From CNBC · Lindsay Dodgson · · 2m
AI is reshaping customer service work
As AI takes routine tasks, human agents face harder cases and burnout, while companies debate what success should look like.
In brief
As AI takes routine tasks, human agents face harder cases and burnout, while companies debate what success should look like. AI is automating routine customer service work, but leaving human agents with harder cases and raising questions about job intensity and performance measures. Originally reported by CNBC.
Kaylee Harris's day transformed
Kaylee Harris works in customer service for a credit card company.Her hours used to be filled with calls, note-taking and lengthy card disclosures.Now, thanks to artificial intelligence, she can focus more on each customer.
Shannon's experience differs sharply
Shannon works in customer service for a telecommunications company in Cardiff, Wales. AI-generated notes at her workplace are often riddled with errors, so she writes her own notes instead.
When AI fails, humans pay
At Shannon's previous employer, a property services company, AI agents booked appointments but passed complicated cases to humans when they could not offer requested dates. Staff were constantly fighting fires, causing burnout.
“All the complicated cases came to us, causing a lot of burnout.”
The theory of better work
In theory, automation should mean human agents spend less time on admin and more time helping customers with problems requiring judgment, empathy and experience.
“Maximum abuse for minimum wage.”
Companies split work between AI and humans
Virgin Media O2 launched an AI voice agent in September to handle routine issues so human advisors can spend more time on complex cases.
Workloads rising across the industry
According to MaxContact's two thousand twenty-five slash twenty-six U K Contact Centre KPI Benchmarking Insights Report, more than half of surveyed contact-center decision-makers said agent workloads had increased, up from around forty percent in two…
The hidden cost of routine work
Amanda Jones, who researches organizational behavior at King's College London, warns that removing routine tasks could intensify work.Straightforward tasks provide psychological respite between demanding ones.
“Relatively straightforward tasks can provide a bit of psychological respite between more demanding ones.”
Performance measures need to change
ArvatoConnect's Debra Maxwell argues that average handling times may need to increase as employees take on more complex cases.
Workers worry about customer experience
Kaylee Harris worries that the push to automate is coming at the expense of customer experience.Shannon believes people buy from people and that AI cannot provide that genuine feeling.
“I believe people buy from people; with AI you don't get to experience that.”
The one thing
AI is automating routine customer service work, but leaving human agents with harder cases and raising questions about job intensity and performance measures.
