September 2025 - ManpowerGroup

Humans in the age of customer care AI and automation

Advanced technologies may be spreading rapidly across contact centres (CC) and customer experience (CX) businesses, but the human touch is still essential for success

The customer care industry has entered a new era, shaped by the rapid evolution and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), automation and predictive analytics. In 2024, these technologies reached a tipping point, becoming widespread across the sector and prompting contact centres and customer experience organisations to rethink how they engage with customers.

The rise of AI and automation in customer care

Businesses have embraced chatbots, virtual assistants and generative AI (GenAI) tools to deliver round-the-clock support that’s faster, more consistent and more cost-effective than ever before:

AI-driven automation now enables real-time analytics, powering predictive recommendations that anticipate customer needs before they even arise.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows bots to understand and resolve routine issues, freeing human agents for more complex tasks.
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) converts spoken language into written text, allowing machines to understand and act on voice commands. In customer care, ASR is improving efficiency and functionality by enabling voice-based interactions and automating repetitive tasks.
Omnichannel integration is seamlessly connecting web, social, in-store and mobile interactions as customers increasingly demand unified, hassle-free service across every platform and access point.

A note of caution

“AI, more than other technology disruptions, generates little value from deployment alone. Creating value with AI requires changes in the working processes of hundreds or thousands of employees. Companies need to conduct business diagnostics, redesign processes, set targets and manage change as they deploy this technology.”

Source: Bain & Co. 2024

Industry forecasts underline how deeply automation is transforming the sector. Bain & Co. projects the AI market in customer experience will grow by up to 55% annually, nearing £740 billion ($990 billion) by 2027. Meanwhile, Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, 80% of service organisations will use GenAI, and autonomous systems may soon handle up to 80% of all customer queries.

However, machines and software are only one side of the CC and CX story.

The irreplaceable role of human workers

Despite the leaps in AI and automation, the need for genuine human interaction in customer service has become even more pronounced. Automated solutions may excel at providing rapid, accurate responses to routine requests, but they struggle when situations require emotional intelligence, empathy and creative problem-solving.

According to recent surveys, a whopping 75% of customers still prefer speaking with a human for complicated issues – a testament to the enduring importance of the human touch.

Why is this?

It’s because empathy, trust and the ability to connect on an emotional level are qualities that no machine can fully replicate – at least not yet. Human agents can recognise nuances in tone, understand unspoken concerns and provide reassurance during moments of distress or confusion by the customer. Human agents are adept at navigating unpredictable scenarios and exercising judgment, especially when sensitive matters or relationship repair are at stake. Furthermore, far from rendering human workers obsolete, AI is helping to elevate their roles. Modern AI-powered systems now act as ‘co-pilots’, offering agents live prompts, automated note-taking or next-best-action suggestions, enabling them to focus more on listening and engaging meaningfully with customers. The result? Higher agent confidence, enhanced efficiency and more positive outcomes on both sides of the conversation.

Striking the balance: lending tech and human input

The future of customer care lies not in replacing humans with algorithms, but in thoughtful collaboration between the two. AI-powered automation is now the backbone of efficient, predictive and scalable customer experiences, deflecting thousands of mundane queries each hour and offering personalised self-service at scale.

However, it’s the human agent, armed with emotional intelligence and empowered by technology, who remains the heart of relationship-building, trust and customer loyalty.

This blended approach is already proven: organisations using hybrid models report higher customer satisfaction scores and significant cost savings. AI relieves agents from repetitive tasks, while humans resolve the intricate, emotionally charged or high-stakes interactions that shape lasting impressions. Ultimately, for most customers, the ideal scenario isn’t choosing between a chatbot or a person – it’s getting their issue solved quickly and kindly, whether by bot, human or both.

67%

Of customers expect companies to know them and personalise how they interact with them.

Source: Forbes Sept 2024

AI + human: The winning combination

Moving forward, customer care will be defined by seamless cooperation between smart technology and skilled people. Companies that master this integration, leveraging AI for speed and scale but never losing sight of empathy and trust, will set the gold standard for customer care in an increasingly digital world.

Learn more

For an in-depth overview of UK customer care, including more on the role of AI and automation, download the Brook Street 2025 Customer Care Trends Report now.

DOWNLOAD REPORT

Experis Tech Talent Outlook Q4 2025

The latest Experis Tech Talent Outlook reveals a 42% IT Net Employment Outlook for Q4 2025. In an otherwise stalling labour market, the IT sector continues to enjoy the strongest outlook of all UK sectors for the third consecutive quarter.

