The Rise of Multi-Employer Customer Service Associates in the AI Era
Most customer service associates in contact centers today are either full-time or part-time employees working exclusively for a single company. However, I believe this traditional structure is likely to evolve—especially for high-performing agents. In the near future, the idea of being tied to one employer may no longer be the norm.
As I’ve mentioned before, low-value customer service transactions will increasingly be handled entirely by AI agents. This shift will free up time and space for human associates to focus on higher-touch interactions that require empathy and nuanced problem-solving. It’s also likely that the overall workload for human associates will decline as AI agents continue to advance and handle more complex inquiries. This means there may not always be enough consistent work to justify full-time employment for all associates.
Rather than being a threat, this presents a new opportunity—particularly for adaptable, fast-learning customer service professionals. As companies roll out new products and services, there will be a growing need to train and fine-tune their AI systems. At the early stages, companies will require skilled workers to evaluate prompt quality, test outputs, and reinforce AI behavior by crafting high-quality responses. This is where customer service associates can take on a new role: becoming expert prompt evaluators.
I foresee a growing demand for this skillset, with top-performing customer service associates working across multiple companies on a seasonal or contract basis. Their role will evolve from handling tickets to shaping how AI handles tickets. Companies will benefit by containing hiring costs while also improving customer retention through better-trained AI systems. As a result, the return on investment for hiring skilled prompt evaluators will be high, and so will the compensation for these specialized associates.
The future of customer service won’t be defined by a single employer model, but where top talent moves fluidly between organizations. These associates won’t just be solving customer problems—they’ll be training the very systems that will one day scale support across entire industries. The most adaptable and insightful among them will thrive in this AI-integrated landscape, earning more and playing a critical role in shaping how businesses interact with their customers.