AI reshapes call centres as Microsoft, Uber and banks automate customer support

New Delhi: The writing may soon be on the call. As generative AI becomes increasingly capable of handling routine customer conversations, companies from banks to technology firms are shrinking their reliance on traditional call centres, signalling a major shift for one of the world’s largest employment sectors.

Businesses including Microsoft, Uber, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Hyatt are expanding the use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to manage everyday customer queries, according to a Bloomberg report. The move is helping companies lower costs while reshaping the future of customer support and the global outsourcing industry.

Customer service has long been considered one of the most vulnerable sectors to automation. Earlier generations of chatbots struggled with complex conversations, but recent advances in generative AI have significantly improved their ability to understand context and resolve common customer issues without human intervention.

According to the report, nearly half of all customer service roles could be affected by automation by 2030, as companies continue investing in AI-driven support platforms.

Among the biggest adopters is Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which has integrated artificial intelligence into its customer chat operations. Bloomberg reported that the bank has reduced parts of its customer service workforce while delivering substantial savings by automating routine interactions.

Microsoft has also accelerated AI adoption across its customer support business. According to the report, the company’s customer service workforce has fallen from around 50,000 employees and contractors to approximately 40,000 over recent years.

Microsoft executives have previously said artificial intelligence is helping the company save around $750 million annually by automatically resolving a growing share of customer requests without human intervention.

Uber has similarly expanded AI-powered customer support through its mobile application. Bloomberg recently reported that the company reduced around 10 per cent of its customer service workforce as part of a broader push to integrate artificial intelligence across its operations.

The hospitality sector is also embracing automation. Hyatt is using AI to handle routine guest requests such as reservation changes and receipt queries, with company executives acknowledging that lower customer service costs are among the benefits.

The growing shift towards AI is expected to have significant implications for the global business process outsourcing industry, particularly in countries such as India and the Philippines, where millions of workers provide customer support services for multinational companies.

Several outsourcing providers have already warned investors that wider AI adoption by clients could reduce demand for traditional customer service contracts unless they strengthen their own AI capabilities and move towards higher-value services.

Despite the rapid pace of automation, companies continue to stress that human employees remain essential for handling sensitive customer complaints, complex technical issues and situations requiring judgement or empathy.

According to the report, many organisations are using AI primarily to automate repetitive tasks while redeploying staff into specialised roles. In some cases, workforce reductions have been managed through contractor exits, natural attrition or internal transfers rather than large-scale layoffs.

As AI takes over more routine conversations, the call centre industry appears headed for its biggest transformation in decades, with the future increasingly hinging on how workers and employers adapt to a more automated customer service landscape.