Sixth Edition State of Service

SIXTH EDITION
State of
Service
Insights from over 5,500 customer
service professionals worldwide on
support in the AI era.
SALESFORCE S TAT E O F S E R V I C E , 6 T H E DI T I O N 2
Executive Service is in a state of flux — and full of opportunity. Today's customers

demand fast, consistent, and personalized interactions every time they
Letter engage with a company. They’re looking for brands that offer exceptional
service and protect their data — all while delivering service at scale (driven
by technologies like AI).
We’re only beginning to understand the possibilities and implications

of AI, but one thing is clear: the companies that use it effectively and
ethically will come out on top. At Salesforce, we strongly believe that
now is the time for businesses to create efficient, innovative, and secure
customer experiences with trust as a number-one priority.
In our latest "State of Service" report, we surveyed over 5,500 service

professionals worldwide to get the latest answers to today’s most pressing
questions. Our findings reveal that high-performing organizations are
meeting the challenge of customers’ rising expectations. And as leaders
focus more attention on generating revenue, the pressure is on to invest
in technology that directly impacts the bottom line.
Insights from today's service professionals are a valuable guide for

turning that vision into a reality. We hope this research will serve as a
helpful resource as you navigate what’s next in customer service — so you
can face the future with confidence.
Kishan Chetan
EVP & GM
Salesforce Service Cloud
What You’ll Find

in This Report
For the sixth edition of the “State of Service” report,
Salesforce surveyed over 5,500 service professionals
worldwide to discover:
• How service organizations are adapting to rising

customer expectations
• Which metrics and channels are most important
to high-performing service leaders
• How artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping roles
and operations
Due to rounding, not all percentage totals in this report

sum to 100%. All comparison calculations are made
from total numbers (not rounded numbers).
Data in this report is from a double-anonymous survey

conducted from December 8, 2023, through 5,550 service professionals
January 22, 2024. Respondents represent 30 countries
surveyed worldwide
across five continents. All respondents are third-party
panelists. For further survey demographics, see page 36.
Who We Surveyed
In this report, we refer to the following respondent groups.
Decision Makers
Service vice presidents, directors, and team leaders
Service Operations
Service professionals who oversee operations and equip
internal teams with tools, systems, and processes
Agents
Frontline employees who support customers from the
employee’s home, store, or office
Mobile Workers
Frontline employees who provide support in the field, at
the customer's home or business — in-person or virtually
Service Professionals
All survey respondents, inclusive of all groups above
What You’ll Find in This Report

Throughout this report, we classify survey respondents across the following tiers of service performance.
Service Performance Levels
High performers
49% rate their customer
satisfaction as excellent
Underperformers
8% rate their customer
satisfaction as fair or poor
Moderate performers
rate their customer
satisfaction as good
43%
Contents
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07
Chapter 1 | Faster, More Personalized Service Becomes the Norm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08
Spotlight: Proactive Support Remains an Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 2 | Service Organizations Double Down on Revenue Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Spotlight: Field Service Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 3 | Organizations Lean into AI and Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Spotlight: AI Drives Demand for Trusted Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Survey Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Executive
Summary 01 Faster, More Personalized Service Becomes the Norm
Customers want better, faster service that’s tailored just for them. In fact,
Customer service is in a state 82% of agents and 76% of mobile workers say customers ask for more
of flux. As budgets and staffing than they used to. The good news is service organizations are getting better
levels increase, so have customer at meeting that demand. Sixty-nine percent of agents say balancing
expectations, keeping efficiency customer service speed and quality is difficult — down from 76% in 2022.
critical for delivering higher quality
of service.
Decision makers are looking to 02 Service Organizations Double Down on Revenue Generation
Amid growing headcounts and budgets, service organizations are under
technologies like AI and automation
to help their organizations meet pressure to find new ways to increase revenue and efficiency. Eighty-five
these challenges. They hope that percent of decision makers say service is expected to contribute a
these tools will allow them to larger share of revenue this year.
achieve both the speed and quality
of next-generation customer service.
03 Organizations Lean into AI and Automation

