AI does not replace customer service representatives. However, AI does take over parts of their duties. The same work can be done with fewer employees, the remaining work becomes both more intensive and more complex, and employees are increasingly tasked with monitoring AI. Customer service representatives will also have to deal with AI systems for coaching and training. What does all this mean for their profession?

 

Discussion leader: Tom Jessen
Image: Sophie Bijsterbosch, SophieB Photography
Text: Erik Bouwer

The participants (from left to right): Stijn Lathouwers, CEO Custom Connect; Robert Duijvestin, Customer Service and CX Manager at Dunea; Daphne van den Hoogen, national employer advisor at UWV; Cynthia Mak, founder and owner of The Caring Company; Bernard Steenbergen, Director of B2C Customer Service at Vattenfall; and Tom Jessen, moderation.

 

 

More and more contact centers are using AI solutions. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the use of AI in customer contact?

Mak On the one hand, I am optimistic about the use of AI when I see what the technology is capable of. On the other hand, it is largely unclear what the future will bring.

Lath cutters We are optimistic. We see opportunities primarily in the field of human empowerment. That is currently taking off. We see volumes decreasing; customers are increasingly coming in better-informed – they have often already consulted ChatGPT or another tool themselves. Sometimes they have even had their invoice analyzed. The employee handling such a contact needs to be better trained. Knowledge bases are also becoming more important, as is the speed at which AI monitors the situation to ensure the conversation continues to run smoothly.

Van den Hoogen Employers find the use of AI challenging when it comes to quality and privacy. However, they do recognize that job roles are changing and that different training is required.

Duijvestin On the one hand, I am concerned about AI: think of fake news and polarization. The wildest stories are circulating on social media about drinking water. But I also see opportunities to serve customers even better: better supporting employees, shortening lead times, and offering relevant information.

Steenbergen I am an optimist. The work of a customer contact representative is becoming more enjoyable, but it does involve fewer people. I am involved in operations, and that revolves around 'today'. A lot of AI is coming our way, but customers need support *now*. How do you bring together the world of future innovations and today's operations? I want to be able to see from the customer that AI is being used effectively; that is the most important thing to me. Our employees are currently better at empathy. But if AI masters that as well, and you can measure what works best for the customer, then it could really take off.

 

What will change in the coming years due to the increasing use of AI?

Van den Hoogen The more complex tasks remain. This is particularly interesting for experienced employees with an MBO+ level. Most people eligible for unemployment benefits who held a customer contact profession have an MBO or VMBO background.

Steenbergen Those junior entry-level positions are already drying up worldwide. The question is whether new entrants will find it harder to integrate.

Duijvestin This issue regarding simple questions varies by sector. 60% of our callers have not looked online, not even when it comes to simple questions. There is a group that is not digitally skilled or does not want to use digital channels. The question remains: where will AI really make a difference for the customer? Or for the employee? Some companies are already taking a premature step and laying off employees because AI can reduce customer contact by 30%. Boardrooms are being driven crazy by what is in the newspaper about AI. I believe you really need to look at what kind of organization you are, what kind of customers you serve, and what role AI and personal contact play in that. As far as I know, no jobs have been lost at drinking water companies due to AI yet, even though automated summarizing is used or conversation suggestions are offered.

Lath cutters AI can indeed take over tasks – this involves the low-hanging fruit. But you can also use AI to empower employees. We have built AI solutions around both the customer and the employee: from learning and training to coaching and sentiment monitoring. Agents receive targeted feedback. For example: if you answer the customer's question in a different way, you will see that your CSAT, first-time fix, or AHT improves by a certain percentage. You can use this to retain employees who are less trained. For this group, it is a tool.

Duijvestin At our company, employees would protest: 'I won't let myself be completely robotized!' Innovation also moves a bit slower with us because we have many other ICT projects, in addition to a somewhat more demanding target group where personal contact remains important.

 

Are there customer contact tasks that you would never hand over to AI?

Mak Never? That is difficult. I do struggle with hearing stories about how AI takes over people's thinking and tells them what to do. That doesn't strike me as very sustainable. I think it is good for people to keep thinking about things themselves and to keep developing and learning. The use of AI sometimes seems like you are given an extra engine rather than a push in the back. As far as I am concerned, the value of AI does not lie in the former.

Lath cutters We enter into contracts with our clients, including KPIs and bonus/malus schemes. We use AI in alignment with our clients. Not all clients use AI, but where it is deployed, they primarily want to use it for measurement.

