China's first national standard focusing on the coordination between human and intelligent customer service, titled "Customer Contact Services - Requirements for Human and Intelligent Customer Service Collaboration" (GB/T 47746—2026), will take effect on September 1st. The standard aims to address prevalent industry issues such as arbitrary task allocation, service transition gaps, data synchronization failures, and inconsistent service quality across the customer contact sector.

The new standard sets explicit requirements for the scope of both AI-driven and human-operated customer service. When a user requires human intervention, access to a live agent must be straightforward and unobstructed, with clear entry points that are not hidden behind layers of menus. Task distribution must be rational: simple inquiries should be handled by AI, while complex disputes should be promptly routed to human representatives. A seamless handover process between AI and human agents is mandated to prevent customers from repeatedly restating their issues; once certain conditions are met, the system must automatically transfer the interaction to a human operator.

The regulation is designed to ensure that consumer needs are met efficiently, eliminating frustration caused by ineffective automated systems and improving the overall customer journey. By formalizing these operational standards, the implementation of this national guideline is expected to drive a higher quality of service across the industry.