AI Customer Service Agents vs Human Agents: Which Is Best for Your Business?

AI vs Human - Who Handles Customer Support Better?

AI Agents are reshaping how businesses offer support to their customers. But can they truly replace human support? - or are they just helping us get better at serving clients?

In this post, we’ll explore the key differences between AI and human agents, the pros and cons of each option, real stats that show what’s working, and how to deploy an AI agent for your business in minutes using Wonderchat.

Let's help you figure out which option fits your business best.

Quick Definition: What is an AI Customer Service Agent?

An AI customer service agent is a chatbot that runs on artificial intelligence (AI). It can answer questions, solve problems, and guide users just as well as a human agent would.

The difference? AI agents work 24/7, don't take long coffee breaks, and can handle multiple customers at once.

With tools like Wonderchat, you can easily customize and train an AI agent using your website content, or FAQs - so it speaks like your brand, from day one.

How it Works: Setting Up an AI Agent with Wonderchat

Step 1: Sign up or log in

Go to Wonderchat.io and create your account.

Step 2: Create your AI Agent

In your Wonderchat dashboard, click on the "Create Bot" button. This opens up a pop-up screen that allows you to create a custom AI agent with just a few clicks. Pick a name, choose the tone of voice, and set up custom messages, greetings, and fallback replies.

Step 3: Customize your Agent

You can also personalize the chatbot by uploading a PDF file or connecting your website so your Wonderchat chatbot can learn the technical information about your brand, and access your FAQs.

Pro Tip: Preview your Agent before launching

Step 4: Embed it on your Website

Wonderchat gives you a code snippet. Just copy the code snippet and paste it into your website tool - no coding required.

Suggested: Learn how to add an AI Chatbot to different website tools.

Step 5: Monitor Performance

Use the Wonderchat dashboard to track chat volume, see what questions customers ask, and find out in real time how your chatbot performs.

Key Stats: AI vs Human Agents by the Numbers

• AI agents can match and outperform human agents. Research using the SelfScore benchmark shows AI agents using RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) scored higher than humans in response helpfulness and problem-solving.

• 52% faster at handling customer issues. Companies like ServiceNow reported that AI support agents cut down resolution time by more than half.

• Human-like satisfaction scores. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said customers can't tell the difference between AI and human agents in many interactions anymore.

Tip: Learn what AI Agents are and how to use them in this guide.

AI vs Human Agents: Pros and Cons

Here's a quick comparison:

AI Agents

Pros:

• 24/7 availability

• Instant replies

• Scaleability - chat with hundreds of people at once

• Low cost - don't need to hire a team

Cons:

• Lacks empathy

• Can't always handle complex human requirements

• Needs training on your content

Human Agents

Pros:

• Empathy - good at dealing with emotional customers

• Better for nuanced issues

• Builds trust with people

Cons:

• Limited working hours

• Slower response times - especially during peak hours

• More expensive to scale

Wondering where AI wins and where humans still lead? This side-by-side comparison chart shows how each stacks up across key support performance metrics.

Real-Life Examples

1. Klarna's AI-Powered Customer Support

source: Klarna

Swedish fintech giant Klarna is already using AI agents to handle customer inquiries at scale. Here's what they reported:

• Their AI chatbot handles two-thirds of all support chats

• It replaced the work of 700 full-time agents

• Average response time was reduced from 11 minutes to just under 2 minutes

• Klarna expects a $40 million profit boost from switching to AI agents

CEO of Klarna, Sebastian Siemiatkowski says: "This isn't something that's happening in the future - it's happening now."

Conclusion: What's Best for Your Business

We can conclude that AI isn’t here to replace your entire human team but to help your business scale and run more efficiently.

If your team is drowning in repetitive queries, an AI agent can help you deliver instant replies, 24/7. But if trust and relationship-building matter deeply to you, human agents are still your best bet.

The best setup? Consider a hybrid approach.

Deploy an AI Agent to handle routine helpdesk tasks like answering FAQs, tracking orders, providing shipping updates, and escalating to humans when needed.

Example:

Use AI agents when:

• Answering repetitive questions (e.g., shipping updates, account issues)

• Providing support outside business hours

• You’re scaling support across time zones or languages

Use human agents when:

• You’re dealing with sensitive issues (e.g., refunds, angry customers)

• You want to upsell or offer a personalised service to your loyal customers

• You need nuanced decision-making skills

Want to test it yourself?

Try Wonderchat for free and build an AI support agent that's trained on your own content - ready in minutes, no coding required.

Start your free trial.

FAQs

Can AI fully replace human customer service agents?

Not yet. AI is great for simple queries and speed, but human agents still shine in empathy and complex problem-solving.

Is Wonderchat easy to integrate with my site?

Yes! You just copy and paste a code snippet - no technical skills needed.

Will my AI agent sound robotic?

Not with Wonderchat. It uses your website content to stay on-brand and conversational.