How to Help Your Customer Service Team Thrive — Not Just Survive — in the Age of AI

How to Help Your Customer Service Team Thrive - Not Just Survive - in the Age of AI

As AI changes how customer service gets done, it's up to leaders to guide their teams with empathy, clarity, and a clear path forward.

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Customer service employees are at the center of a major shift. AI is no longer a distant concept - it's already in the contact center, working alongside them and, in many cases, taking on routine tasks they once owned. The task-replacement trend will only accelerate. Naturally, many are asking their managers: Where do I fit into this new reality?

In the third article of our Agentforce Reinforces the Human and the Humane in Your AI Strategy series, we focus on the reps in the contact center. These are the people who bring empathy, expertise, and human connection to every customer interaction. As agentic AI like Agentforce transforms how service gets delivered, it's also reshaping what the job itself looks like. Navigating that shift calls for thoughtful leadership, open dialogue, and a strong executive commitment to employee success.

This article explores the emotional impact of AI on service teams and offers practical ways businesses can support, empower, and retain their people as roles evolve. Most importantly, it aims to answer that pressing question: Where do employees fit into this future - and how can we help them thrive in it?

What you'll learn:

• The emotional reality behind AI
• Change is moving fast - and there's an opportunity to connect
• How leaders can guide employees through AI transformation
• How service reps can own their AI-powered careers
• The real opportunity of AI - better work for everyone

The emotional reality behind AI

AI is becoming a natural part of everyday life - in our homes, in the tools we use during work, and in the headlines. For customer service employees, that shift is happening fast, and it's opening the door to new possibilities. Digital service agents are fast becoming a new part of the extended workforce. And while some employees understandably feel uncertain, that initial hesitation often gives way to curiosity, confidence, and even excitement when AI is introduced thoughtfully.

It is also sparking a rethinking of Customer Service Outsourcing, or Business Process Outsourcers (BPOs). As BPOs integrate more AI capabilities, their customers are expecting outcome-based results. The success measure is no longer the number of cases handled or minutes saved, but profit-focused outcomes like customer loyalty, customer retention, and upselling.

Yes, the changes are significant, but they also bring a chance to rethink how we work, how we grow, and how we show up for customers. As agentic AI like Agentforce takes on more of the repetitive work, service roles are evolving to focus on what humans do best: empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. The key is making sure people feel empowered, supported, and involved every step of the way. (Back to top)

Change is moving fast - and that's an opportunity to connect

One thing that sets this moment apart is the speed. Agentic AI isn't unfolding over decades - it's transforming the workplace in a matter of months. And while that rapid progress can feel overwhelming, it also creates space for fresh conversations and stronger alignment.

Leaders may see AI as a way to boost efficiency or ease staffing challenges in the contact center, but employees need to understand how it benefits them, too. That's why open, ongoing communication is so important. When teams feel informed and involved, they're far more likely to embrace change with curiosity instead of hesitation.

A recent survey by Writer highlights the value of inclusion: when companies bring employees into the process early - sharing the "why," listening to concerns, and designing together - adoption is faster, trust is stronger, and excitement builds. It's not just about training for new skills. It's about helping people feel seen, supported, and part of the future we're creating together. (Back to top)

How leaders can guide employees through AI transformation

Across Salesforce, we've seen forward-thinking organizations take a human-first approach to using AI for customer service. Here's what they're doing right and what others can learn.

1. Communicate the "why," not just the "how"

Employees want to know why AI is being introduced and what it means for them. Leading companies position AI as a tool for growth - one that frees up time for more meaningful work, opens the door to new opportunities, and helps deliver faster, more personalized service to customers.

They're also honest about the unknowns. That transparency builds trust, especially when paired with frequent, two-way communication.

