AI adoption in contact centers is forcing job cuts, creating new roles, and requiring customer service leaders to rethink workforce management, according to executives at Customer Contact Week Las Vegas. "If you're saying, 'I'll just throw AI and humans in there together, it's all going to be fine,' I think you're looking at it the wrong way," said Neville Letzerich, CMO at Talkdesk. Leaders who treat the shift as a simple operating model change rather than a fundamental rethinking of how humans and AI work together risk demoralizing staff and missing strategic opportunities.
"Executives are pressed for time," said Nicole Kyle, managing director and co-founder of CMP Research. "How do they balance transforming the tech roadmap of CX with handling people-related challenges? The best CXOs and the best customer contact leaders know you have to be aware of both."
Be transparent with workers from the start
InfoPay began telling employees about its AI plans two years before the company knew whether there would be layoffs, said COO Jessica Gupta. "I was very upfront about the reality that I will not pretend that this won't change the head count that we need, that it won't change the way that we work," Gupta said. The company helped prepare the team for potential cuts and started conversations with remaining employees about what their new roles might look like. Agents with deep subject knowledge were brought into an analytics project to help build the AI program, giving them ownership over the technology. "We did have to release folks - the cost savings aspect is reality - but we've been able to create teams that are now doing exciting things," Gupta said.
Design service interactions that blend AI and human support
Self-service is not an all-or-nothing choice, said Jonathan Rosenberg, CTO at Five9. AI can handle initial data collection and triage, then hand off to a human agent purposefully, not because the AI failed. He cited loan applications as an example: AI collects the necessary information, then a human loan officer uses judgment and empathy to complete the interaction. "If you focus on the customer and put them at the forefront, it doesn't mean they don't talk to people anymore," Rosenberg said. "You can realize cost savings, build great CX and make sure your agents still play a role in what matters."
Choose the right AI tool for the task
Not every problem requires the most advanced AI, said Bob Sacunas, VP and strategic industry executive at UiPath. Agentic AI works well when some level of interpretation is necessary, but simple deterministic AI is often faster, cheaper, and more reliable for repeatable tasks. "The way you avoid this false promise is really to make sure that you're picking the best tool for the job instead of just over-indexing and trying to apply AI to everything," Sacunas said.
Why this matters for customer support professionals
The shift toward AI in contact centers doesn't eliminate the need for human agents - it changes what they do. Support professionals who get involved early in AI projects, like InfoPay's agents who moved into analytics and testing, can shape the technology and secure their roles. Understanding where human judgment adds value, such as in complex or emotionally charged interactions, will be critical. Professionals looking to build these skills can explore AI for Customer Support or follow an AI Learning Path for Call Center Supervisors to stay ahead of the changes.
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