AI 도입이 재인입 상담원의 인지적·정서적 부하에 미치는 영향 연구

초록

Repeat-contact customer service is a critical area of customer relationship management because it directly affects customer dissatisfaction and churn, while imposing substantial cognitive and emotional load on agents. Although firms increasingly adopt AI to improve service efficiency, prior research has focused mainly on productivity rather than its effects on agents’ cognitive and emotional burden. This study examines these effects by implementing a customer service AI system in Company P, a South Korean food service franchise, and analyzing 21,329 call log records together with agent surveys and in-depth interviews. After AI adoption, agents shifted from listening to original call recordings to reviewing AI-generated transcripts and structured information, reducing repeated listening and cognitive load. The effects on emotional load varied by inquiry type. When factual verification was central, reduced exposure to negative vocal stimuli alleviated emotional load. However, when assessing customers’ emotions or subtle speech nuances, agents still needed to review recordings, limiting the improvement. These findings show that customer service AI reduces cognitive load, while its effect on emotional load depends on the information required during the service process.

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