Latest report from Cavell predicts the global displacement of 1.9 million contact centre agents by Automation by 2029
New research from Cavell explores the latest trends in customer experience (CX) across the UK, Western Europe and US.
Cavell have announced the release of its Q2 2025 CCaaS Market Evolution Report. The report reveals dramatic predictions for the future of contact centre agents.
The report highlights a continued upward trajectory in the overall demand for contact centre agents. Cavell forecasts the global demand for agent roles to grow from 15.3 million in 2025 to 16.8 million by 2029.
This growth is set against the backdrop of increasing automation, with predictions that 1.9 million human agents will have been replaced by automated interactions or agent assistance by 2029. This indicates a nuanced evolution where AI augments rather than immediately replaces human roles, particularly as contact centres address existing understaffing.
Finbarr Begley, Senior Analyst at Cavell, commented,
“The impact of AI is definitely being felt in the CX space, as not only do existing players seek to innovate but giants from other markets like Salesforce and ServiceNow set their sights on the CX space, threatening to eat the lunch of traditional contact centre players.”
The report also analyses the complex yet dynamic global contact centre landscape, marked by persistent demand for agents, the growing influence of AI, and the tangible effects of global economic factors. As well as geopolitical and economic factors that are also playing a significant role in market performance.
Amidst these shifts, the integration of collaboration platforms is proving to be a key trend. Microsoft Teams integration into contact centre platforms, in particular, is gaining substantial traction. In the US market alone, Cavell predicts that the number of agents with a Microsoft Teams integration will nearly double, growing from 192,500 currently to 411,000 by 2029. This underscores the increasing convergence of communication and customer experience technologies.
“With the acceleration in rate of change in technology in the CX marketplace must come disruption,” Begley added,
“When companies begin to trust and deploy a tapestry of AI Receptionists, Automated Supervisors, and Agentic Agents, the industry will just not need the same number of humans doing these traditional tasks. However, a certain amount of this loss will be offset by continued growth in demand for agents, and there will be new roles created.”
Cavell’s CCaaS Market Evolution Q2 2025 report offers in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations for service providers and vendors navigating this evolving market.
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Cavell is a leading research and consulting firm with nearly two decades of experience in cloud communications and managed services.
Cavell delivers market intelligence, strategic consulting, and due diligence services to a global client base.