Mak AI doesn't always fit the clients I serve either. However, I do see potential applications for tasks that people wouldn't have to do, such as checking documents. If that disappears, no one will be any unhappier. I also think it's a great idea if you can scale up better during peak periods.

Steenbergen In my view, it can empower team leaders and coaches: where can things be improved? Our team leaders are positive about AI – it means they are assisted with analyses and observations and can provide more support.

Lath cutters Those coaching sessions will continue as usual, but are now much more targeted. The manager can also analyze much faster where, for example, a specific disconnect lies in a customer journey that causes many contacts.

Duijvestin Preventing customer contact through analytics is indeed a great application. We already have a lot of data at our disposal. In our case, however, 100 percent analysis would lead to legitimate objections: quality monitoring at the employee level must be performed on a sample basis.

Lath cutters Our customers can choose for themselves what and how much they want to analyze. Analyzing everything leads to higher costs.

 

The idea is that AI ensures that simple customer contact disappears from the job description and that employees are provided with a variety of tools. Does this make the work of customer contact employees heavier or lighter?

Van den Hoogen I am curious: if the tasks become more complex, will something happen to the salary as well?

Duijvestin If the number of simple calls decreases, what is left for you as a customer service representative? And if you then have to handle more of those complex calls in an hour…

Steenbergen That is sustainable if you are given more leeway. For example, by contacting colleagues from other departments between meetings to investigate problems.

Duijvestin You can also say: give the realized time savings or savings back to the employees.

Van den Hoogen Research among job seekers consistently shows this: in addition to a good salary, people are looking for development opportunities and job satisfaction. Autonomy is part of that. The question is what happens when AI further restricts that autonomy.

Duijvestin Perhaps the customer contact representative will become more of a back-office employee in the future if the bot can handle 80% of the questions.

Lath cutters You can still make a difference with live customer contact. The use of automated customer contact is primarily a strategic choice, considering budget and customer experience. But ultimately, AI must deliver something for your customer.

Steenbergen We specifically want to continue deploying people at the front end. The importance of personal contact became clearly apparent during the energy crisis.

Lath cutters From the energy crisis, we indeed know how important the human element is. You can unleash AI on harrowing situations, but it won't solve them.

Mak Being able to truly help people continues to make the difference.

 

Is the current phase an intermediate step towards full automation?

Lath cutters During Twinkle Topics, a supplier showcased the 'Digital Human'. With this, you could also take over a customer service representative, because they too operate based on acquired knowledge. Currently, such solutions are still relatively expensive, but what about in five to ten years?

Steenbergen First, customers need to embrace these types of solutions. Additionally, privacy legislation is a factor that is becoming increasingly important. Consider emotion recognition that was included in the packages we all purchased – and which is not allowed to be used after all. And another point of concern: this form of automation consumes a great deal of energy.

 

Could human customer contact become a premium service?

Steenbergen Customers are increasingly seeing it that way too. When they get someone on the line, they frequently ask several other questions. Receiving personal attention is likely also an important element. In any case, innovations are always accompanied by a phase of pain that you have to go through, while many managers think: I’ll implement it quickly and be done with it. Last week, a Gartner report was released showing that currently only 11% of innovations in customer contact yield ROI.

Duijvestin There is also a theory in customer contact that says every new channel leads to new volumes. Furthermore: besides savings, don't you also gain heavier responsibilities, such as those related to administration?

Mak I have a background in neuroscience. There are always distinguishing characteristics of people at play that you cannot fully grasp. People cannot do without human contact. It is fascinating how, in the search for human contact, we devise all kinds of technology that actually takes that human contact away. While people want contact with the customer service department because they are experiencing stress about something.

Lath cutters Younger generations are less interested in where they get their information – as long as it is fast, within reach, and now.

Steenbergen It is striking, however, that that same generation wants personal contact in a crisis situation.

Lath cutters Yes, but a lot is also done digitally from smartphones.

Duijvestin We often hear from customers that they are pleasantly surprised: 'You actually have people in customer service, and the number isn't hidden somewhere.' We are talking about handling issues, by the way, but rarely about preventing them. With AI, big data – the holy grail of a few years ago – can be unlocked and analyzed much more effectively. You can think of proactively offering payment plans or proactively reporting potential disruptions in the drinking water supply. However, for this to happen, it is necessary for internal processes to be well aligned.

 

Preventive or proactive customer contact: is that of interest to BPOs?