While the widespread adoption of AI may still be in its early stages, benefits
are already clear. Among service professionals at organizations investing in
AI, 93% say the technology saves them time on the job.
1
Faster, More
Personalized Service
Becomes the Norm
01 Service Teams
Rise to Meet Service Contends with Speed and Personalization Demands
New Challenges Customers Who Say the Following*
Customers’ expectations continue Good customer service

makes me more likely to 88%
to increase. They want faster, more purchase again
personalized service and expect
companies to adapt. When companies I expect to interact with
someone immediately 77%
meet these expectations, customers are
when I contact a company
more likely to purchase again — making
quality interactions essential to keep I expect companies to
customers coming back. adapt to my changing 65%
needs/preferences
Service organizations say they’re getting

better at delivering what customers
Service Professionals Who Say the Following
demand. Compared to 2022, fewer agents
struggle to balance speed with quality — 86%
Customer expectations are
and the share of “underperformers” in higher than they used to be 74%
State of Service surveys dropped from
14% to just 8%.
82%
Customers ask for more
69% of agents say balancing than they used to
76%
speed and quality is difficult —
down from 76% in 2022. Customers expect a 81%
personal touch more
than they used to 73%
78%
Customers seem more
rushed than they used to Agents
72%
Mobile workers
*
Salesforce State of the Connected Customer, August 2023
01 Customer
Experience Tops Customers Are Top-of Mind Amid Many Priorities and Concerns
Both Priorities Top 5 Service Priorities
and Challenges 1 Improve the customer experience
From technical to financial to operational 2 Improve service technologies
concerns, service decision makers balance

many competing needs. For example, they 3 Improve data quality and reliability
may be looking at how to cut costs while

4 Optimize operations to reduce costs
upskilling the workforce and optimizing
operations for productivity. 5 Improve workforce skills
Ultimately, the customer is service

Base: Decision makers
organizations' primary focus. Decision
makers’ top priority is improving the customer
experience and their biggest challenge is Top 5 Service Challenges
keeping pace with customer expectations.
1 Keeping up with changing customer expectations
2 Pressure to reduce costs to serve
3 Budgetary constraints
4 Ineffective or inefficient processes
5 Insufficient tools and technologies
Base: Decision makers

01 Service Organizations Expand Channel Offerings

Service professionals are taking a closer look at their channel strategies, making sure they meet customers where, when, and
how those customers want to engage.
84% of decision makers say they're reevaluating their channel resourcing this year.
High-performing organizations provide service across a broader range of channels than underperformers. This disparity is
especially notable in live chat, adopted by nearly nine in 10 high performers — but just 60% of underperformers. There are
also substantial performance-based gaps in channels like video support and online community forums.
Video, Chat, and Online Communities Mirror Service Performance
Service Organizations That Use the Following Channels
91% 91%
86% 86%
87% 87% 83% 86% 85% 90% 90%
84% 82% 84% 84% 80% 84% 82%
78% 76% 80% 77% 78% 79%
73% 72% 75% 76% 84%
65% 65% 67% 65%
60% 58% 59% 61%
53% 55%
Video Online Online Mobile Messenger Social Knowledge Text/SMS Customer Online In person Phone Email
support communities/ chat/live app apps media bases portal forms
forums support
Total 77% 76% 81% 78% 79% 82% 79% 81% 82% 81% 84% 90% 90%
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers

Base: Service professionals
01 Messenger
Apps Take Off Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Lead in Worldwide Usage
Adoption of messaging apps among Service Organizations That Use the Following Messaging Apps
service organizations is on the rise
Total
worldwide, led by Asian and Latin 51%
Facebook 58%
American organizations. Messenger
59% 62%
64%
79% of service organizations 42%
use messenger apps — up WhatsApp 55%
56%
59%
from 70% in 2020. 55%
52%
Although Facebook Messenger and Google Business 56%
WhatsApp reign supreme globally, Messages
54% 53%
51%
penetration of different apps varies across
regions. For example, 59% of service 35%
Instagram Direct 43%
organizations worldwide use Meta's Messenger
46% 49%
Facebook Messenger, with Instagram a 61%
very close second in Latin America. 16%

