Artificial intelligence will not replace call center workers, but will make them more effective by simplifying the software they use, a contact center executive said. 

Vasili Triant, chief executive of UJET, said AI is more likely to turn call center agents into “superheroes” than put them out of work.

“The problem actually is the systems themselves, not the humans. It’s what the humans have to deal with,” Triant said.

According to him, the value case is shifting away from ‘I’m going to remove humans’ to ‘I’m not spending money on a legacy application that doesn’t need to be there anymore.’ 

Triant argued against the notion that AI will replace call center employees, noting that automation has already been around for over the last 30 years, as businesses have already automated common self-service tasks for decades. 

In a related Gartner report, the research and advisory company predicted the rising data center costs and more complex use cases for GenAI. According to this report, the cost per resolution will exceed offshore human agent costs by 2030. Gartner also predicted that by 2028, AI-related regulations will increase assisted service volume by 30%, as rules push for easier access to human agents. 

“Organizations will have to maintain or even rehire human agents, possibly at higher numbers or at a higher salary than they previously paid,” Patrick Quinlan, senior director analyst of Gartner, said.

Tags: AI, BPO, call center agents, automation, gartner, reports