News
Research Report
Building the Case for Modern Public Sector Messaging
The Gist
- Third-party AI is winning. Customers are roughly three times more likely to use third-party GenAI tools than company-provided chatbots when resolving customer service issues, according to a new Gartner survey.
- Chatbot investment isn't paying off. Company chatbot use has been statistically flat since 2022, even as third-party GenAI use has nearly doubled in the past year — despite service leaders investing a median 12% of their 2025 budget in AI, the highest of any business function.
- Customers want action, not answers. 58% of GenAI users have used it to complete a task on their behalf, rising to 74% in B2B — and customers still expect the option to reach a human agent.
Customers aren't rejecting AI. They're just skipping the company's version of it.
That's the takeaway from a new Gartner survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers, conducted in February and March and released today, which found customers are approximately three times more likely to use third-party GenAI tools — think ChatGPT or similar consumer AI assistants — than company-provided chatbots when working through a customer service issue.
Chatbot Use Is Flat. Third-Party GenAI Use Isn't.
Gartner's survey identified three shifts in how customers behave when AI enters the service equation. First, and most striking: use of third-party GenAI tools during service interactions has nearly doubled over the past year, while use of company-provided chatbots has stayed statistically flat since 2022.
"Customers are embracing GenAI in both life and work, but so far, that has not translated into growth in the use of company-provided customer service chatbots," said Eric Keller, senior director analyst in Gartner's Customer Service & Support Practice, in a statement. "Instead, GenAI is shifting some service interactions outside of company-owned channels."
The Money Isn't Following the Results
The stagnant adoption numbers line up with a separate financial-returns problem Gartner has been tracking. In a companion survey of 1,303 senior leaders across industries, conducted from January through April, service and support leaders reported investing a median of 12% of their 2025 budget in AI — the highest share of any of the 10 business functions Gartner assessed.
The payoff hasn't matched the spend. Just 24% of service and support leaders said they've seen positive financial returns across their AI use cases.
"The disappointing impact of customer-facing GenAI investments has less to do with technology limitations and more to do with misalignment with customer expectations," Keller said. "Rather than investing primarily in standalone chatbots, organizations should focus on AI-enabled service journeys that help customers resolve issues across digital and voice channels."
Related Article: Just Chatbots? What AI in Customer Experience Really Looks Like
Customers Want AI to Do Things, Not Just Answer Questions
Gartner's second finding centers on what customers expect AI to actually accomplish. Among customers who use GenAI, 58% said they've used it to complete a task on their behalf — not just to retrieve information. In B2B settings, that figure climbs to 74%.
Task Completion, Not Q&A, Is the New Bar
"Many company-provided chatbots are still designed primarily to answer questions, but customers increasingly expect AI to help them take action, such as booking an appointment, submitting documents or updating their account," Keller said. "Service and support leaders should redesign digital support around conversational, action-oriented experiences, rather than treating GenAI as a standalone chatbot."
Gartner's survey also pointed to a third behavioral shift: customers expect the option to reach a human agent when a company uses AI in its service interactions; automation alone isn't the finish line customers are looking for.
Gartner's Customer Service GenAI Findings at a Glance
Editor's note: Figures below are drawn from Gartner's survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers (February-March 2026) and a companion survey of 1,303 senior leaders (January-April 2026).
| Finding | Data Point |
|---|---|
| Third-party GenAI vs. company chatbot use | Customers ~3x more likely to use third-party GenAI tools |
| Third-party GenAI growth | Nearly doubled over the past year |
| Company chatbot use trend | Statistically unchanged since 2022 |
| 2025 AI budget share (service/support leaders) | Median of 12% — highest of 10 business functions surveyed |
| Leaders reporting positive AI ROI | 24% |
| Customers who've used GenAI to complete a task | 58% overall; 74% in B2B |
Why Some Dealers Are Pulling Ahead With AI
Register
Content Leaders Collective: Proving Content's Business Impact Starts With the Right CCMS
Register
Replacing Tasks, Not Roles: The Changing Nature of Contact Center Work
Register
How Fast-Moving Content Teams Keep Up as Sites Grow
Register
What This Means for Service and Support Leaders
Gartner's guidance for leaders is less about abandoning chatbots than about rethinking their role. Standalone Q&A bots, the firm suggests, are a narrower bet than customers' actual expectations call for. The more durable play, per Gartner, is building AI into the broader service customer journey — across digital and voice channels alike — so it can help customers finish tasks, not just find answers, while still leaving a clear path to a human agent.
Have a tip to share with our editorial team? Drop us a line: