Few Customer Service Firms Achieve AI Returns
A Gartner survey of service leaders found only 4% of customer service organizations have realized expected return on their AI initiatives.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Gartner surveyed 275 service and support leaders in July and August 2026 and found that just 4% of customer service organizations achieved their expected return on investment from AI. Many leaders report struggling to turn AI spending into measurable value.
Why it matters
The gap suggests that deploying AI tools alone does not guarantee business returns in customer service. Gartner's findings point to foundational data and knowledge work as a factor separating organizations that see value from those that do not.
Gartner's survey of 275 service and support leaders found 4% achieved expected AI ROI. AI-forward organizations invest nearly 1.8 times more in data and knowledge management foundations than in AI use cases themselves.
The players
Gartner
Gartner is a global research and advisory firm that publishes technology market surveys and forecasts widely used by enterprise leaders.
The details
Gartner found AI-forward service organizations use AI to analyze customer conversations and feedback at scale, identifying needs and recurring friction. These organizations are building connected AI portfolios aligned to strategic business objectives rather than pursuing isolated tools.
Timeline
The Gartner survey was conducted from July through August 2026.
Gartner projects that by 2028, organizations building AI portfolios will achieve twice the business value of standalone use cases.
The Tech Race
Gartner predicts that by 2028, organizations building AI portfolios will achieve twice the business value of those pursuing standalone AI use cases. The current 4% ROI figure suggests many firms are still on the standalone side of that divide.
Customer service teams relying on AI tools may need to examine whether their data and knowledge foundations are sufficient before expanding deployments. Customers may notice whether AI-driven service actually resolves their issues or adds friction.
The takeaway
Investing in data and knowledge foundations appears to matter as much as the AI tools themselves. Organizations that connect AI to clear business objectives are positioned to capture more value than those treating AI as a standalone expense.
Further reading
For more on how organizations are putting these tools to work, see Artificial Intelligence coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by IT-Online.
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