Klarna
Klarna uses an OpenAI-powered assistant for customer service, then adds humans back
Klarna launched an OpenAI-powered chat assistant in its app and reported that it handled two-thirds of service chats in its first month. In 2025 the CEO said cost-focused automation had hurt quality and that Klarna was hiring human agents again.
Key figures
Copied exactly from the sources. Copy any figure with its citation.
From 11 minutes to under 2 minutes
Resolution time1
What it took
Cost, team size and timeline were not disclosed in the sources.
The problem
Klarna serves a large base of consumers and retailers worldwide and fields a high volume of support chats about refunds, returns and payments. The company wanted faster answers, round-the-clock coverage in many languages, and lower service cost.
What they built
Klarna put an AI assistant, powered by OpenAI, inside its app. According to the company it handles refunds, returns and general support in more than 35 languages, 24 hours a day, and customers can still ask for a live agent.
How they did it
The press release gives few implementation details. It states that the assistant went live globally and names OpenAI as the technology partner, without naming a model. Klarna's CEO and OpenAI's COO are both quoted in the release.
Results
In its first month Klarna said the assistant had 2.3 million conversations, about two-thirds of its service chats, which it equated to the work of 700 full-time agents. It reported customer satisfaction on par with human agents, a 25% drop in repeat inquiries, and resolution time falling from 11 minutes to under 2 minutes. Klarna estimated a $40 million profit improvement for 2024.
What went wrong
In May 2025 Klarna's CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told Bloomberg that the company was hiring human customer service staff again. Entrepreneur's report says he acknowledged that AI was cheaper but gave lower-quality support. In his words: "there will always be a human if you want." Entrepreneur also reports that Klarna had paused hiring about a year before December 2024 and that headcount fell 22% to roughly 3,500, mostly through attrition. The new roles are remote and aimed at groups such as students and rural populations.
All reported figures
| Measure | Figure | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Conversations handled in the first month | 2.3 million (about two-thirds of service chats)1 | |
| Work equivalent, as stated by Klarna | 700 full-time agents1 | |
| Resolution time | From 11 minutes to under 2 minutes1 | |
| Repeat inquiries | 25% drop1 | |
| Estimated profit improvement for 2024, as stated by Klarna | $40 million1 |
Lessons for your project
Measure quality alongside speed and cost. Klarna's later reversal shows that fast, cheap resolution can still leave customers with a worse experience.
Keep a guaranteed route to a person. Klarna's CEO now treats human access as part of the brand.
Treat early headline figures as a snapshot. The 700-agent claim came from month one and was not updated with quality data.
Caveats
- All performance figures come from Klarna's own February 2024 press release; no independent audit was found.
- The press release does not name the OpenAI model used.
- The 2025 reversal is known from the CEO's comments to Bloomberg as reported by Entrepreneur; Klarna did not publish new service metrics in the sources used.
Sources
- Klarna AI assistant handles two-thirds of customer service chats in its first month
Klarna · 2024-02-27 · Press release · klarna.com
- Klarna Is Hiring Customer Service Agents After AI Couldn't Cut It on Calls, According to the Company's CEO
Entrepreneur · 2025-05-09 · News · entrepreneur.com
Summarized in our own words from the sources above. Spotted an error? See corrections.