India’s customer service landscape is undergoing a massive transformation. Expectations are rising, interactions are getting more complex, and service teams are under pressure to deliver personalised, always-on support at scale.
So, how are companies coping? By doubling down on AI adoption, improving data quality, and rebuilding their operating models for speed and resilience. According to our latest State of Service Report, Indian service leaders view AI as the single biggest opportunity to reinvent service delivery.
But challenges remain — from evolving customer needs to high operational costs and unreliable data. In this blog, we explore the trends shaping the future of service and what service leaders must do to deliver exceptional customer experience.
Trend #1: Service teams under pressure from rising customer expectations
Indian customers today expect more, and they expect it now. 89% of service professionals say customer expectations have grown and now are higher than ever, and 84% report that customers expect a more personalised, human-like touch across every interaction.
And the situation is only getting more complex with 70% expecting case volumes to rise next year. This means today’s service teams are preparing to face unprecedented demand but with fewer resources. Our take: Companies must deliver faster, more contextual, and more reliable service — but without inflating costs or burning out their teams.
This gap between expectation and capability is exactly where AI-powered service transformation begins.
⚡Service Cloud brings customer data and AI together in one unified platform, helping teams resolve cases more quickly and provide more personalised support.
Trend #2: AI unlocks scale, speed, and personalised service
Across India, organisations see AI as a “strategic lever”, not just a tool. AI is already handling 30% of inquiries, and teams expect this to reach 50% within two years. With AI, service teams are reducing manual workloads, improving case routing, and maintaining quality even as volumes surge.
But we identified one persistent roadblock: lack of data quality. Poor, inconsistent, or incomplete data is among the top three challenges holding service teams back.
Our take: AI can only be as strong as the data behind it. For AI to scale, service organisations must unify data and knowledge across systems and channels — creating clean, connected, real-time information flows that fuel predictions, automations, and customer relationships.
⚡Agentforce’s AI agents can operate 24/7 across platforms like self-service portals and messaging channels, handling tasks autonomously within trusted guardrails set by your business.
Trend #3: AI Is becoming more human, and customers can feel the difference
Customer interactions are getting smarter, more natural, and more inclusive. 44% of Indian teams now use multimodal AI that understands text, voice, images, or documents simultaneously.
Voice AI is also improving dramatically. 90% customer service representatives report seamless customer handoffs from AI to humans, while 86% say AI-led conversations increase accessibility for a diverse customer base.
This marks a shift from basic chatbots to intuitive, conversational experiences that truly understand what customers need. Our take: Service leaders must adopt multimodal and voice AI to unlock scale without sacrificing empathy.
Trend #4: AI agents are becoming force multipliers for customers, companies, and employees
AI agents aren’t just improving workflows, they’re reshaping outcomes. Indian respondents expect AI agents to drive:
- 20% increase in customer satisfaction
- 16% increase in upsell revenue
- 15% reduction in service costs
Employees benefit too. 91% say AI makes them more productive, while 88% believe AI-skilled agents have stronger career prospects.
Our take:Empower frontline teams with AI agents to handle repetitive tasks, gather context, and draft responses, helping them stay focused on complex, high-value conversations.
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What this means for India’s service organisations
Customer expectations will keep accelerating, and AI is the only scalable way to stay ahead. For service leaders, this moment calls for rethinking foundations, re-aligning teams, and rebuilding systems around intelligence and speed. We identified four priorities that stand out:
1. Strengthen data foundations for trustworthy AI
AI is only as good as the data behind it. A unified data layer ensures AI delivers accurate predictions, reliable recommendations, and consistent experiences at scale.
Indian organisations must break down silos and build clean, connected, real-time datasets across channels.
2. Leverage voice and multimodal AI for intuitive interactions
Voice and multimodal AI systems help customers explain problems in their own words, dialects, or formats — improving accessibility and reducing friction.
For service leaders, adopting these capabilities means faster resolutions, and more inclusive engagement across regions and customer segments.
3. Upskill service teams to work confidently with AI
Service professionals need to be trained not only in how to use AI tools, but also in how to supervise outputs, navigate ethical considerations, and deliver high-value human support.
Organisations employing AI-skilled agents experience faster resolutions, higher confidence, and better preparation for future roles.
4. Deploy AI agents to automate repeatable work
AI agents can handle high-volume tasks, allowing human agents to focus on empathy-led, complex problem-solving. This reduces burnout, accelerates resolution times, and boosts both customer satisfaction and team morale.
The more businesses automate routine work, the more people can deliver truly differentiated service.
Uncover more insights from the “State of Service” report
These customer service insights offer a glimpse of how you can use the best of both traditional and AI-powered service representatives to achieve more for your business. By integrating AI with human expertise and a unified data strategy, businesses can achieve unprecedented success. But to stay competitive, businesses must prioritise AI adoption and invest in the right technology and strategy.
To learn more about how your business can navigate this new landscape with human-AI collaboration, get the free seventh edition of the Salesforce “State of Service” report.
Take a closer look at our latest customer service research
High-performing organisations are using data, AI, and automation to deliver faster, more personalised service. Find out how in our latest State of Service report.