29%
Telegram 29% 34%
32%
15%
Apple 28%
Business Chat
25% 22%
28%
19%
19%
WeChat 21% 24%
North America
24%
Europe, Middle East,
and Africa
6%
10% Asia Pacific
LINE 12% 17%
15% Latin America

01 Self-Service Is
a Win-Win for High Performers Lead in Self-Service
Customers and
Organizations
80% 81%
73% 68%
56% 49%
Empowering customers to solve

their own issues with self-service tools 75%
of service
73%
of service
can be a win-win for organizations, organizations provide organizations provide
a self-service solution a service chatbot
catering to customer preferences while
saving resources.
61% of customers would

rather use self-service for
simple issues.*
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Self-service can take many forms — from

knowledge-powered help centers, to
customer portals, to AI-powered chatbots. Base: Service professionals
High-performing organizations are much

more likely than underperformers to
provide such tools. However, there’s little
room for error: 72% of customers won’t
reuse a company’s chatbot after just one
negative experience.*
*
01 High
Performers High Performers Offer More Effective Self-Service
Embrace Service Professionals Who Say the Following*
Self-Service Customers solve most Agents often need to

simple, routine issues help customers resolve
through self-service simple, routine issues
High-performing organizations see greater
success than their peers in resolving cases High performers 72% 28%
via self-service — but self-service doesn't

Moderate performers 62% 38%
work for every engagement.
Underperformers 47% 53%
Sometimes customer issues can be too
unique for self-service, requiring human Total 67% 33%
agents. Here, agents are key to resolving

cases and preserving relationships.
However, some issues with self-service
are more under companies’ control, such Agents Who Say the Following About Self-Service at Their Organization*
as simplifying instructions and keeping
materials up-to-date.
Customers’ issues are
65%
often too unique
Self-service solves an
estimated 54% of customer Materials are not
62%
issues, on average, at always up-to-date
organizations that use it. Instructions are often too

59%
complicated to follow
*
Base: Has self-service
SPOTLIGHT: Proactive Support Remains an Opportunity

When it comes to proactive support, service professionals and their customers don't see eye-to-eye.
Sixty-one percent of service professionals say their organizations address issues proactively — for example, by
communicating or even resolving an issue before customers reach out. However, only a third of customers agree. This
could indicate company overconfidence.
Customers Say Proactive Support is Rare
It's essential to proactively

resolve issues before they have
61% but 33%
any significant business impact.
This means keeping up with
of service professionals
say their organization only of customers agree that technology solutions to scale
addresses service the typical company
issues proactively. does this.* service and meet customers
where they are.”
JULES O’DONNELL
SALESFORCE ADMINISTRATION MANAGER,
QUICKBASE
*
2
Service Organizations
Double Down on
Revenue Generation
02 Budgets,
Headcount, Service Organizations Foresee Higher Budgets and Case Volume
Cases Poised Changes Decision Makers Anticipate Over the Next Year
to Rise Budget 80% 15% 5%
Delivering excellent customer service

at every touchpoint is worthwhile but
Case volume 76% 21% 3% Increase
potentially costly. Indeed, most service
professionals say they need more budget No change
to hit their goals. This is especially true Headcount 76% 20% 5%

Decrease
of service ops and team leads, who may
be closer to the action than many service
leaders but still have a bird’s-eye view of
all that needs doing. Service Professionals Who Say Team Can’t Reach Goals Without More Budget
The good news is bigger budgets and

increased headcounts may be on the Service operations 77%
horizon. However, service organizations

are also bracing for an anticipated uptick Service team leads 70%
in case volume, raising the question:

will higher budgets keep pace with Mobile workers 62%
customer demand?
Agents 55%
Decision makers expect

Service leadership/head
service budgets to increase of customer service
53%
by an average of 23% over

the next year.
02 KPIs Show
Growing Focus Revenue Leads Surge in Metrics Tracking
on Financial Service Organizations That Track the Following Metrics
Metrics Revenue
51%
SLA performance
53%
80% 69%
73% 70%
2022 saw an uptick in service
91% 81%
organizations measuring case deflection,
Customer satisfaction First contact resolution
signaling a focus on efficiency. Two years 80% 51%
later, revenue growth is joining the roster 87% 65%
74% 69%
of popular KPIs. 88% 80%
Employee experience Customer lifetime value

