As 2025 drew to a close, interviews appeared in rapid succession in national media, highlighting customer contact. In the spotlight: the (Dutch) police, the (American) bank Wells Fargo, and a Dutch facility contact center discussing customer contact and the rise of AI. 

 

1. Chief of Police Janny Knol, the police and 'fewer calls'

Janny Knol, appointed last year as chief of police of the 65.000-employee "blue family," spoke afterward in an interview at the Warnsvel country house. Twenty police chiefs spent three days there in November discussing the police force of the future. According to Knol, "super-relevant" topics were on the agenda. For example, how do you organize the much-needed contact between officers and citizens in a digitized society? Knol told NRC: "We want citizens to... we need to call lessJust like with a company or a bank, you should soon be able to contact us via politie.nl or a chatbot. Or consider an app that shows you where the police are at a specific time so you can approach them. There's a significant efficiency gain to be made. We also need to make it possible to schedule an appointment online to file a report via Teams.

After which you then throw that declaration digitally in the trash?

"Not as far as I'm concerned. But it is true that not all reports are followed up immediately. Yet we desperately need those reports. Bicycles are being stolen like crazy, and it's crucial that we gather information about which bicycles are being stolen, and at which locations. This way, we get a good picture of the criminals' modus operandi, and we can combat them." (Read the full article on NRC.nl)

 

2. Saul van Beurden (Wells Fargo) on voicebots and entry-level jobs

Dutchman Saul van Beurden works at the American bank Wells Fargo as head of artificial intelligence and co-CEO. The FD asks him, among other things, what AI means. will change in 2026 in the banking world.

I think 2026 is definitely an interesting year from an AI perspective. The models will continue to improve, but I expect the major breakthroughs to come towards the end of this decade. We're currently implementing AI agents in our contact centers. We've defined the top 20 questions customers call about, for example, about a payment card that needs replacing. The customer will hear a human voice on the line who understands exactly what you're saying and responds in the same emotional tone, and then helps you with your question.

No more call centers in India?

In the long run, you'll see jobs shift, and people who did this work will move on to other jobs. I sense people's fear when you talk about it. I use the example of the 1990s, when software first emerged. Companies employed hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people just processing invoices. Then a system was created to handle it. It wasn't as if the whole world went down the drain and billions of people suddenly lost their jobs. No, new business models emerged, creating space for new jobs. AI will do exactly the same thing. AI will create space for other jobs and business models, some of which we probably don't know about yet.

From what I understand, you are not concerned about the future of your three sons with the rise of AI?

We have a lot of discussions about this at home. They're really guys of 26, 23, and 20. They're very assertive, and they're wondering if there will still be room for entry-level jobs. Yes, you have to be honest with each other. In certain economies and certain sectors, friction points will arise in the next ten years, where labor supply and demand won't quite match. That means more unemployment. There are already people in construction here in America who earn more than some highly educated people. A layer of highly educated people will emerge who may become unemployed because the jobs they would normally have had have already been taken over by AI. But I'm also convinced that it will correct itself based on the development of new jobs. (Read the full article on FD.nl)

 

3. Help twice as many customers in the same amount of time

EenVandaag looked at 'call center', among other things Support Squad in Leeuwarden and considered the question of how AI takes over processes.

At Support Squad in Leeuwarden, "they still work with people," but AI does the work live in the background: the computer listens in and searches for a solution. Founder Michel Norbruis is enthusiastic: "Where we used to be able to help eight to ten customers in an hour, we now help twenty to 25." He believes AI is unstoppable: eventually, all the people in his company will be replaced. Norbruis expects that voicebots will be as good as employees within one to three years. (Watch the episode on EenVandaag.nl)

(Ziptone/editors)

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