As artificial intelligence (AI) and automation evolve, the concept of "digital workers" is becoming an integral part of modern customer service operations. These digital agents—whether they are chatbots, virtual assistants, or AI-driven automation—are now capable of performing tasks that were once the exclusive domain of a human agent. While fully autonomous digital workers have grown in sophistication (and will only continue to improve), the future of customer service lies not in fully replacing human workers but in the collaboration between humans and AI to deliver superior and balanced service experiences.
Fully autonomous digital workers have the potential to handle complex tasks, responding to customer inquiries, processing transactions, and making data-driven decisions with little or no human intervention. As technology continues to advance, we are seeing a rise in digital agents capable of handling customer service roles in industries such as retail, banking, and telecommunications. The recent Dreamforce event hosted by Salesforce saw a robot takeover of San Francisco to highlight the point that the future of service is digital agents.
As a result of the march towards a digital-worker future, CX vendors who are facing the very real prospect of a reduction in seat licences are rapidly pivoting to an outcome or usage based pricing model.
While these automated systems can manage routine interactions efficiently, they still function most effectively when humans are in the loop. The future of customer service will rely heavily on a partnership between human employees and digital workers. AI agents can manage repetitive, data-heavy tasks—addressing common questions, facilitating quick and low-risk transactions, and processing large amounts of information. Meanwhile, human agents will focus on the higher-order tasks that require creativity, empathy, and most importantly emotional intelligence. The result is a balanced approach that can deliver faster, more efficient service without losing the personal touch that customers still expect.
The potential benefits of combining digital workers with human agents are enormous. A major advantage of AI integration is the boost in efficiency and scalability as well as the inevitable reduction of cost to serve. Digital agents work around the clock, handling customer queries in real time without fatigue. This allows businesses to scale their customer service operations to meet demand. In industries where customer expectations for immediate service are growing—such as e-commerce and finance—this ability to offer 24/7 service is a competitive differentiator.
A 2023 study by PwC found that 35% of consumers are open to interacting with automated systems or chatbots from a brand or retailer they interact with. This is where AI’s greatest strength lies—its ability to consistently deliver quick, accurate responses to straightforward inquiries.
By leveraging large datasets and past customer interactions, digital workers can provide highly tailored support. The CCaaS platform Engage, created by my company Local Measure can make customer attributes including previous purchases, loyalty statuses, previous interactions or even real time customer data available to a digital worker for the duration of the interaction, and all in a privacy compliant manner. This level of personalization at scale is something that would be difficult to achieve with human workers alone. While AI handles the data-driven aspects of customer interactions, human agents are free to step in when a personal touch is required. This creates a seamless experience where AI serves as the core efficiency layer, and humans provide the emotional intelligence that fosters deeper customer relationships.
As digital workers become more integrated into business operations, there is an emerging trend of a “digital customer.” These AI-driven assistants are being developed to interact with businesses on behalf of human customers, creating a new layer of interaction between AI systems. In the future, I can see a world where human agents and digital workers alike will need to be able to serve both human and digital customers, requiring businesses to create seamless, multi-agent service experiences.
While the opportunities for digital workers to transform customer service are significant, there are also notable risks that brands need to manage carefully. One of the most significant concerns is the loss of the human touch in customer interactions. As more routine tasks become automated, there is a danger that customer service will feel impersonal.
For many customers particularly in certain demographics, human interaction remains a key component of a positive service experience, particularly in situations that require empathy, creativity, or problem-solving. In moments of frustration, customers may prefer to interact with a human, and relying too heavily on digital agents could lead to dissatisfaction if their concerns aren't handled with the appropriate sensitivity.
In customer service, empathy is irreplaceable, and while AI can simulate empathy, it is simply that, a simulation of human emotion. Brands must be cautious not to strip their service models of the very element that often fosters loyalty and trust—genuine human connection.
The future of customer service is not about choosing either a human or AI. Instead, it is about creating infrastructure and tooling where digital workers and human agents complement one another. The key to success will be in striking the right balance—leveraging AI to improve efficiency and scalability, while ensuring that human workers are available to provide empathy and problem-solving where needed.
As AI systems continue to improve, brands that successfully integrate digital workers into their service models will benefit from faster, more personalized interactions. The challenge lies in managing the risks—ensuring that digital agents are monitored and have access to highly specific knowledge bases, while maintaining a workforce of human agents “supervisors” capable of delivering the nuanced, empathetic service that customers often crave.
Ultimately, the future of digital workers will depend on their ability to collaborate effectively with humans, creating a service experience where efficiency and empathy work hand in hand. By combining the strengths of both digital and human agents, businesses can offer an enhanced customer experience that meets the demands of today’s consumers while preparing for the evolving expectations of tomorrow’s marketplace, one where human and bot customers expect seamless and 24x7 service experiences.