Compared to 2022, companies now track 75% 61%
more metrics overall. The fastest growing 77% 61%
73% 68%
KPIs are linked to tangible business 86% 80%
outcomes. For instance, the share of Customer retention Cost per contact
service organizations tracking revenue 57% 51%
79% 61%
generation has nearly doubled since 2018, 72% 67%
from 51% to 91%. Meanwhile, the share 86% 79%
tracking customer retention rose by 29 Average response time Customer effort score
69% 44%
percentage points over the same period.
78% 60%
71% 69%
85% 78%
Agent case volume Case deflection

64% 36%
77% 56%
71% 67%
84% 71%
Average handle time

70% 2018 2020 2022 2024
78%
71%
84% Base: Service professionals
02 Revenue
Generation Organizations Leverage Service for Additional Revenue
Grows as a Agents Who Say the Following
Service Function I have access to quality, up-to-date

training on our products/services
78%
Companies are looking for new ways

to drive growth and protect their Agents are trained to upsell 68%
margins, with many seeing service as

a prime opportunity. Agents are responsible for
57%
revenue generation metrics
Both agents and mobile workers are up
close and personal with customers. These
professionals have a huge potential to
influence buying decisions, suggest new
subscriptions or equipment upgrades, Frequency with Which the Following Service Professionals Try to Upsell
and make proactive recommendations
for follow-up service. 52%
36%
24% 23%
85% of decision makers 11% 11%
18%
14%
6%
say service is expected to 5%
contribute a larger share of Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always
revenue this year.

Agents Mobile workers
02 Service
Depends on High Performers Benefit from Integrated Customer Data
Cross-Company Service Professionals Who Say Agents Have a Complete
Data
and Accessible View of the Following
Total
86%
Customers’ sales/
92% 68%
The path to purchase can be complex, ecommerce interactions
39%
influenced by touch points across
multiple teams. Smooth partnerships 80%
Customers’
with sales and marketing are critical 91% 68%
marketing interactions
as more customers expect connected, 41%
cohesive interactions.
82%
Customers’ interactions
79% of customers expect with other service agents
91% 70%
47%
consistency across
departments — but 56% often High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
have to repeat information to

different representatives.*
80%
15%
30%
While agents at high-performing service 49%
of agents say better access to
organizations have much more visibility other departments’ data would
26%
improve their work.
into customers’ sales, marketing, and
service data, over one in four agents of
83%
of agents say they
agents still lack that insight. often lack context
about a customer’s
situation
of decision makers plan to invest
more in data integration over the
next year.
High performers Moderate Performers Underperformers
*
02 Organizations
Strive for Top Service Teams Align with Sales and Marketing
Consistent Service Professionals Who Say the Following
Customer Total
Experiences
93%
Our service organization
shares accountability for
customer satisfaction KPIs
88% 87%
with sales and marketing

Service organizations are aligning more 64%
closely with sales and marketing to

achieve more connected customer
experiences. For example, many teams
85%
are connecting customer relationship Our service organization’s
management (CRM) systems and sharing relationship with other 81% 79%
accountability for metrics like CSAT. These departments is connected
61%
efforts cultivate a better understanding
of customers’ interactions across the
company, which which helps service
organizations better serve their needs. 82%
Our service organization
A connected experience is a huge shares a CRM with sales 74% 68%
differentiator. High-performing service and marketing*
52%
organizations are more connected to
other departments, sharing goals and
technologies with sales and marketing. High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
*
Base: Service professionals at organizations with a CRM
SALESFORCE RESE ARCH S TAT E O F S E R V I C E , 6 T H E DI T I O N 22
SPOTLIGHT:
Field Service Technology Helps Mobile Workers Feel Safer, More Effective
Technology
Mobile Workers with the Following Capabilities
Mobile workers say dedicated field Intelligent scheduling 76%

service technologies make them
safer and more effective at their Intelligent routing 74%
jobs — empowering them to be

