Will telemarketers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Telemarketers score 76 of 100 for AI exposure. AI can already do 85% of their task time. AI speeds up the other 15%.
- 85% AI can do it
- 15% AI helps
Very high exposure
Higher than 100% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 12 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 10 of them today, speeds up 2 and leaves 0 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders. Routine record keeping in CRM systems is largely automated already. | 80% AI can do it |
| Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts. Drafting follow-up emails and replies is routine writing work. | 78% AI can do it |
| Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted. Logging prospect details and reactions is summarizing and CRM entry. | 75% AI can do it |
| Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers. Order capture and data entry is highly structured and automatable. | 72% AI can do it |
| Schedule appointments for sales representatives to meet with prospective customers or for customers to attend sales presentations. Calendar booking is handled well by scheduling software and AI. | 72% AI can do it |
| Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation. Voice AI reads scripts well; persuasion in live calls is harder. | 68% AI can do it |
| Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals. LLMs can tailor scripts to profiles quickly; a human approves. | 66% AI can do it |
| Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers. LLMs answer product and pricing questions well from catalogs. | 65% AI can do it |
| Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements. Inbound AI voice agents already handle common prospect call questions. | 62% AI can do it |
| Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations. Lead list compilation from public sources is largely software work. | 60% AI can do it |
| Conduct client or market surveys to obtain information about potential customers. AI can run surveys and summarize results; people set goals. | 58% AI helps |
| Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. Outbound voice AI can call, but live persuasion needs oversight. | 55% AI helps |
How telemarketers compare
All occupations (923)
Sales and related (22)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $35,450 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 58,430 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -21.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Handle live objections on outbound calls in Acarda Outbound
- Check AI-drafted call scripts against current pricing before use
- Audit AI-logged prospect records in Salesforce for accuracy
- Coach call tone from recorded sessions in Zoom
- Build pipeline reports from CRM exports in Microsoft Excel
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about telemarketers and AI
Will AI replace telemarketers?
Mostly. About 7 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mainly CRM record keeping and follow-up emails. What stays with people is the live call itself, where a person reads the prospect, handles objections and closes the sale.
Which telemarketer tasks is AI taking over?
Maintaining contact and order records has an exposure score of 80, the highest in this job. Drafting follow-up emails scores 78 because it is routine writing, and capturing order details into Salesforce is structured data entry that software handles well.
Which telemarketer tasks stay with people?
Contacting businesses or individuals by phone to solicit sales has an exposure score of 55, and running client surveys scores 58, the lowest in this job. Both are marked augment, since live persuasion and reading a prospect's reaction still need a person on the line to adjust the approach.
How can telemarketers stay valuable as AI spreads?
Start with live call skills AI struggles to hold, such as objection handling in Acarda Outbound sessions. Check every AI-drafted script against current pricing before it goes out, and use Zoom recordings to coach on tone. Audit what AI logs in Salesforce, since bad records cost sales.
Related jobs
Next steps for telemarketers
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
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