Market Overview

The market for artificial intelligence (AI) services offered by call center businesses grew during the pandemic, as demand for automated operations surged. This was driven by the need for call center businesses to reduce on-site staff to prevent the spread of infection. Although the behavioral restrictions were lifted in FY2023, demand for automation continued to grow, as these businesses lacked operators. Additionally, as remote work stabilized, more clients began using contactless media, such as websites and social media, to contact call centers. Since AI services are highly compatible with these media, the demand for them increased further. In FY2024, the rapid prevalence of generative AI prompted call center businesses to adopt AI to increase their operational efficiency. Consequently, the number of users of AI services provided by call centers increased. Based on the sales of businesses, the market size of AI services provided by call centers was estimated at 9 billion yen, which represented 150.0% of the previous fiscal year.

Noteworthy Topics

Implementation of Generative AI-Powered Services in Call Center Departments of General Companies

When employees of the call center department from general companies were asked if their departments had implemented generative AI-powered services, 19% answered "yes," while 30% answered "not yet, but it is scheduled."

When observing this results by segment, order processing centers that answered “yes,” accounted for 35.3% of the total, a relatively high rate. Help desk, customer service, and outbound sales segments that answered “not yet, but it is scheduled” accounted for 33% to 34%, which are also relatively high rates. Conversely, five out of six outbound research employees answered that they “have not implemented it and have no plans to do so,” indicating little interest in AI.

Examining the results by call center size revealed that a relatively high percentage of large call centers with at least 100 operator desks replied “yes,” while the majority of small- to medium-sized call centers with 99 or fewer operator desks answered, “have not implemented it and have no plans to do so.”  

Future Outlook

Further advancements in AI are anticipated after FY2025. These advancements will reduce operator workloads by automatically summarizing and recording customer interactions, among other techniques. AI is expanding into new areas, thereby improving service quality. Sentiment analysis, for example, improves customer handling and increases customer satisfaction in real time. Consequently, the use of AI-powered services for call center tasks is expected to increase.

If the risks of generative AI hallucinations in call center jobs are mitigated by establishing risk management methods, the adoption of AI services will increase even more.

Based on sales of businesses, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the market of AI services provided by call centers is forecast to reach 31.7% from FY2023 to FY2029, with the market size reaching 31.3 billion yen by FY2029.

* AI hallucination: The problem of AI in creating false information due to mistakes and contradictions in logic.

Research Outline