The Effects of Chatbots on Customer Services Jobs - Does Using Chatbots Mean Losing the Human Jobs?

Abstract

As chatbots progressively replace employees in customer support, studies on their influence on customer satisfaction, customers’ planning of the repurchasing, and customers’ recommendations of goods and services are rapidly expanding, assisting businesses in identifying implementable technical solutions that decrease labor expenses while preserving purchaser retention. However, the topic of influence of chatbots on the labor market mostly consists of sensationalist claims in the media about the disappearance of human job positions in customer service with the observable lack of rigorous empirical studies on the extent of job losses, AI-human collaboration models, and customer preferences. The findings of this study indicate that chatbot implementation has led to a moderate reduction in customer service staffing, with the largest effects in sectors characterized by routine inquiries. However, qualitative evidence shows that companies are mostly restructuring job roles rather than engaging in large scale layoffs, with many employees transitioning into more complex or strategic tasks. Customer satisfaction improved slightly, following digitalization and automation of customer service, suggesting that chatbots can enhance service efficiency when integrated into hybrid models. The Serbian context, particularly language adaptation challenges and uneven financial resources, and organizational readiness, continues to shape the pace and outcomes of implementation. These results highlight the need for targeted training and coordinated emplozee development policies to help employees in customer service adapt to changing job requirements.