What's Inside?
AI for Customer Service: 71% More Efficiency with Human Agents
Written by Bene De Ramos September 28, 2025
Artificial intelligence in customer service will not replace human agents any time soon, yet AI can improve efficiency and productivity by 71%, comprehensive service by 80%, and customer happiness by 57%. In turn, these improvements can lead to better business outcomes. You can use AI tools to your advantage without fear of taking over the warm touch of human agents. Take a look at what AI can do and how you can leverage it for your company’s success.
Key Takeaways
- AI Augments Human Agents, It Does Not Replace Them: The primary role of Artificial Intelligence in customer service is to augment and enhance the capabilities of human agents. AI automates routine tasks, which frees up human professionals to focus on more complex, empathetic, and high-value customer interactions.
- Leads to Significant and Measurable Performance Improvements: The integration of AI has resulted in dramatic and quantifiable improvements in key customer service metrics. These include a 71% increase in agent efficiency, a reduction in average live chat wait times to just 23 seconds, and a 57% increase in overall customer happiness.
- Creates a Demand for New, AI-Capable Human Skills: To effectively leverage these new technologies, companies must hire and train agents with a new set of skills. Beyond traditional customer service abilities, businesses now need to screen for capabilities in data analytics, data security, prompt engineering, and conversation design.
- Offshoring is a Strategic Way to Access AI-Skilled Talent: As the demand for AI-capable agents grows, offshoring to a tech-savvy talent hub like the Philippines offers a reliable and cost-effective solution. It allows companies to access a large pool of professionals who are adapting to an AI-reliant future, all while achieving significant cost savings.
What Is AI for Customer Service?
Artificial intelligence has advanced quickly in recent years, and the customer service space has received its share of AI-enhanced tools. However, opinions across the industry have been unanimous: AI is not ready to take over the responsibilities of human agents. Blake Morgan from Forbes says that experts agree customer service positions will only be augmented and automated but not replaced. In addition, 75% of customer experience leaders see AI amplifying human intelligence and not replacing it.
How AI Can Power Your Customer Service
1. 71% More Agent Efficiency and Productivity
In focus, AI or automation frees human agents to be more efficient and productive by as much as 71%. A person can focus on more important tasks while leaving basic responsibilities to AI. Moreover, contact center artificial intelligence can assist human agents through insightful support. Tools can implement sentiment or intent analysis to evaluate customer interactions and accordingly de-escalate or improve situations. Bernard Marr, a LinkedIn Top Voice on AI, said that “AI-powered tools can analyze customer interactions, extract valuable insights, and assist agents in real-time. The technology can free up time for more human, empathetic interactions.” AI helps agents provide a human touch to interactions and empathically help customers with their concerns, leading to higher client satisfaction.
2. Wait Times of 23 Seconds
Customers value their time, and they expect companies to do the same. This expectation places importance on wait and response times. With the assistance of call center automation and AI, wait times have decreased to a record lowest point since the inception of the Live Chat Benchmark Report 2024. The average live chat wait time was 23 seconds in 2023. Average response times also fell in 2023 to 46 seconds.
At the same time, AI-powered chatbots monitor conversations, supplying live agents with context-relevant answers. Human agents need not search for type answers anymore. With this, customers may feel that they and their time are valued.
3. Average Handling Times of 9 Minutes
Average handle times reflect how fast customers receive resolutions to their concerns. Low AHT means faster resolutions. However, AHT can also reflect the quality of solutions customers receive. With this, a balanced AHT must be achieved by contact teams.
AI has improved AHT in 2023 with a 19% drop. This has placed average handle times at 9 minutes and 36 seconds. Comm100 evaluated this trend as an improvement due to AI-assistance. Additionally, the trend reflected an assurance that quality was upheld despite the drop in AHT.
4. Increase Customer Happiness by 57%
AI tools can perform sentiment or intent analysis. These solutions parse huge volumes of data across various channels and mediums. AI can then provide you with accurate information on trends and customer preferences. You can use these insights to further optimize your customer service, resulting in higher customer satisfaction. In fact, AI call centers in the UK with remaining human teams have already reported improved customer happiness by 57%.
Analytical tools powered by AI assist you in enhancing leadership decision-making. You can steer your company toward better shores because you have deeply insightful information on your market. You can create better products or services, while catering to customer concerns.
Augment Your Team with AI-Experienced Agents
1. Hire AI-Capable Agents
With all the ways integration of AI can improve your customer service, you will need people who can steer AI toward your organizational goals and overall company success. AI telemarketing tools will only be as effective as the people who wield them. To this end, you can build up your company’s AI capability by hiring experienced or knowledgeable agents.
2. Screen for AI Skills
You must screen for AI skills in candidate applications. Skills to watch out for include:
- Data analytics
- Data security
- Natural language processing
- Knowledge management
- Conversation design
- Prompt engineering
3. Evaluate AI Tool Capability
In addition to AI skills, applicants must also be well-versed in AI tools. These AI tools are existing devices that can already perform tasks and work. Only seamless integration will be required. Candidates must know how to use common AI tools such as:
- ChatGPT
- Custify
- Fin
4. AI Questions to Ask
To determine the level of experience an applicant has in AI call center technology, you may ask the following questions:
- Have you used AI in customer service?
- What is your experience using AI in customer service?
- What AI tools for customer service have you used?
- How have you used AI to resolve or respond to customers?
5. Offshore AI-Skilled Agents
Now, hiring AI-experienced customer service talent is no easy feat, given current labor shortages all over the world. For this reason, you may consider offshoring human agents. Offshoring is a reliable solution to acquire capable workers for considerable cost savings. Offshoring to the Philippines also makes sense because it is the BPO capital of the world. You can offshore agents who are already AI-capable. Remote workers in the Philippines are technologically savvy, and many Filipino professionals are keeping pace with AI advancements. You can access and onboard such talent onto your team while saving on labor costs. Check out this offshoring salary calculator to see how much you can save.
Establish AI Capability with AI-Skilled Agents
Human agents will continue to have a place in customer service even with AI in BPO centers. To become AI-capable, however, you need AI-experienced people in your team. Find AI-capable employees by offshoring and onboarding AI-skilled Philippine talent through the help of an offshoring partner. With the right people and AI skills, you may see expected boosts to customer service performance while minimizing risks. AI is here to stay for good, and your company will only benefit from AI-enhanced customer service.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, AI is not expected to replace human agents. Instead, it is viewed as a powerful tool to augment their abilities. AI automates the more repetitive and basic tasks, which allows human agents to focus their time and energy on more complex and empathetic customer interactions that require a human touch.
The main benefits are significant and measurable improvements in key performance metrics. This includes a 71% increase in agent efficiency and productivity, a reduction in average live chat wait times to as low as 23 seconds, a 19% drop in average call handle times, and a 57% increase in overall customer happiness.
AI makes human agents more efficient by handling the basic, high-volume inquiries and tasks, which frees up the agents to concentrate on more complex customer problems. AI-powered tools can also assist agents in real-time by analyzing customer interactions and providing them with context-relevant answers and data, which reduces the need for manual research during a call.
Beyond traditional customer service skills, a company should screen for a combination of technical and analytical capabilities. These include skills in data analytics, data security, natural language processing, conversation design, and prompt engineering, as well as a demonstrated familiarity with common AI tools.
Given the current global shortage of talent with specific AI skills, offshoring to a location like the Philippines provides access to a large, tech-savvy workforce that is actively upskilling for an AI-reliant future. This strategy allows companies to hire the AI-capable agents they need at a significantly lower cost than in their domestic market.
