Half of Customer Service Jobs Will Disappear by 2030, Forrester Says
Forrester predicts AI will cut the customer service workforce in half by 2030, with the steepest cuts hitting contact centers that handle high-volume, routine inquiries.
The analyst firm modeled one company with 1,000 customer service representatives. In four years, that number could drop to 40.
Max Ball, principal analyst at Forrester, said the jobs most at risk don't require human intelligence. "There are humans today doing jobs that don't require the level of intelligence that a human has," Ball said. "That work is going to go away."
Who Gets Hit Hardest
Contact centers handling simple, repetitive cases face the worst outlook. A customer checking an account balance doesn't need a human agent - AI can handle it.
Centers handling complex inquiries will also lose staff, but at lower rates. AI will automate parts of transactions even when humans remain involved, cutting handling time from 10 minutes to 8 minutes, for example.
Forrester expects contact centers to hire new roles as automation expands: relationship managers and subject matter experts. But total headcount will shrink.
The Timeline Debate
Not all analysts agree on the severity. Gartner expects that half of organizations planning severe headcount cuts due to AI will abandon those plans by 2027.
Most contact centers aren't laying off workers today. "Headcount cuts are the exception, not the rule," according to Eric Keller, senior director analyst in Gartner's customer service practice.
Contact center turnover is already high - averaging around 30% annually, with some companies like Comcast seeing 100% annual turnover. Companies can reduce headcount through attrition rather than layoffs.
"What's going to happen is somebody will leave their job and they won't be able to get another one," Ball said.
Learn more about AI for Customer Support and how AI Agents & Automation are changing the industry.
Your membership also unlocks:
