A new national standard, marking the country's first framework dedicated to the collaboration between human agents and intelligent systems, is set to take effect on September 1st. Titled "Customer Contact Service – Requirements for Human and Intelligent Customer Service Collaboration" (GB/T 47746—2026), it directly tackles long-standing industry pain points, including arbitrary task assignment, service handoff gaps, data synchronization failures, and inconsistent service quality across the customer contact sector.

The updated standard sets explicit requirements for the scope of both AI-driven and human-operated customer service. When a customer requires human assistance, they must be able to reach a live agent smoothly, with entry points that are clear and not buried or hidden within menus. Task distribution must follow a logical framework: simple inquiries should be handled by artificial intelligence, while complex disputes need to be promptly escalated to human representatives. The transition between automated and human service should be seamless, eliminating the need for customers to repeat themselves. Systems are also required to automatically route interactions to human agents once predefined conditions are met, ensuring more efficient resolution of customer issues.

The new regulations are expected to standardize operations across the industry, offering clearer guidelines for companies in managing mixed human-AI service teams and enhancing the overall consumer experience.