a minority report positive financial returns. Most are redesigning human roles instead of removing them outright, although a sizeable minority report layoffs or plans for them. Customers, meanwhile, are not waiting for company chatbots: many reach for general-purpose AI tools on their own, while insisting on access to a person.
For a small business, the most useful message may be that adoption is not the same as results. The leaders in these surveys were widely adopting AI, but fewer could show returns, which argues for measuring outcomes before expanding.
Timeline of Gartner findings
| Reported date (2026) | Finding | Sample, as reported |
|---|---|---|
| 24 February | 91 percent of service leaders feel pressure from executives to implement AI | Not stated in the trade article |
| April | 85 percent expanding human agent responsibilities; 31 percent with AI-driven frontline layoffs implemented or planned through 1Q27 | 321 support leaders, surveyed September to October 2025 |
| 8 July | Customers about three times more likely to use third-party generative AI than company chatbots | 3,566 customers, February to March 2026 |
| 8 July | Only 24 percent of service leaders report positive financial returns from AI | 1,303 senior leaders, January to April 2026 |
| 18 August | 87 percent of customers say companies must offer a route to a human | Not stated in the trade article |
| 25 September | AI spending by service leaders up 38 percent while overall budgets rose 2 percent | Not stated in the trade article |
Pressure and priorities (February)
DestinationCRM reported on 24 February that Gartner found 91 percent of service and support leaders feeling pressure from executive leadership to implement AI. Leaders’ top priorities for 2026 were improving customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and self-service success. Nearly 80 percent of organisations planned to move at least some agents into new roles, 84 percent planned to add new skills to the agent role and adjust hiring profiles, and 58 percent aimed to upskill agents into knowledge management specialists. The article does not give the sample size or survey dates.
Workforce: roles, attrition and layoffs (April)
A Gartner release dated April 2026 reported a survey of 321 customer service and support leaders worldwide, run in September and October 2025, alongside a separate Gartner survey of 5,801 US customers from January and February 2025. Key figures:
- 85 percent of leaders are expanding human agent responsibilities and adding new tasks to frontline roles.
- 75 percent are shifting agents into entirely new roles within the service organisation.
- 31 percent have implemented or are planning AI-driven frontline layoffs through the first quarter of 2027.
- 63 percent are reducing frontline headcount gradually through attrition and reallocating capacity to higher-value work.
- 80 percent report pressure to make workforce changes as AI reduces contact volumes and improves agent efficiency.
- 54 percent of customers trust human agents more than AI for product or service recommendations, versus 32 percent who trust AI more.
Note the dates. The leader survey is from late 2025 and the customer survey from early 2025, so these figures describe attitudes before most of 2026 had happened. One caption on the source page cites “October 2026,” which conflicts with the release date and survey window, so we assume it is a typo and do not use it.
| Workforce approach | Share of leaders |
|---|---|
| Expanding human agent responsibilities | 85 percent |
| Moving agents into new roles | 75 percent |
| Reducing headcount gradually through attrition | 63 percent |
| Implemented or planning AI-driven frontline layoffs through 1Q27 | 31 percent |
The categories overlap, so the percentages do not add to 100.
Customer behaviour (July and August)
CMSWire reported on 8 July that a Gartner survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers, fielded in February and March 2026, found customers roughly three times more likely to use third-party generative AI tools than company-provided chatbots when resolving a service issue. Use of third-party tools during service interactions nearly doubled over the past year, while company chatbot use has been statistically flat since 2022. Among generative AI users, 58 percent had used it to complete a task on their behalf, rising to 74 percent in B2B.
DestinationCRM reported on 18 August further Gartner figures: 50 percent of customers say interactions are easier when companies use generative AI, and 87 percent say companies must offer a way to reach a human agent. That article did not give sample details. It quotes Gartner analyst Eric Keller as advising against making generative AI a mandatory first step for every issue, since customers who are forced through repeated unsuccessful AI interactions are less likely to use that tool again.
This has a practical meaning for any business. Customers may arrive having already asked an AI assistant about your product or policy, so the information AI tools can find about you affects the conversation before it starts.
Money: spending and returns
The 8 July CMSWire report also covers a companion Gartner study of 1,303 senior leaders across industries, fielded from January to April 2026. Service and support leaders invested a median of 12 percent of their 2025 budget in AI, the highest share of the ten business functions assessed. Only 24 percent of service and support leaders reported positive financial returns across their AI use cases.
