Most Service Leaders Are Expanding Agent Roles, Not Cutting Staff
Eighty-five percent of customer service and support leaders are expanding human agent responsibilities as AI handles routine work, according to a Gartner survey of 321 leaders conducted in September and October 2025. Only 31 percent have implemented or plan AI-driven layoffs through the first quarter of 2027.
The findings contradict widespread expectations of mass workforce reductions. Instead, organizations are redesigning roles rather than eliminating them.
How Companies Are Managing the Shift
Sixty-three percent of service leaders are reducing frontline headcount through attrition while reassigning agents to higher-value work. This approach preserves institutional knowledge and avoids disruption costs associated with layoffs.
Seventy-five percent of leaders are moving agents into entirely new roles within their service organizations. Eighty-five percent are adding new tasks and responsibilities to existing positions.
The pattern reflects a strategic choice: organizations can either reduce costs by doing the same work cheaper, or redeploy people into work that AI cannot do and customers value most.
What Customers Actually Want From Humans
A separate Gartner survey of 5,801 U.S. customers found that 54 percent trust human agents more than AI for product or service recommendations, compared with 32 percent who trust AI more.
This gap matters for HR planning. Complex decisions, advisory interactions, and high-stakes situations still require human judgment and empathy-skills that remain difficult to automate.
The Workforce Redesign Imperative
Eighty percent of service leaders report pressure to change their workforce as AI reduces contact volume and improves efficiency. Without a deliberate redesign plan, leaders risk having one imposed on them by external circumstances.
Organizations that use AI only to cut costs miss a strategic opportunity. The advantage comes from combining AI efficiency with human judgment to deliver outcomes technology alone cannot achieve.
For HR professionals, this means workforce transformation planning should focus on skill development, role definition, and career progression rather than severance logistics.
Learn more about AI for Human Resources or explore the AI Learning Path for CHROs to understand how to lead these transitions effectively.
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