wevnal Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hirofumi Isoyama) announces that it has conducted the 2026 Survey on the State of Call Center Customer Service Quality, targeting 309 individuals involved in operating call centers and telephone support desks at companies across Japan.
Background of the Study
As staffing shortages persist, the use of AI is expanding in call centers and telephone support services. At the same time, the quality of customer service over the phone often depends on the experience of individual agents, making it a challenge for organizations to preserve and pass on the customer service expertise developed by veteran staff.
As the provider of the BOTCHAN AICALL voice AI agent, we conducted this survey to identify what companies expect from AI and the quality of telephone customer service.
Key Findings
① The top expectation for AI adoption is the transfer of expert skills—nearly twice as high as cost reduction
The leading expectation for AI adoption was “transferring the skills of experienced operators to AI to ensure consistent quality” (40.5%), nearly twice the percentage for “cost reduction and greater efficiency” (21.4%).
② Even with the same training, 78.0% report quality variations between agents
Despite providing the same training and manuals, 78.0% of respondents reported significant differences in quality between operators. In addition, 52.8% said it takes at least six months for new hires to handle customer interactions at the same level of quality as experienced operators.
③ The most valuable expert skills are the ability to explain, calm customers, and anticipate their needs
The top-rated expert skills were “the ability to organize and explain complex situations” (53.4%), “the tone and language needed to calm emotional customers” (53.1%), and “the ability to anticipate customers’ intentions before they express them” (45.6%).
④ 78.6% Face Challenges in Leveraging Customer Feedback (Call Data)
Only 21.0% of companies are able to "convert all customer feedback obtained through telephone support into data and use it immediately," while 78.6% face challenges in leveraging this information.
⑤ 83.2% See Value in “Co-Learning,” Where AI and People Grow Together
When asked about using call logs from AI-handled interactions to provide operator feedback and training, 83.2% of respondents said it would be valuable.
Future Outlook
This study revealed that companies are looking to AI not merely to reduce costs, but to replicate the quality of service provided by experienced staff while protecting brand value.
Through our BOTCHAN series, we will continue working to replicate the service quality of experienced customer service agents using AI, while developing a framework for mutual learning and growth between AI and people.
For details of the survey findings, please see the white paper and the full press release.