2. Invest in skills - and make the path visible

Upskilling is most effective when employees can see a clear path forward. With Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform, service reps can dive into training on Agentforce and AI-powered workflows to build the skills they need to grow into new roles like customer success manager or AI agent overseer. Through the Serviceblazer Community on Slack, they can connect with peers, learn best practices, and get real-world advice from others on the same journey. Some companies are even introducing data literacy and sales training to help service reps evolve into hybrid roles that blend empathy with analytics and revenue responsibility.

Customer service leaders and managers should plan for a future where AI agents are treated like employees with thoughtful "hiring," onboarding, training, reporting, measurement, and policy compliance.

3. Redesign roles with purpose

AI changes the nature of work, so titles and responsibilities must evolve, too. Companies that redefine roles are seeing greater engagement. It is not only about crafting new titles - it's about inviting employees to collaborate in defining new customer service roles, like AI agent manager, content analyst, prompt designer, experience orchestrator, or relationship ambassador. Employees respond positively when they're part of this process, as these positions reflect a shift from reactive support to proactive customer service.

4. Build with, not for, your employees

Don't wait until AI is rolled out to involve your people. Include service reps in the planning and testing phases. Their insights into customer pain points, broken processes, and repetitive tasks are invaluable.

Co-designing AI workflows gives employees a sense of ownership and reinforces that they're being set up for success.

5. Tie AI adoption to career growth and income potential

While few companies promise exact pay increases, the most forward-thinking leaders are making it clear: mastering AI tools leads to new roles, promotions, and higher earning potential.

When employees believe that AI isn't just reducing their work - but raising their ceiling - they're far more likely to engage with enthusiasm. (Back to top)

How service reps can own their AI-powered careers

This shift isn't just about what leaders do - it's also about how support representatives respond. If you're a service rep facing AI adoption, here are four ways to take your future into your own hands.

1. Become the AI power user on your team

Learn how the AI agents work. Understand their strengths and limitations. Master the tools your company uses - whether it's Agentforce or other platforms. AI isn't your competitor; it's your advantage. Trailhead makes it easy to build those skills quickly, starting with the trail Build Your Path to AI Success with Salesforce.

2. Step above AI, not beneath it

The people who train, maintain, and improve AI agents will be critical going forward. Learn prompt or context design. Get curious about how workflows are configured. Offer to test and improve them. The more you know about how AI operates, the more indispensable you become.

3. Pivot toward revenue and strategy

Many service teams are evolving into profit centers. That means new opportunities to upsell, personalize, and influence the customer journey to maximize revenue. Use AI to surface recommendations and lean into your human strengths: empathy, intuition, and relationship-building.

4. Break down silos

AI doesn't care whether you're in service, marketing, or sales. Increasingly, neither do customers. Look for opportunities to work cross-functionally, and position yourself as a connector across teams. Hybrid roles are the future. (Back to top)

The real opportunity of AI: Better work for everyone

From 2025 to 2030, nearly every service organization will face this question: How do we support our people in a world increasingly powered by AI?

There's no single answer, but there is a north star. The companies that succeed won't be the ones that automate the fastest. They'll be the ones that lead with purpose, communicate with empathy, and design with humanity in mind.

Agentic AI like Agentforce has the power to make service smarter, faster, and more scalable. But it also has the power to make work better - more creative, more meaningful, and more fulfilling. That future isn't inevitable. It's ours to build. (Back to top)

This article is part of our series, "Agentforce Reinforces the Human and the Humane in Your AI Strategy." Check out the others on the Service Cloud blog:

How to Build Humane AI: A Guide for Customer Service Leaders
How to Succeed with AI to Reshape Customer Service Roles

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Michael Maoz is Senior Vice President of Innovation Strategy at Salesforce. He joined Salesforce from Gartner, Inc., where he was a founder of the CRM practice and held positions as Research Vice President, Distinguished Analyst, and Gartner Fellow. Michael is also a Board Member at Rutgers Center...Read More for Innovation Education, and an advisor to Just Capital. Michael has lived and worked on three continents. He focuses his time outside of work on family, friends, learning world cultures, hiking, cycling, volunteering and reading.