Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
Survey finds AI customer centers hired more staff than they cut
A survey by Remember & Company found that South Korean companies using AI in customer service hired more staff than they cut.
Among companies already using AI, 29% said they had added staff, while 18% had reduced staffing.
The most common outcome, reported by 45%, was moving existing staff to different tasks rather than cutting jobs.
Customers still often wanted to speak with a person: half of companies said customers asked to be connected to an agent, and 45% said customers repeated the same inquiry.
Companies were more likely to report improvements in internal measures such as response times and costs than in customer satisfaction and brand image.
The survey said clear rules for when agents should take over were linked to better-than-expected results, but only 8% of companies had formally documented such rules.
More than half of companies plan to increase AI investment in the next year, mainly in tools to summarize and sort inquiries, handle voice interactions, and assist agents in real time.
A survey found that South Korean companies using AI in customer centers hired more staff than they cut.
Among companies that had adopted AI, 29% reported adding staff, 18% reported reducing staff and 45% reassigned existing work.
The survey found that 50% of companies most often encountered customers asking to speak to a human agent after AI was introduced.
Companies reported more improvement in internal measures, such as response and waiting times, than in customer satisfaction and brand image.
Remember & Company said clear rules for when AI should hand a conversation to a human were linked to stronger-than-expected results.
- Who
- Remember & Company conducted the survey among customer-service practitioners and decision-makers at major South Korean companies.
- What
- The survey found that AI-using customer centers reported hiring more staff than they cut.
- When
- The report was published on October 30, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Added staff
- 29% of AI-adopting companies
- Reduced staff
- 18% of AI-adopting companies
- Reassigned existing work
- 45% of AI-adopting companies
- Customers asking for an agent
- 50% of companies cited this as their most common customer reaction
- Published
- October 30, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
The results of AI adoption differed depending on whether clear criteria had been set for when people should intervene, more than on performance itself.
Companies can entrust customers to AI, but the field’s voice is that there are also clear moments when a person must take over.