{"id":9337,"date":"2025-09-02T18:49:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T10:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=9337"},"modified":"2025-09-02T18:49:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T10:49:16","slug":"service-strategy-with-ai-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/service-strategy-with-ai-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Evolving Your Service Strategy with AI Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The goalposts in customer service are always shifting. As technology advances, what was \u201cgreat\u201d yesterday is simply \u201cgood\u201d today. To stay ahead, your service strategy must evolve \u2014 and that\u2019s where agentic AI, specifically Agentforce<\/a>, can reduce time to value and increase self-service outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional chatbots, which never realised their potential due to their complexity to maintain, emerging service AI agents<\/a> are exponentially easier to implement and maintain. They’re also able to action and resolve issues in real time. The key to these agentic experiences is actionability <\/em>\u2014 the agent\u2019s ability to reason and resolve issues. In this blog, I\u2019ll cover four essential steps to unlock the full potential of AI agents and transform both your customer and service rep experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to prepare your service team for digital labour <\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read this practical guide to learn the best actions to take before launching Agentforce.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
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Step 1: Identify your organisation\u2019s service strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With so many new ways to use AI agents, where do you start?\u00a0 You could<\/em> do many things, but what should<\/em> you do?\u00a0 The first step is knowing which capabilities align best with your business\u2019s needs. Before you can define an AI strategy, you need to understand your organisation\u2019s service strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Service strategies fall into one of three models\u00a0and are primarily dependent on the complexity of your organisation\u2019s cases, and the potential blending of sales and commerce. Identifying where your organisation fits helps pinpoint where AI can help the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Action-based: <\/strong>Your service organisation handles high-volume, repetitive tasks that require quick resolution. In this case, automation is essential to keeping operations efficient.

    In action-based service organisations, a high deflection rate might be the goal. Autonomous service agents can reschedule appointments or update\/cancel\u00a0 orders by pulling relevant customer data and reasoning based on your     knowledge base articles<\/a> and FAQs.\u00a0Integration with back-end ERP systems is often a key enabler of resolving issues.
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  2. Order-based:<\/strong> These organisations blend sales and service, making them inseparable. Most of your business\u2019s customer service interactions represent potential \u201cvalue\u201d, as defined by increasing brand love, retention, and revenue (for instance, Southwest Airlines<\/a>). Balancing efficiency with customer satisfaction<\/a> is crucial, as each conversation offers upsell and cross-sell potential.

    In order-based organisations, AI can assist and augment the human experience by providing recommendations and offers. It can also help ensure organisational policies are executed accurately and consistently.
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  3. Knowledge-centred:<\/strong> Your business manages complex, long-resolution cases that require deep expertise to help resolve cases \u2014 think of service interactions on the Salesforce Help site<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In knowledge-centred organisations (KCS), AI agents can support the most complex queries by accessing both structured and unstructured data. They can answer technical questions and escalate cases to human reps when necessary, all while operating within the guardrails your business has set. AI can also summarise those multi-interaction cases, generate replies, draft new knowledge articles, and recommend next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Step 2: Start defining a channel strategy for AI agents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Knowing your company\u2019s service strategy gives you insight into the most impactful channel<\/a> to set up an AI agent. Each type of customer inquiry has its ideal channel, and getting this right is essential for effective AI-powered service. Simple tasks, like updating an address, are well suited for no-touch processes, while interactions that add value, like cancellations or product inquiries, might need a high-touch approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Chart\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    To craft your channel strategy, bring your team together to review each contact driver and determine which channels serve each best. This approach helps customer representatives focus on high-value interactions, while Agentforce handles the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Unlock the power of self-service<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Are you providing your customers with an easy, efficient, and effective self-service experience? Take this quick online assessment to find out what you’re doing well \u2014 and what you need to improve.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\tWhat's my score?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
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    Step 3: Map out a maturity journey for your AI agents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Where are you on your AI journey? Knowing what your AI agents can do today \u2014 and how they can evolve to do more \u2014 is essential for long-term success. A maturity plan helps you guide your Agentforce<\/a> deployment from \u201cgood\u201d to \u201cgreat\u201d and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The journey consists of  three levels, each with an increasing percentage of containment. We refer tothese levels as \u201cThe 3 A\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n