UK trails in global hiring race, facing the world’s sharpest yearly and quarterly decline

Hiring plans fall again across the UK in the last quarter of the 2025 to just +11% (dropping –17 percentage points YoY and –8 percentage points QoQ)
UK sees sharpest year-on-year AND quarter-on-quarter drop in anticipated headcount growth globally – is AI-driven productivity our only answer?
Autumn Statement is ‘make or break’ for employers navigating cost pressures, AI disruption and policy uncertainty

Hiring demand amongst UK employers has dropped to a new low (+11%) according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, which captures quarterly hiring intentions from over 2,000 UK employers across sectors. The results show how the UK’s challenging labour market conditions are taking their toll on business confidence going into Q4.

The UK recorded the biggest drop in year-on-year planned hiring globally, contracting –17 percentage points (followed by Singapore, Hungary and Finland which all fell – 9 percentage points on the year). Underscoring the scale of the British slowdown, the UK also has the worst quarter-on-quarter fall of – 8 percentage points globally (followed by Costa Rica and Colombia, both down 6 points on the quarter). This, combined with the latest Net Employment Outlook, makes October’s Autumn Statement a critical moment for employers seeking clarity and support.

“The UK economy has stalled and with it so has hiring. The labour market has been moving at an almost glacial pace for months and while there remains some movement in roles for the highly skilled, we’re very far off the +30% hiring Outlooks we saw in early 2022,” says Petra Tagg, Director, ManpowerGroup UK. “Employers are weighing recruitment investment against the need to drive efficiency through AI and automation. What’s needed now is a corrective course of action – relief on employment costs, clarity on policy timelines and bold investment in long-term infrastructure and pragmatic innovation.”

Employers continue to face challenges from increased national insurance contributions and rising operational costs, as well as uncertainty around both the economy and government commitments. These factors have led to many businesses adopting a more conservative approach to hiring, opting instead to maximise the potential of their existing workforce by focusing on productivity gains.

Tagg continues, “The first half of 2025 showed that entry-level hiring was falling as firms reached for AI to take on routine tasks. Our latest survey shows this demand will stabilise again towards the end of the year and will make up 61% of all hiring.

“Employers are on a sharp learning curve, and are reimagining the value of the emerging workforce, not as ‘cheap labour’, but as digitally fluent candidates who can seamlessly integrate with AI and help plug skills gaps. “Competence is currency in today’s job market,” adds Tagg. “It’s an employer’s market; candidates who bring the right skills match will be in a strong position to negotiate and shape their career paths. Managers, meanwhile, facing headcount restrictions, are scrutinising ways they can maximise productivity with existing talent and resources. But this pressure can lead to less transparent recruitment processes. Employers can’t slack – reputations are maintained just as much in downturns as in times of growth.”

Information Technology continues to lead on sector performance, with Financials & Real Estate following behind. Consumer Goods & Services and Industrials & Materials are tied for the sharpest year-on-year drop, while ‘Other’ which includes government roles remains the weakest. Energy & Utilities posted the strongest quarterly growth, tied to the ongoing discussions around energy bills and government relief schemes.

“It’s a tough outlook for the UK at the moment. Whereas last year the same pressure was being felt across Europe, this year the UK labour market is steering its own course, and it’s unlike one we’ve faced before,” concludes Tagg. “A new market predicament is an opportunity for organisations to evolve and become more efficient; by focusing on productivity and the strategic development of talent, businesses can weather uncertainty, attract high-quality candidates and position themselves for long-term success.”

—ENDS—

For further information, please contact:

HAVAS Red – 0161 236 2277 Email: manpowergroupuk@havas.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

A ‘Net Employment Outlook’ is calculated by subtracting those employers who plan to reduce staffing levels from those who plan to hire staff. A positive result indicates that more employers plan to increase rather than decrease staffing levels; a negative result reflects the opposite. . For international comparisons and visual library with graphs, visit manpowergroup.com

Commentary is based on seasonally adjusted data where available. Full survey results for each of the 42 countries and territories included in this quarter’s survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the ManpowerGroup Press Room at www.manpowergroup.com/meos In addition, all tables and graphs from the full report are available to be downloaded for use in publication or broadcast from the ManpowerGroup Web site at: http://www.manpowergroup.com/press/meos.cfm

About the Survey

The world leader in innovative workforce solutions, ManpowerGroup releases the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforces during the next quarter. It is the longest running, most extensive, forward-looking employment survey in the world, polling 40,700 employers across 42 countries and territories. The survey serves as a bellwether of labour market trends and activities and is regularly used to inform the Bank of England’s Inflation Reports, as well as a regular data source for the European Commission, informing its EU Employment Situation and Social Outlook report, the Monthly Monitor. ManpowerGroup’s independent survey data is also sourced by financial analysts and economists around the world to help determine where labour markets are headed.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organisations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organisations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, Brook Street and Talent Solutions – creates substantial value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 75 years. We are recognised consistently for our diversity – as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability, and in 2025, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 16th year – all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.co.uk, or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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