Verizon Plans to Automate 'Large Percentage' of Customer Service Jobs
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said AI will replace a significant portion of the carrier's customer service workforce, acknowledging that job disruption is inevitable as the technology advances. Speaking at Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco on Thursday, Schulman said the shift is already underway.
"For sure, you're going to see disruption with AI in certain job functions," Schulman said. "I don't see how that isn't possible."
Early Results Show Efficiency Gains
Verizon has been testing AI for Customer Support over the last three months. The AI agents handling routine inquiries are outperforming human representatives by a substantial margin.
Customer satisfaction with the AI agents was 1,280 basis points higher than previous levels, according to Schulman. The carrier is using AI Agents & Automation to handle routine questions while keeping human agents available for complex issues.
"The rote stuff can be done by agents, more complex stuff is a combination of an agent and a human working hand in hand to satisfy a customer much better than either can do alone," Schulman said.
The Job Market Will Shift, Not Disappear
Forrester Research predicted last week that AI will cut customer service jobs in half by 2030. The decline will be steepest for straightforward support roles.
Remaining customer service positions will focus on complex and sensitive matters. Max Ball, an analyst at Forrester, said those roles "will be brutally hard."
New job categories will emerge alongside the cuts. Workers will transition from answering customer questions to training AI systems, ensuring data quality, and writing procedures for automated agents to follow.
Why Schulman Says This Matters
Schulman framed the shift as part of Verizon's broader strategy to improve customer experience and regain market share. The carrier is using AI to tailor service to individual customer needs across hundreds of different variables.
He said business leaders have a responsibility to discuss AI's impact on employment. "What we're seeing in our customer service is that the rote stuff can be done by agents," he said, describing a hybrid model where AI handles routine work and humans handle exceptions.
Your membership also unlocks:
