AI expected to resolve nearly half of customer service cases in Singapore by 2027, data shows

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to resolve nearly half of customer service cases in Singapore by 2027, Salesforce’s data showed Tuesday. According to the global survey of 6,500 service professionals —100 of whom are based in Singapore— AI is reshaping how service teams spend their time, grow their careers, and meet customer expectations. AI has moved up the priority list for Singapore’s service leaders — from #9 to #3 in just a year. It leaps in priority as service teams eye gains in speed, cost, and customer satisfaction. “For decades, customer service has been limited by a commercial constraint: businesses couldn’t afford to hire enough staff to answer every call instantly, so they relied on workarounds like hold music to manage the volume of inquiries, “AI agents eliminate this trade-off, solving for both scale and quality. Instead of rationing exceptional service, companies can now use AI agents to deliver the immediate, tailored attention of a personal concierge to the mass market,” said Gavin Barfield, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Solutions, Salesforce ASEAN. He added this allows human teams to stop managing queues and start managing the complex, high-value relationships that truly drive growth. According to the findings, service teams in Singapore estimate 30 percent of cases are currently handled by AI. By 2027, as AI agents — or digital labor – gain momentum, they project that figure will reach 41 percent. This transition reflects the emergence of the agentic enterprise, where AI agents work alongside human teams as collaborative partners, reasoning and acting independently to handle routine tasks while employees focus on more complex, higher-value work. Beyond resolving more cases, teams are betting on AI agents to amplify their impact, from cutting service costs to improving customer satisfaction. Singapore’s service professionals project that agentic AI will boost upsell revenue by 15 percent. Aside from organization-level gains, AI is also reshaping individual service reps’ experiences at work. Reps in Singapore using AI spend 20 percent less time on routine cases — freeing up an estimated four hours per week for more complex work. That means less time handling password resets and status updates and more time making nuanced judgment calls and managing tricky exceptions. Representatives in Singapore with access to agentic AI spend even more time on high-complexity cases, dedicating a quarter of their week to the thorniest issues. That extra time adds up. Compared with non-users, agentic AI-enabled service reps are significantly more likely to mentor colleagues, lead cross-functional projects, and improve processes. They’re also more likely to work with high-value customers and take on leadership roles, showing how AI can open doors for more impactful, career-building work, according to the report. In fact, 84 percent of Singapore’s service reps with AI say it’s creating growth opportunities. Specifically, 75 percent have developed new skills, and 78 percent say their role has gotten more specialized as a result of working with AI tools. Most importantly, Asia Pacific (APAC) service reps with AI feel good about where they’re headed, with agentic AI users being the most optimistic about their career prospects. This may reflect a selection bias among future-focused early adopters, but it aligns with their reported skill-building, specialization, and leadership opportunities. While service reps agree that AI is a lever for growth and opportunity, AI implementation does come with challenges, said the report. Still, 86 percent of Singapore’s service leaders say the obstacles they’ve faced were expected — and in many cases, less challenging than anticipated. Security remains the top concern, with 49 percent of Singapore’s service leaders saying security concerns have delayed or limited their AI initiatives. Even there, sentiment is shifting. Salesforce’s latest State of IT: Security report found that all surveyed security leaders expressed optimism about AI agents, with each identifying at least one area where these tools could strengthen their security posture. Many pointed to improvements in threat detection, anomaly monitoring, and breach prevention. When implemented with care, agentic AI can be viewed not just as a risk to mitigate but as a tool to improve resilience. Salesforce appoints Paul Carvouni as ASEAN Leader to accelerate the region’s agentic enterprise transformation