From November 2, companies covered by Brazil’s customer-service rules must give consumers the option of speaking with a person. A decree published on October 13 permits artificial intelligence to screen, route and resolve requests, while preserving access to real-time human support. It also requires continuity, so consumers should not have to restart an interaction to address the same issue.

The rules reflect a division of roles: AI can help reduce queues and handle routine requests, while employees remain essential when automated responses are not enough. Listening, judgment and the ability to make decisions become especially important when a customer has a disputed charge, an urgent need or a conflict that standard procedures cannot resolve.

As automation takes on repetitive tasks, customer-service roles are expected to focus more on complex cases. Workers will need to use digital systems, recognize their limitations and assess the answers they provide. They will also need to listen carefully, communicate clearly and guide difficult conversations, with enough authority to turn information into a solution.

The article cites the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report, which lists technological literacy, empathy and active listening among essential skills. Employers surveyed for the report expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030.

For companies, the shift calls for changes to both training and management. That includes developing workers’ problem-solving, communication and negotiation skills, and clarifying which decisions employees dealing directly with customers can make.

Customer-service centers also provide a route into formal employment for young people and a source of productive inclusion for more vulnerable groups. How the industry adopts AI could help these workers gain skills valued in other fields.

Technology investment, the article argues, improves service only when paired with investment in people and work organization. Automating a step does not guarantee that a customer’s issue will be resolved; the practical measure of progress is whether consumers can solve their problems and trust the answers they receive.

Sources: Folha Mercado.