New research from Bold Agent Kit finds that human receptionists delivered approximately four times stronger inbound intake conversion performance, despite AI answering more calls.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the economics of customer service. Companies are deploying AI receptionists, automated call handlers, and voice agents to reduce labor costs, extend operating hours, and handle growing call volumes without expanding their workforce.
An October 9, 2026, report from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), citing employment data from Revelio, highlighted a significant decline in global call-center employment growth. After more than a decade of largely consistent expansion, call-center employment growth has turned negative across income groups.
