Australian and New Zealand organisations stand on the cusp of a new frontier in customer service and field service work. AI is accelerating the change, driving productivity while cutting costs and resolution times.
The Seventh Edition of our State of Service Report reveals just how profoundly AI and AI agents are redefining how organisations work and interact with customers.
ANZ organisations are embracing the shift, according to the report, as AI matures at pace to become more conversational, efficient and personalised.
Predictive and generative AI are expected to be used by the majority of organisations within the next two years and 94% of ANZ organisations say they are prioritising technology integration to support their AI initiatives.
The latest State of Service Report uncovered four key insights that we’ll discuss in this article:
- A cohesive data strategy is a top marker of success as teams tackle AI adoption challenges
- The rise of AI agents is redefining excellence in customer service
- AI’s capabilities are rapidly expanding to include voice conversations and multimodal interactions
- Agentic AI is driving efficiencies and productivity among field service teams
Turning Headwinds into Advantage: How New Tech Solves Perennial Challenges
Rising customer demands, talent shortages and security concerns are among the top headwinds organisations are currently facing, according to our research.
At the same time, implementing AI successfully is a key strategic priority. It’s also a strategic advantage, and a cohesive data strategy is the bedrock of AI success, our report revealed. We found companies that unify customer service channel data are 1.4 times more likely to call their AI implementation a success.
Our research also underscores why AI investments are critical for organisations that want to stay competitive and meet the rising demands of customers. The Seventh State of Service Report found 35% of organisations say keeping up with changing customer expectations is the top challenge service organisations face in meeting their goals. This is a trend that is likely to continue in 2026 and beyond.
Creating exceptional customer experiences
Find out how a cohesive data strategy can help unlock AI success and meet mounting customer demands.
AI Agents Redefine Customer Service
The era of the AI agent has arrived, as 77% of ANZ organisations say AI agents are essential for meeting business demands. According to the report, 37% currently use AI agents. Only 7% say they do not expect to within the next five years.
AI agents are changing the customer service game. They are transforming the nature of service work, providing proactive customer recommendations along with real-time insights to teams. As a result, they are driving significant productivity gains and greater customer satisfaction. AI agents are also working in tandem with employees, allowing them to be more strategic and innovative.
AI agents bring benefits to employees and employers alike. The Seventh State of Service Report found more than 90% of ANZ organisations said AI agents will help them train new employees faster, while 88% said AI agents will also help prevent institutional knowledge loss. AI agents are already being used to help improve employee onboarding and retain knowledge otherwise lost as a result of staff turnover.
Meet business demands with AI agents
Discover how agentic AI is the ultimate collaborator for service teams while driving productivity and delivering customer service excellence.
AI Gets Conversational With Voice and Multimodal Capabilities
AI agents have advanced further with conversational capabilities, empowering customers with enhanced self-service experiences and faster resolution times.
The adoption of multimodal AI technology is also accelerating, combining voice, text, chat and visual inputs in one system. Conversational and multimodal AI are being embraced by organisations for their quality and efficiency, freeing up service representatives to enhance the customer experience and handle more complex cases.
In ANZ, 63% of organisations already use voice AI, and 48% use multimodal AI, according to the report, and these numbers are expected to rise. The quality of conversations with AI agents are also becoming more sophisticated. The Seventh State of Service Report found 90% of organisations said AI is good or excellent at keeping their brand voice consistent.
Enhance customer communications across channels
ANZ organisations are embracing AI agents because they are transforming how customer service is delivered. Find out how they can transform your service team.
Agentic AI Makes Field Service Safer and More Efficient
AI agents are also a key priority for field service leaders. In ANZ, a staggering 90% of organisations said they expect their investments in AI for field service to increase in the next year.
Driving productivity is highly important for field service managers, as more than 37% of field service leaders said their technicians have too many administrative tasks.
AI agents benefit field technicians because they are so effective at performing tasks such as automatically filling out forms, summarising appointments and automating work orders and job briefings.
According to the report, 89% of field service managers said AI agents have already improved field technician productivity.
Organisations also said that 97% of technicians utilising AI have already seen major or moderate benefits from the technology. It sends a clear signal that the AI era has not only arrived in field service – it is here to stay.
To uncover more insights, download the Seventh State of Service Report now.
