Are we about to witness a hecatomb among call center staff, victims of a docile and efficient AI that would replace teleconsultants? Are the predictions of modern Cassandras finally coming true? In any case, the warning signs are becoming clearer.
« Several companies have already launched redundancy or downsizing procedures », reports Medias24 in an article entitled « Wave of Redundancies in Call Centers.« This is a strategic sector: offshoring employs between 80,000 and 100,000 Moroccans, nearly 80% of whom work in call centers.
» Tens of thousands of jobs are under threat »
« Tens of thousands of jobs are under threat, » confirms Ayoub Saoud, General Secretary of the National Federation of Call Centers and Offshoring Professions (FNCAO), a member of UMT. But he qualifies: it’s difficult to attribute all the losses to AI, as the new French law that will soon ban telephone canvassing without consent is also weighing heavily on the workforce.
The first to be affected are standardized professions. Outbound calls, telemarketing, planning, quality control… all tasks that can now be automated. Roland Berger ‘s Customer Service in the Age of AI report sums up the situation: « Standard daily tasks will be automated, such as handling customer requests, sharing information, taking orders and even communicating directly with them. »
The trend is global. According to Forbes Coaches Council, early-career workers (aged 22-25) in AI-exposed professions have already suffered a relative 13% drop in employment since the mass adoption of generative tools. Older workers, on the other hand, have remained stable overall.
AI vs. teleconsultants
Faced with these concerns, Karim Bernoussi, CEO of Intelcia, refuses to be alarmist. « AI will transform all professions, not just offshoring, but the human will remain at the center. AI will make work better. What’s more, we’re recruiting! » he assures us.
« In the early 2000s, we were in the telephone information business. Since then, new businesses have emerged. It will be the same dynamic with AI. »
The executive recalls that the sector has already reinvented itself: « In the early 2000s, we were in the telephone intelligence business. Since then, new professions have emerged. It will be the same dynamic with AI. »
What roles will disappear? « Requesting information, booking appointments or the first level of chatbot will gradually become automated. On the other hand, today’s agents handle more complex issues – updating databases, transactional activities. These roles will not disappear.« Bernoussi insists on one point: « Brands know that they need to personalize interactions: each one is an opportunity to strengthen customer attachment, or even close a sale. »
In this context, AI appears less as a threat than an opportunity. « The impact will be measured. It’s up to outsourcers to be agile, transform and invest. The French law restricting canvassing? So much the better: it affects low value-added roles, which precisely need to transform. »
Empowering companies
Intelcia already uses speech analytics: AI listens to calls, summarizes them, suggests actions to agents and detects difficult conversations. Result: no need for entire teams dedicated to quality listening. AI is also used for translation, despite its still disabling latency. The results are tangible: « For a fiber customer, 30% of subscriptions were not concluded. Thanks to speech analytics, we have corrected this shortcoming and significantly improved performance. »
« Our objective has never been to keep employees in the same job for ten years: we want to develop them. »
As a result, the business model is changing. « Before, we sold time. Today, we sell a combo of time and technology, with more attractive margins. Certain roles, such as quality agent, will disappear. But our aim has never been to keep employees in the same job for ten years: we want them to evolve. »
Ayoub Saoud also recognizes that jobs need to evolve. But he calls on the public authorities to assume their responsibilities: « What are we talking about? First of all, we need a map of the sector, some figures, an understanding of the issues… But none of this exists. »
He calls for the validation of teleconsultants’ skills, via training courses provided by the OFPPT and financed by multinationals and companies in the sector. « It’s time for players who benefit from tax breaks and subsidies to finally put their hands in their pockets. Otherwise, thousands of people will be left out in the cold. »
A global transformation
This shift goes beyond call centers. Professions can now be divided into three categories: protected (those requiring empathy or human judgment, such as doctors, teachers and lawyers), those in evolution (where AI transforms processes without totally erasing the human element. Examples: radiology, logistics, driving), and finally, those under threat (jobs based on repetitive tasks: transcription, planning, back-office).
The solution lies in retraining. Bank of America has formed an alliance with NPower and Urban Alliance to train young people from minority backgrounds, combining technical and human skills. Accenture, meanwhile, is redesigning its processes to create new career « entry points » focused on collaboration with AI rather than competition.
Moroccan teleconsultants are not doomed to disappear. But to stay in the race, they will have to accept and work with a simple truth: AI doesn’t kill jobs, it kills routine.
Written in French by Zakaria Choukrallah; edited in English by AngloMedia Group.