Augmented reality apps 37%
better brand ambassadors.
Video support 27%
90% of decision makers AI-generated summaries
say their company invests and reports
23%
in specialized technology
to improve mobile
worker productivity.*
Mobile Workers Who Agree with the Following
The most common field service Our technology helps me feel

81%
safe en route to appointments
technologies are intelligent
scheduling and routing. However, Our technology helps me feel
78%
safe during appointments
some organizations use video,
The information I have in the
AI-generated reports, and field is always up to date
74%
augmented reality — which can

The technology I have in the
72%
create detailed 3D rendering of field empowers me to be agile
large areas in seconds. The share of cases assigned
68%
to field service is increasing
Environmental sustainability is a top

66%
priority for our service organization
*
Base: Decision makers at organizations
with mobile workers.
3
Organizations
Lean into AI
and Automation
03 Manual
Processes Pull Nearly Two-Thirds of Agent Time Spent Away from Customers
Agents Away How Agents Spend Their Time During an Average Week
from Customers 17%
Inefficient processes and manual

taskwork monopolize agents' time and
jeopardize the customer experience. Manually entering
case notes 16% 39%
Administrative work, internal meetings, Working with
and other mundane tasks take up nearly

Internal meetings
and trainings 61%
Other tasks
customers
two-thirds of agents’ workday. Administrative tasks
Another productivity blocker is disjointed Other 20%

processes. Over half of agents at 7%
underperforming organizations have to
click between multiple screens just to
access the information they need to do
their job. This fragmented workflow slows
agents down and may also increase the 58% of agents at underperforming organizations
risk of errors. toggle between multiple screens to find what they
need — compared to 36% at high performers.
03 Organizations
Seek Efficiency Case Complexity and Supported Products Are Increasing
Amid Tougher Service Professionals Who Say the Following
Workloads 79%
I support more products/
services than I did a year ago
Customer service professionals are spread 73%
thin. In fact, 77% of agents and 74%
of mobile workers report increased and
more complex workloads compared to
77%
just one year ago. Over half say they’ve My workload has increased
over the past year
experienced burnout, whether they work 74%
in a contact center or in the field.
Fortunately, organizations are taking

65%
steps to improve the issue. The My cases are more
success of these efforts could affect complex than a year ago
66%
companies' abilities to attract and retain
high-performing employees.
56%
69% of service decision makers I've experienced
say agent attrition is a major or burnout at work
57%
moderate challenge.
Agents Mobile workers

03 AI Investments
Increase A Majority of Teams Plan to Increase Their AI Investment
Most service organizations are investing 6%

in AI. Eighty-three percent of decision No plans
to use AI
makers expect this investment to increase
13%
over the next year, while only 6% say they Evaluating AI
49%
Fully implemented AI
have no plans for the technology. (not used yet)
79%
For years, companies have used predictive
AI for tasks like providing next best
of service organizations
actions and analyzing trends. Today’s are investing in AI.
generative AI can create original content
30%
like text, imagery, and video using large Experimenting
with AI
language models. This may be why,
despite being fairly new, generative AI is
quickly gaining traction. Base: Service professionals
24% of service employees have

used generative AI.*
Service Organizations Investing in AI
88%
83%
74%
56%
of decision makers
plan to increase AI
investment next year.
High Moderate Underperformers
performers performers
*
03 Automation
Resolves Simple Automation Provides More Time to Focus on Customers
Tasks So Agents Service Organizations That Have or Plan to Have the Following
Can Get Strategic Process/workflow

81% 12%
automation
Service organizations are turning toward

Automated transcription of
automation and AI amid a push for efficiency. phone conversations
74% 12%
Nearly all organizations have invested in

workflow automation. Plans for further Have currently Piloting or planning to
have within 18 months
investment suggest confidence in the
technology to drive productivity.
83% of decision makers plan Reported Benefits of Automation

to increase investments in 7%
Time savings 54% 39% 1%
automation over the next year.
8%
Time savings tops the list of workflow Ability to focus on
52% 39% 1%
individual customers
automation benefits. Additionally, the bulk of
8%
automation users credit the technology with Connection with
52% 38% 1%
fewer errors and more time with customers. other departments
10%
Reduction of errors 50% 38% 1%
8%
Time to take on
49% 42% 1%
new projects
Major benefit Moderate benefit Minor benefit No benefit
Base: Service professionals at organizations using automation