Lath cutters Handling customer contact is our revenue model, but we prefer long-term partnerships to high call volumes. Job threats are still a concern in the sector. Implementing innovations can, of course, have personal consequences – different tasks or job loss. At the same time, restructuring customer contact requires more IT specialists. Customer contact is evolving faster than organizations can keep up with change.

 

Who is responsible for the errors that AI applications can make?

Steenbergen That is a good question, but the customer is not interested in that. We will therefore need to collaborate much more, including with our partners. AI applications must be continuously monitored and adjusted. Our employees check AI frequently; they know exactly where things go wrong. A strong feedback culture is a prerequisite for this.

Mak It is true that you need to have and maintain the basics in order. The use of AI requires a good knowledge base. However, far from all companies, especially in the SME sector, have a knowledge base. In addition, you must continue to encourage employees to think critically for themselves. Telling your employees exactly how things should be done or not is a pitfall.

Duijvestin Everyone is familiar with the standard questions and standard answers. For example, moving from Gouda to The Hague: what should I do? Customers are increasingly asking ChatGPT this instead of checking our website. That, too, is concerning. And is a standard question always that simple question, or is there sometimes another question behind it?

Van den Hoogen Hearing all this, I am curious: to what extent do you take different generations into account in your customer contact, for example?

Mak I recently completed an assignment for an association. Many members prefer to wait a while on the phone to speak to someone rather than having to use digital channels.

Lath cutters We have clients who keep the telephone open as a contact channel for specific target groups. High service levels are maintained there, and Average Handling Time (AHT) plays hardly any role. These are strategic choices that companies can make themselves.

 

What are we going to do with the time savings that the use of AI can yield?

Steenbergen Is the use of AI always the case that it results in time savings?

Lath cutters We primarily see time savings in support functions. For example, we need far fewer QM staff. However, other roles are taking their place, such as administration or developers, so it is not always a cost saving.

 

What will make the job of customer contact representative still interesting in five years? And are we currently being honest with our employees?

Mak Naturally, I hope that people can remain the distinguishing factor. When I look back on the past few years and consider what I would have liked to see: a better salary and higher regard for the profession. If AI could contribute to that, that would be wonderful.

Van den Hoogen I think it is important to show the societal impact you can have as a customer contact representative. Many people want to contribute to society. Whether young people will want to continue doing this work in the coming years is difficult for me to say. However, I am in favor of letting them shadow someone for a day: what does the work entail? Customer contact is much broader than what most people currently realize. What also helps is a clear career path. The right combination – consider working from home or working on the other side of the world – can appeal to specific groups.

Lath cutters As an employer, I have to be very careful about who I hire and who I don't. Organizing flexibility is difficult given current legislation. For a smaller employer, a few cases of long-term illness can spell the end, as this has to be paid from the margin. In that respect, a trial internship could be part of the solution.

Duijvestin But are young people still the target group for the position of customer contact representative? The job is becoming more complex, and society is hardening. Perhaps more life experience is needed.

Van den Hoogen People aged 55 and over or pensioners are also interesting target groups.

Steenbergen Or you look for people with a slightly higher level of education. We have recruitment days where interested candidates can shadow for a full day. That works well. And many people respond to a green 'purpose'. In addition, existing employees certainly see that the number of conversations about, for example, relocations is decreasing as a result of AI. They also see that they are allowed to use Co-Pilot and often think that is cool. This also applies to employees who have been with us longer. They mainly expect AI applications from us to be up to par.

Duijvestin At our company, employees are primarily concerned about whether we are unleashing AI on our customers, because they themselves have had bad experiences with the quality of chatbots.

 

The Customer Service Federation (KSF) has a in 2024 vision document on AI drafted. AI is one of the major drivers behind the changes in the profession, but not the only one. Therefore, after the summer, the KSF will present its vision for the future of the profession. Not only is the profession evolving in terms of content, but the volume of work and the location where the work is performed are also changing. The vision will also include what these changes mean for employees, managers, the sector, and society. Members can have their say on this during two in-depth sessions. During the KSF Inspiration Day 2026 On September 3, the new vision document regarding the future of the profession will be presented.

 

The Coach House Conversations – Industry association KSF and trade journal Ziptone organize a number of roundtable discussions every year on current topics in the field. Previous editions of the Koetshuisgesprek:

• The affordability of customer contact
• The development of the profession
• Considerations and dilemmas when offshoring to Suriname
• The added value of good customer contact
• Diversity and inclusivity in customer contact
• Debunking AI: what is the added value of AI in customer contact?

(Ziptone/Erik Bouwer)

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