General Discussion

vs paying live people. Think of the tolerance/acceptance that they had for overseas contact center engagement. That BPO model still lives and breaths and is huge business.

I work for a company, and with companies, that makes and sells AI tools, and businesses are buying. Most is designed to augment and assist human engagement, but not all. The ROI for replacing people, foreign and domestic, with AI for support or customer service is a no brainer for them(we don’t say replace btw, we say “repurpose” - as gross as that is). Most companies feign caring about improving customer satisfaction, but when “fiduciary responsibility” and “share holder value” are in play, the customer and employees are just a blip. I see it every day. And not just in customer service. CFOs don’t care about anything but the money.

And what you see on the internet is generative AI crap. There are many Agentic AI tools that work within well defined frameworks, against solid DBs and knowledge bases, with guardrails, human intervention, etc. It’s much better than most are likely being exposed to. I use it every day. Example: I am on phone calls and meetings all day. Everyone of those interactions requires note taking, action item assignment, follow up, looking up old notes for reference, etc. AI does all of that and hands it to me before, during and after. Need to talk to someone in Hungary, China, Japan, France? - which I do - no problem, it translates in real time. Etc etc.

I don’t disagree completely, there may be a revolt of some sort, and when my youngest is done with school, I’ll be giving them my 2 second notice and getting a job at Home Depot. But it is here to stay. You can take that to the bank.