AI Customer Service Agents Surge 22X in Adoption Since January

The deployment and use of AI agents is growing incredibly quickly, according to Salesforce.

Salesforce has released a new report highlighting the rapid adoption of AI agents in customer service. Since January, usage has grown by a staggering 2,199%, with the number of available agents more than doubling. Notably, 94% of customers now prefer interacting with AI agents when given the choice.

Key Findings from the Report:

• 119% increase in agents created/deployed since January
• 80% month-over-month growth in agent actions across use cases
• 22x increase in average customer service conversations led by AI agents
• 65% month-over-month growth in employee-agent interactions
• 76% month-over-month growth in agent actions triggered by employees
• 35% growth in employee-agent back-and-forth conversations

Salesforce's chief digital officer, Joe Inzerillo, emphasized that the "agentic enterprise" is becoming a reality, with AI agents now assumed to be competent by users. The report underscores that while growth percentages are high due to starting from a low base, the trend reflects a broader shift in the AI ecosystem.

Leading Use Cases:

• Sales: Drafting emails, creating to-dos, scheduling meetings
• Service: Querying records, answering questions, summarizing cases, resolving inquiries
• Internal Operations: Streamlining workflows

Vertical Growth Highlights:

• Travel & Hospitality: 133% month-over-month growth
• Retail: 128% month-over-month growth
• Finance: 105% month-over-month growth

Calvin Anderson, VP at SharkNinja, noted that AI agents provide an "always-on digital touchpoint" to enhance customer experiences. Consumers are also driving this trend, with retail users 200% more likely to report improved experiences when using AI agents.