Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the call center industry, streamlining tasks for agents and improving customer experiences. For workers like Armen Kirakosian from Athens, Greece, the technology has eased the burdens of his early career by providing instant customer profiles and predictive tools that help resolve problems faster. “A.I. has taken (the) robot out of us,” he said.
Call centers employ about 3 million people in the US and millions more worldwide, answering billions of service requests every year. Many agents face high stress and monotonous work, with nearly half leaving the role within a year. Much of the job involves “break or fix” issues, where customers expect solutions immediately. AI now handles many routine tasks, but experts note that humans are still needed for complex cases.
Some companies that replaced large teams with AI have learned its limits. In 2023, Swedish company Klarna shifted its 700-person customer service team to chatbots. While costs fell, customer satisfaction declined, forcing the firm to rehire some employees, particularly for sensitive cases like identity theft.
Industry leaders see a hybrid future. “Our vision of an AI-first contact center, where AI agents handle the majority of conversations and fewer, better trained and better paid human agents support only the most complex tasks, is quickly becoming a reality,” said Gadi Shamia of Replicant, an AI software firm.
Older systems such as interactive voice response menus, where callers press numbers or say words like “sales” or “support,” remain unpopular. Many customers still “zero out” in hopes of reaching a human, often ending up in the wrong department. Companies are now deploying AI-powered systems that can understand broader requests and connect callers directly.
Bank of America’s chatbot “Erica,” launched in 2018, has managed more than 3 billion interactions and now predicts customer needs, such as budgeting help or subscription management. OpenAI has also introduced advanced agents capable of handling complex, multi-step requests.
James Bednar of TTEC believes AI will soon remove the need for traditional menus altogether. “We’re getting to the point where AI will get you to the right person for your problem without you having to route through those menus,” he said.
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