SALESFORCE RESE ARCH S TAT E O F S E R V I C E , 6 T H E DI T I O N 28
SPOTLIGHT:
AI Drives
Demand for Leaders Stress Need for Better Data Management
Trusted Data
Instilling trust in AI means instilling
trust in the data that powers it. Service
87% 94%
organizations see more room for
improvement on this front than their
of analytics and IT leaders of business leaders feel
peers in other departments. say advances in AI make their organization should
data management be getting more value
92% of analytics and IT leaders a high priority. out of its data.
say the need for trustworthy

data is higher than ever.
People closest to the data, like data
and analytics teams, have the highest
confidence in their data. This level of trust
is less common among line-of-business Departments Completely Confident in Data Accuracy
leaders, revealing an opportunity to
inspire more confidence in marketing,
57% 53%
sales, and service data — and, by 45% 42% 40%
extension, more trust in AI accuracy.
Data and IT Marketing Sales Service

Analytics
Data on this page comes from Salesforce's

State of Data and Analytics.
03 AI Linked
to Better AI Boosts Customer Experience, Saves Time, and Reduces Costs
Customer Service How Service Organizations Use AI*
Service organizations most commonly use 70% 68% 67% 64%

AI in customer-facing intelligent assistants. 57% 55%
Other common use cases include

generating service responses and making
intelligent offers and recommendations.
Customer-facing Automated Service Agent-facing Intelligent Knowledge
intelligent summaries responses intelligent offers and article creation
The benefits are clear: over nine in 10 assistants and reports assistants recommendations
organizations with AI report cost and
time savings. Service ops professionals
are especially bullish on the technology;
nearly all agree that generative AI, in Service Professionals Who Say the Following
particular, will help their companies
improve customer service. 95% 95% 95% 94% 92% 88%
85% 86% 83% 87%
78% 80%
67% 64%
The best technology 55% 60%
implementations are about

making my service agents'
lives easier — like using AI
to suggest an appropriate AI saves me time AI helps our Generative AI helps Our organization has
response in real time during a on the job* service organization
reduce costs*
companies better
serve customers
a completely defined
AI strategy
live chat session or a next best
action for an agent to take.” Service ops Decision makers Agents Mobile workers
JOSH RAY
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BUSINESS *
Base: Organization invests in AI
SYSTEMS ANALYST
03 Human
Connection Employees Tackle More Challenging Work at Organizations with AI
Builds Trust
as Technology
Evolves 89% 37%
of customers say it’s of customers trust AI
important to know if to be as accurate
While the capabilities of AI and automation they’re talking to AI as a human.
or a human.
are exciting, it’s important to remember
that these technologies can’t replace
frontline workers. Instead, AI and
automation give employees the time and
tools to do their best work. Salesforce State of the Connected Customer, August 2023
92% of service professionals say Agents Who Say the Following

nurturing customer relationships
is increasingly important. 88% 86% 86%
75%
67% 67% 71%
Employees at companies with AI have 55%
greater bandwidth to tackle complex
casework and support a wide range
of products. While technology excels
at optimizing processes and resolving Total 83% 79% 79% 65%
simple cases, frontline employees are
Building personal Our company views I support more My cases are
wide-ranging experts who engage with relationships with service agents as products / services more complex than
customers is an brand ambassadors than I did a year ago a year ago
customers in uniquely human ways, important part of my job
building trusted relationships that AI
could not on its own. Organizations with AI Organizations without AI
Autonomous AI: The Next Evolution in Proactive Service

