AI Expected To Resolve Half Of Service Cases In UAE By 2027, Data Shows

AI is no longer just automating decision trees - it's reshaping how service teams spend their time, grow their careers, and meet customer expectations, a recent report showed.

According to Salesforce's newest State of Service report, AI has vaulted up the priority list for global service leaders - from #10 to #2 in just a year. UAE service leaders, on the other hand, prioritise improving service technologies more broadly as their #1 priority, and expanding AI more specifically falls to #7.

“Elevating the customer experience remains the North Star for service teams, but how we deliver on it is evolving,” said Kishan Chetan, EVP and General Manager of Salesforce Service Cloud.“AI agents go beyond predictions and automation; they can understand context, take action, make decisions, and adapt in real time. That shift gives human reps more space to focus on what they do best: solving high-stakes, complex problems and building trust with customers.”

This shift is already underway: UAE service teams estimate 30 per cent of cases are currently handled by AI. By 2027, as AI agents - or digital labour – gain momentum, they project that figure will reach 50 per cent. This transition reflects the emergence of the agentic enterprise, where AI agents work alongside human teams as collaborative partners, reasoning and acting independently to handle routine tasks while employees focus on more complex, higher-value work.

Beyond resolving more cases, teams are betting on AI agents to amplify their impact, from cutting service costs to improving customer satisfaction. UAE service professionals project that agentic AI will boost upsell revenue by 20 per cent.

Apart from organisation-level gains, AI is reshaping individual service reps' experiences at work. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) reps using AI spend 20 per cent less time on routine cases - freeing up an estimated four hours per week for more complex work. That means less time handling password resets and status updates and more time making nuanced judgment calls and managing tricky exceptions. EMEA reps with agentic AI spend even more time on high-complexity cases, dedicating a quarter of their week to the thorniest issues.

With AI agents taking on more cases, service reps have more time for other priorities - and every minute counts.“Saving just two minutes on a 10-minute call lets our service reps focus on strengthening customer relationships,” said George Pokorny, SVP of Global Customer Success at OpenTable.

That extra time adds up. Compared with nonusers, agentic AI-enabled service reps are significantly more likely to mentor colleagues, lead cross-functional projects, and improve processes. They're also more likely to work with high-value customers and take on leadership roles, showing how AI can open doors for more impactful, career-building work.

In fact, 85 per cent of EMEA service reps with AI say it's creating growth opportunities. Specifically, 91 per cent of EMEA service reps have developed new skills, and 87 per cent say their role has gotten more specialised as a result of working with AI tools. Most importantly, service reps with AI feel good about where they're headed, with agentic AI users being the most optimistic about their career prospects. This may reflect a selection bias among future-focused early adopters, but it aligns with their reported skill-building, specialisation, and leadership opportunities.“We're seeing that AI isn't just changing how service reps work; it's expanding what they're capable of,” said Chetan.“Reps using AI - especially AI agents - report building new skills and feeling more confident about their careers. That's a powerful signal that AI, when applied thoughtfully, can unlock upward mobility.”

While service reps agree that AI is a lever for growth and opportunity, AI implementation does come with challenges. Still, 93 per cent of UAE service leaders say the obstacles they've faced were expected - and in many cases, less challenging than anticipated. Security remains the top concern, with 62 per cent of UAE service leaders saying security concerns have delayed or limited their AI initiatives.

“The UAE appears to be ahead of the curve regionally and globally in terms of AI adoption for services, according to the research,” said Mohammed Alkhotani, SVP & GM, Salesforce Middle East.“Service teams in the country are taking a lead in skills development and specialisation-a reflection of the government's forward-thinking strategy to make AI a priority. The enthusiasm of UAE service professionals for AI is welcome news for sectors including retail, hospitality, financial services, and healthcare, which will all benefit from enhanced customer services and be even better placed to support the government's vision for national growth and development.”

Even there, sentiment is shifting. Salesforce's latest State of IT: Security report found that all surveyed security leaders expressed optimism about AI agents, with each identifying at least one area where these tools could strengthen their security posture. Many pointed to improvements in threat detection, anomaly monitoring, and breach prevention. When implemented with care, agentic AI can be viewed not just as a risk to mitigate but as a tool to improve resilience.

“AI is creating new opportunities for customers, service teams, and businesses,” said Chetan.“But we also need to be clear-eyed: AI implementations must be grounded in security, trust, and thoughtful change management so benefits aren't just measured in efficiency gains but in how they support the workforce as well.”

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