On 25 September DestinationCRM reported that service leaders’ AI spending rose 38 percent while overall service and support budgets grew 2 percent, with money shifting from labour and overhead towards technology. It quotes Gartner analyst Kim Hedlin saying hype alone does not make a technology the right solution to real business problems. The article does not give a sample size.
| Measure | Reported figure | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Median share of 2025 budget invested in AI | 12 percent, highest of ten functions | 8 July |
| Leaders reporting positive financial returns | 24 percent | 8 July |
| Change in AI spending | Up 38 percent | 25 September |
| Change in overall service budgets | Up 2 percent | 25 September |
Channels and platforms
The 25 September report says live chat and phone are currently the most valuable service channels, and that over the next two years respondents expect generative AI chatbots to become the most valuable channel, followed by live chat and generative AI voicebots. It also names three platform types expected to deliver substantially greater value over two years: no-code agent builders, communications platforms as a service and customer identity and access management. These are expectations from survey respondents, not outcomes.
How to read these numbers
- One source. Everything here comes from Gartner, via its own release or trade media. We did not find a second independent survey in this research.
- Different dates. The leader survey in April ran in late 2025, while the customer survey in July ran in early 2026. Do not mix them as if they describe the same moment.
- Missing details. Several trade articles omit sample size and method, and we could not open Gartner’s July and August releases directly.
- Reported intent is not outcome. “Planning layoffs” is not the same as layoffs happening.
- Large-organisation bias. Surveys of leaders skew towards bigger support teams. A small business may differ.
What it means for tool buyers
- Define success before you buy. With only 24 percent of leaders reporting positive returns, set measures such as resolution rate, handling time and customer satisfaction first. How to measure whether an AI tool saves time gives a method.
- Keep a human route. The 87 percent figure and Gartner’s advice suggest forcing customers through AI can backfire.
- Decide where an agent fits. A scripted chatbot, a triage assistant and an autonomous agent carry different risks. See how to choose between a chatbot and an AI agent.
- Invest in your agents’ skills. Many leaders are reshaping roles toward knowledge management and complex cases, which implies training. See how to train your team to use AI well.
- Check your content. If customers use third-party AI first, accurate public help content matters more.
A practical plan for a small support team
| Step | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sort your tickets and find the repetitive categories | See AI for customer support triage |
| 2 | Start with a narrow, well-defined chatbot or assistant | Avoid broad launches |
| 3 | Offer a clear route to a person at every stage | Write it into your policy |
| 4 | Track resolution, handling time and satisfaction before and after | Compare against your baseline |
| 5 | Review failures weekly and fix the content, not just the model | Keep a short log |
What to watch next
- Whether later surveys show a higher share of leaders reporting positive financial returns.
- Whether the reported layoffs plans turn into actual headcount changes.
- Whether customers’ use of third-party AI tools keeps growing relative to company chatbots.
- Whether independent surveys, not only Gartner, confirm these patterns.
These are questions to watch, not predictions.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI replacing customer support agents?
The Gartner figures reported here are mixed. Most leaders said they were expanding human roles and reducing headcount gradually, while 31 percent had implemented or planned AI-driven frontline layoffs through the first quarter of 2027.
Do customers like AI support?
The reports show mixed attitudes. Half of customers said interactions are easier when companies use generative AI, 54 percent of customers in an earlier survey trusted humans more for recommendations, and 87 percent want a route to a human.
Why are customers using third-party AI tools?
The sources report the behaviour but not detailed reasons. Gartner’s advice is to avoid making AI a mandatory first step.
Is AI in support worth the money?
Only 24 percent of leaders in the survey reported positive financial returns across their AI use cases, so measure your own results.
Can I rely on these numbers?
Treat them as one research firm’s findings. We did not run any tests, and we could not open every original release.
Conclusion
The 2026 picture from Gartner is of heavy investment, mixed returns, role redesign and customers who go their own way with AI while expecting human help. If you run a support team, begin with a narrow use case, measure results and keep a human route open. A good starting point is how to plan an AI customer support chatbot.
Sources
- Gartner newsroom, survey finds 31 percent of service and support leaders have implemented or are planning AI-driven frontline layoffs through 1Q27, April 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
- CMSWire, Gartner GenAI findings suggest customers do not care about your AI, 8 July 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
- DestinationCRM, Companies using GenAI for customer service must provide access to a human agent, 18 August 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
- DestinationCRM, Customer service AI spending surges amid budget stagnation, 25 September 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
- DestinationCRM, Almost all customer service leaders under pressure to implement AI this year, 24 February 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