Generative AI has only recently taken the world by storm, but there’s already a new wave coming — autonomous AI.
While generative AI can create new content based on a prompt, autonomous AI will perform tasks without human intervention.
For example, if a customer wants to plan a trip to Mexico, an autonomous chatbot won’t just offer intelligent service
recommendations. It will actually take concrete actions on a customer’s behalf: visiting websites, making plans, and
even booking tickets.
As we move from AI generating content to AI taking action, trust

becomes even more critical. That requires grounding your AI
on a foundation of trusted customer data, knowledge, and service RYAN NICHOLS
CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER,
policies. The AI revolution is really a data revolution.” SALESFORCE SERVICE CLOUD
The Transformation of AI
Predictive AI Generative AI Autonomous AI
Uses historical data to Creates new Performs tasks

recognize patterns content based on without human
over time user prompts intervention
Appendix
Service Priorities Service Challenges
3%
Improving the Keeping up with changing
customer experience 65% 31% 1% customer expectations 38% 40% 16% 6%
5%
Improving Pressure to reduce
workforce skills 59% 35% 1% 36% 41% 17% 5%
costs to serve
4%
Improving data Poor data quality
quality and reliability 59% 37% 1% 35% 36% 21% 8%
or reliability
4%
Improving service
57% 38% 1% Budgetary constraints 34% 42% 19% 6%
technologies
5%
Optimizing operations Disconnected
57% 38% 1% data sources 33% 38% 21% 7%
to reduce costs
5%
Integrating service Insufficient tools and
54% 39% 1% 33% 39% 21% 7%
across the business technologies
6%
Automating processes Underskilled agents
and workflows 53% 40% 2% 32% 38% 22% 7%
7%
Implementing and / or Ineffective or
expanding implementation of AI 53% 37% 3% 32% 43% 19% 7%
inefficient processes
6%
Implementing and / or Agent attrition
53% 40% 2% 31% 39% 22% 8%
optimizing field service offerings
5%
Making operations more Siloed departments
51% 42% 1% and teams 30% 41% 21% 8%
environmentally sustainable
7%
Hiring and / or retaining
47% 44% 1% Lack of executive 30% 41% 19% 9%
service agents
engagement
9%
Reducing data silos Outdated or
47% 42% 2% 30% 40% 22% 9%
across departments irrelevant metrics
High priority Moderate priority Low priority Not a priority Major Moderate Slight Not at all
challenge challenge challenge a challenge
Base: Decision makers.

Anticipated Changes to the Following Over the Next Year Service Professionals Who Say the Following
Budget I am at least sometimes My cases are always assigned

assigned cases automatically, directly to me by another
Decision makers 80% 15% 5% without human intervention employee or supervisor
Agents 47% 53%

Agents 63% 28% 9%
Mobile workers 43% 57%

Case volume
Decision makers 76% 21% 3%
Agents 63% 31% 7%
Headcount
Decision makers 76% 20% 5%
Agents 61% 29% 10%
Increase No change Decrease

Service Professionals Who Say Their Organization How Mobile Workers Spend Their Time
Responds to Service Issues Proactively During an Average Week
Service leadership/head
70% 18%
of customer service
Service operations 67%

Manually entering
case notes
32%
Working with
Service agents 59%
68%
customers
Internal meetings 18%
and trainings
Other tasks
Service team leads 55%
Administrative tasks
Other
14%
19%
Survey
Demographics
Survey Demographics
Country Role Within Service
Australia..................................................5% Sweden....................................................1% Service operations............................... 32%

