Customer retention‌ — ‌a critical driver of long-term revenue — is directly influenced by service quality. In a recent survey, nearly half of consumers indicated they would abandon a brand after a poor experience.

Why it matters: Many companies use chatbots, software designed to simulate human interaction, to handle common service issues with lower overhead. However, the current generation of chatbots isn’t meeting customer expectations. In fact, 81% of customers say they would rather wait to speak to a live agent — a sign that chatbots are causing frustration for the customers they are intended to assist. 

Driving the news: Companies like 1-800Accountant, ezCater, and OpenTable are prioritizing agentic AI technology over chatbots. Compared to basic chatbots, AI agents offer more advanced features. They: 

• Use advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) to understand and interpret conversational text, unlike chatbots that rely on rigid, declarative dialogs.
• When grounded in trusted business data and a company’s knowledge base, deliver relevant, context-aware, up-to-date information to meet specific business or customer service goals. 
• Take action autonomously, completing common service processes like modifying orders, scheduling appointments, processing returns or refunds, or updating account information without human intervention.

What they’re saying: In recent interviews, Salesforce customers shared how they are using AI agents in customer service settings.

• “With Agentforce, we can securely address responses to questions like tax return status, freeing our team to focus on more complex tasks while ensuring fast, secure, personalized support. [In fact, Agentforce is] now helping to resolve up to 50% of incoming requests,” said Ryan Teeples, Chief Technology Officer, 1-800Accountant.
• “What AI is really great at is understanding the human context of language. As customers use this unstructured set of prompts, agents can narrow down what caterer is best suited for that particular order,” said Erin DeCesare, CTO, ezCater.
• “Our goal with AI agents was to find out if we [can] effectively handle multiple chats simultaneously without compromising on customer satisfaction scores. That means resolving customer cases faster while improving their experience, while also increasing employee satisfaction and lowering their stress levels,” said Prakash Kota, SVP & CIO, Autodesk.    

Innovation in action: Agentforce is the agentic layer of the Salesforce Platform for deploying autonomous AI agents across any business function. Agentforce includes a set of tools to create and customize agents, as well as a library of ready-to-use skills for any use case, including service, to help customers get started right away.

• “With Agentforce automating a significant share of standard inquiries, our team can focus on more complex issues, ensuring faster and more accurate support. This allows us to provide a seamless experience for both customers and customer service personnel,” said Tiina Vesterinen, Vice President, Commerce & CX Solutions, Finnair, in a recent announcement. 

With Agentforce automating a significant share of standard inquiries, our team can focus on more complex issues, ensuring faster and more accurate support.

Tiina Vesterinen, Vice President, Commerce & CX Solutions, Finnair

What’s next: As agentic AI evolves, customers can expect increasingly more sophisticated AI agents.

• “Imagine customer service that understands you through voice, shows you solutions via video, and interacts seamlessly with the applications you’re using. That’s the multimodal future of agentic AI, and it will create an even more intuitive and human-centric experience,” said Adam Evans, EVP & GM, Salesforce AI Platform.

Go deeper: 

• Learn why AI agents will become the new UI
• Read how 1-800Accountant taps Agentforce for customer support 
• Understand the technology underpinning Agentforce

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