AI agents now handle the majority of routine support tickets in many organizations, and this trend is accelerating. According to Gartner, agentic AI is predicted to autonomously resolve 80% of common issues by 2029, often without any human involvement.
But while automation is thriving, the human side of support is under strain.
Agents are left to tackle the toughest, most complex, and emotionally charged issues — the ones that demand empathy and judgment. And they're doing that work in systems that weren't built for this level of complexity: fragmented tools, manual handoffs, constant context-switching.
Support work has evolved. The agent experience hasn't.
What is an AI copilot?
An AI copilot isn't just another chatbot or a glorified macro tool. It's a real-time partner for your support agents, designed to work alongside them inside the tools they already use. Think of it as the missing link between your AI agents and your human team.
While AI agents handle routine, self-contained issues, the copilot steps in to help human agents navigate the complex, high-judgment work that remains. It doesn't take over the conversation. It reduces the cognitive load by handling the manual, repetitive tasks that slow agents down — drafting replies, summarizing long conversations, and pulling up relevant knowledge — so they can focus on critical thinking and problem-solving.
How AI copilots work in support
A true AI copilot integrates directly into your help desk, becoming a native part of the agent's workflow. It sees the same context the agent does — the customer's history, the current issue, the tone of the conversation — and uses that understanding to provide genuinely helpful support.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
It drafts responses: Based on the conversation, it suggests full, on-brand replies that agents can use, edit, or ignore.
It summarizes context: When a ticket is escalated or reassigned, the copilot instantly summarizes the issue and steps taken, eliminating the need for agents to read through long transcripts.
It surfaces knowledge: It pulls the right answers from your knowledge base and internal guides, saving agents from having to search for information across multiple tabs.
The goal isn't to tell the agent what to do next. It's to clear away the noise so the agent can do their best work.
Why agents are burning out faster in the AI era
As AI handles more repetitive tickets, agents are increasingly responsible for the edge cases — the nuanced, high-stakes conversations where there's no script to follow.
This shift requires sharper critical thinking, faster onboarding, and higher emotional resilience. But most support environments still run on outdated workflows that assume the work is simple.
Agents spend precious time on manual tasks before they can even begin solving the problem:
Hunting for answers across multiple tabs
Recreating context from past tickets
Crafting responses from scratch
And the pressure is real. In the past year alone, 77% of agents say their workload has grown in both volume and complexity. This escalating pressure makes boosting employee morale more critical than ever for support managers.
After rolling out AI agents at Ramp, one support leader put it bluntly:
The remaining work was all escalations. Our agents were exhausted — and our tools weren't helping.
New hires feel it the most. Without built-in guidance, onboarding slows to a crawl. Agents are left piecing things together, guessing at the right tone, the right path, the right response.
The impact is clear:
Longer resolution times
Higher stress levels
A growing sense that the job is getting harder — without the systems to support it
What this means for your business
Poor agent experiences directly drive customer churn. When tools slow agents down or leave them guessing, it shows — in delayed responses, inconsistent tone, and critical context gaps.
These moments may seem small in isolation. But together, they add up. More than half of customers say a single bad experience is enough to make them switch to a competitor.
Burnout isn't just a workplace issue — it's a performance issue. It creates cascading business impacts:
Drives up attrition
Slows onboarding
Erodes service quality
Drags down CSAT
Impacts customer retention, a critical factor given that research from Bain shows increasing retention by just 5% can boost profits by as much as 95%.
Limits your ability to scale
Support has long been treated as a cost center. But when service quality defines customer loyalty, it's clear: support isn't peripheral. It's pivotal.
Why most agent assist tools fall short
To improve the agent experience, many teams have reached for quick fixes — pre-written macros, floating toolbars, and next-best-action prompts.
These tools promise support, but most were built for a simpler era of customer service — one where speed and repetition mattered more than nuance and judgment.
That mismatch shows. Instead of helping, these tools often become just another layer of clutter:
They surface generic suggestions without context
They force agents to toggle between tabs
They rarely adapt based on what's actually working
As one CX leader at DailyPay shared:
We tried a few off-the-shelf AI tools, but they just became another tab. Nothing felt like it was actually helping agents in real time.
The future of agent work is hybrid — and connected
AI agents have redefined what's possible in support. They resolve routine inquiries at scale and unlock meaningful efficiency. But the goal has never been to replace human agents — it's to empower them.
Because when a conversation turns complex, personal, or high stakes, your agents step in to build the emotional relationships that drive loyalty. According to the Journal of Business Research, customers with an emotional brand connection have a 306% higher lifetime value.
In a truly hybrid support model — where AI agents handle what they can and humans focus on what matters most — an AI copilot keeps everything in sync.
With the right mix of automation, human expertise, and real-time guidance, support becomes more than reactive. It becomes orchestrated — and ultimately, more human.
The result is a support experience where technology amplifies, rather than replaces, human judgment.
Human-centered support, powered by AI
Ready to see what that looks like in practice? Meet Assembled's Agent Copilot.
Empower your support team
Agent burnout isn't inevitable, and scaling support doesn't have to come at the cost of quality. By equipping your team with an AI copilot, you give them the leverage they need to handle complexity with confidence. You bridge the gap between automated efficiency and human empathy, creating a support system that is both smarter and more connected.
When your agents are empowered, they deliver better, more consistent experiences. The result is higher satisfaction for customers and a more sustainable, engaging role for your team. See how an AI copilot can transform your agent experience. Book a demo to learn more.
Frequently asked questions about AI copilots
What is an AI copilot?
An AI copilot is a tool that works alongside human support agents in real time. It helps them handle complex customer issues by automating repetitive tasks like drafting replies, summarizing conversations, and finding information, allowing agents to focus on problem-solving and delivering a better customer experience.
How is an AI copilot different from a chatbot?
A chatbot (or AI agent) is designed to resolve customer issues independently, without human involvement. An AI copilot, on the other hand, is built to assist a human agent. It doesn't talk directly to the customer; instead, it provides suggestions and automates tasks for the agent who is managing the conversation.
Can AI copilots integrate with existing support tools?
Yes, a well-designed AI copilot integrates directly into your existing help desk, such as Zendesk, Salesforce, or Intercom. This allows it to work seamlessly within the agent's current workflow without requiring them to switch between different applications.
How long does it take to implement an AI copilot?
Implementation time can vary, but modern AI copilots are designed for quick setup. Because they leverage your existing knowledge base and integrate with standard help desks, many teams can get up and running in a matter of days or weeks, rather than months.
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