Belgium...................................................2% Switzerland..............................................2% Service agent....................................... 24%
Brazil........................................................5% United Arab Emirates.............................2% Mobile worker.........................................3%
Canada....................................................5% United Kingdom.....................................5% Service manager or director................31%
Chile.........................................................3% United States......................................... 9% Service leadership/head of service..... 9%
Colombia.................................................3%
Denmark................................................<1%
Industry Company Size
Finland.....................................................1%
France......................................................5% Architecture, engineering, and Small and medium-sized businesses
Germany..................................................5% construction........................................... 9% (21–100 employees)............................ 30%
India.........................................................5% Automotive.............................................6% Mid-market businesses
Indonesia................................................3% Communications....................................5% 101–3,500 employees)....................... 50%
Ireland.....................................................2% Consumer goods................................... 7% Enterprises (over 3,500 employees).. 20%
Italy..........................................................4% Energy and utilities.................................6%
Japan.......................................................5% Financial services................................... 7%
Business Model
Mexico.....................................................5% Government............................................2%
Netherlands............................................3% Healthcare.............................................. 7% Business-to-business (B2B)................. 20%
New Zealand...........................................1% Life sciences and biotechnology...........4% Business-to-consumer (B2C).............. 44%
Norway....................................................1% Manufacturing........................................5% Business-to-business-to-consumer
Philippines...............................................4% Media and entertainment.....................3% (B2B2C)................................................. 35%
Poland.....................................................4% Nonprofit.................................................5%
Portugal...................................................2% Professional and business services...... 9%
Singapore................................................2% Retail....................................................... 7%
South Africa............................................4% Supply chain and logistics.....................4%
Spain........................................................4% Technology............................................. 9%
Travel and hospitality.............................4%
Other.......................................................2%
Ready to Learn More?
The Serviceblazer Content Hub Serviceblazer Highlights Newsletter

Transform your customer support with Get the latest tips and trends, direct to your inbox.
these helpful resources.
EXPLORE NOW > SIGN UP TODAY >
What Can Service Cloud Do for You?

Try our interactive calculator to see how
much you can save.
LEARN MORE >

The information provided in this report is strictly for the convenience of our customers and is for general informational purposes only. Publication by Salesforce does
not constitute an endorsement. Salesforce does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this
guide. Salesforce does not guarantee you will achieve any specific results if you follow any advice in the report. It may be advisable for you to consult with a professional
such as a lawyer, accountant, architect, business advisor, or professional engineer to get specific advice that applies to your specific situation.
© Copyright 2024, Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sixth Edition State of Service

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sixth Edition State of Service

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SIXTH EDITION

Executive Service is in a state of flux — and full of opportunity. Today's customers

We’re only beginning to understand the possibilities and implications

In our latest "State of Service" report, we surveyed over 5,500 service

Insights from today's service professionals are a valuable guide for

What You’ll Find

• How service organizations are adapting to rising

Due to rounding, not all percentage totals in this report

Data in this report is from a double-anonymous survey

What You’ll Find in This Report

Service Performance Levels

Chapter 1 | Faster, More Personalized Service Becomes the Norm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08

Spotlight: Proactive Support Remains an Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 2 | Service Organizations Double Down on Revenue Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Spotlight: Field Service Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 3 | Organizations Lean into AI and Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Spotlight: AI Drives Demand for Trusted Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

03 Organizations Lean into AI and Automation

New Challenges Customers Who Say the Following*

Customers’ expectations continue Good customer service

Service organizations say they’re getting

Both Priorities Top 5 Service Priorities

and Challenges 1 Improve the customer experience

From technical to financial to operational 2 Improve service technologies

concerns, service decision makers balance

may be looking at how to cut costs while

Ultimately, the customer is service

2 Pressure to reduce costs to serve

4 Ineffective or inefficient processes

5 Insufficient tools and technologies

Base: Decision makers

01 Service Organizations Expand Channel Offerings

Video, Chat, and Online Communities Mirror Service Performance

Service Organizations That Use the Following Channels

High performers Moderate performers Underperformers

very close second in Latin America. 16%

Base: Service professionals

Empowering customers to solve

61% of customers would

Self-service can take many forms — from

High-performing organizations are much

Embrace Service Professionals Who Say the Following*

Self-Service Customers solve most Agents often need to

via self-service — but self-service doesn't

agents. Here, agents are key to resolving

organizations that use it. Instructions are often too

SPOTLIGHT: Proactive Support Remains an Opportunity

Customers Say Proactive Support is Rare

It's essential to proactively

to Rise Budget 80% 15% 5%

Delivering excellent customer service

to hit their goals. This is especially true Headcount 76% 20% 5%

The good news is bigger budgets and

horizon. However, service organizations

in case volume, raising the question:

Decision makers expect

by an average of 23% over

on Financial Service Organizations That Track the Following Metrics

Employee experience Customer lifetime value

Agent case volume Case deflection

Average handle time

Grows as a Agents Who Say the Following

Service Function I have access to quality, up-to-date