The evolution of voice CX in citizen services

In a recent webinar hosted by IRIS Audio Technologies, leaders from local government and outsourced public services, came together to discuss a timely question:

What does the future of voice look like in citizen services, and where does AI truly fit?

The conversation brought together:

• Sarah Williams, Director of Customer Experience at Westminster City Council
• Debbie Coveney, Head of Customer Service at Royal Borough of Greenwich
• Alex Jones, Head of Contact Centre Services at Sopra Steria | SSCL
• Graeme Wright, Commercial Director at Citizens Advice Northumberland

While their organisations differ, the message was remarkably consistent: Voice isn’t declining - it’s becoming more important than ever.

Listen to the full webinar to hear how public service leaders are redesigning voice around complexity, empathy, and AI-enabled clarity - and why the real opportunity isn’t replacing humans, but protecting the moments that matter most.

Voice has become the channel for what matters most

Across the board, speakers agreed that simple, transactional queries have largely shifted online. What’s left on the phone are the hardest cases - housing, vulnerability, safeguarding, debt, and emotionally charged complaints.

As Sarah Williams put it:

“Voice… has shifted from a transactional channel to a real, high value, high complexity channel.” (1:13)

And Alex Jones captured the shift succinctly:

“Voice is almost our last human safety net.” (approx. 4:20)

By the time someone calls today, they’ve often already tried the website, the chatbot, or a digital form. Voice is no longer the convenient option - it’s the necessary one.

For organisations like Citizens Advice, demand is not just steady - it’s growing rapidly.

Graeme Wright shared that in Northumberland alone, they’ve seen a 40% increase in people needing support via voice over the last two years (8:13).

More significantly, single-issue calls are becoming rare. Advisors are increasingly dealing with layered, interlocking problems - debt, eviction risk, energy disconnection - all within one conversation.

That shift changes everything about how voice services must be designed, staffed, and supported.

AI featured heavily in the discussion - but not in the “AI will solve everything” sense.

The panel spoke about practical use cases:

• Image-led reporting tools to reduce friction for simple queries
• Chatbots handling FAQs and routine requests
• Live transcription and summarisation to reduce after-call admin
• Real-time knowledge support for advisors

But the principle was clear:

“AI should make voice more human, not less.” (24:13)

Used well, AI removes effort and background tasks so advisors can focus on listening. Used poorly, it simply increases throughput pressure.

Traditional contact centre metrics, particularly average handling time, were openly challenged.

Several speakers described moving away from pure efficiency measures toward:

• First-contact resolution
• Reduced repeat calls
• Sentiment and quality
• Downstream outcomes

As Alex Jones noted:

“Balancing costs comes down to focusing on value, not volume.” (15:45)

In a world of complex, emotionally loaded calls, speed without resolution is no longer a success.

One of the most powerful themes emerged toward the end of the discussion: the human cost of complexity.

If AI is used simply to squeeze more calls into the day, organisations risk burning out the very people handling society’s most difficult conversations.

Graeme Wright put it plainly:

“If we’re just going to be… using AI to purely squeeze more calls into a day… we are failing as employers.” (approx. 32:00)

The future of voice transformation must consider advisor resilience, emotional load, and cognitive space - not just cost savings.

Digital self-service is powerful, but not universal.

Speakers emphasised:

• Designing services for digitally excluded residents
• Maintaining clear routes to human support
• Ensuring accessibility across channels
• Creating inclusive workplaces as technology evolves

As Sarah Williams summarised:

“If you don’t design services around your users… then you’re absolutely wasting money.” (48:35)

Voice in citizen services is evolving - not disappearing.

It’s becoming the place where complexity lands. Where anxiety surfaces. Where trust is either built or broken.

AI, automation, and digital tools absolutely have a role to play - but their job is to reduce friction, remove noise, and protect human attention for the conversations that truly matter.

And if this discussion made one thing clear, it’s this:

The future of voice isn’t about fewer humans. It’s about better-supported ones.

1:13 – Voice shifting from transactional to high-value, complex interactions

8:13 – 40% rise in demand for voice support in Northumberland

15:45 – Moving from volume metrics to value-based outcomes

18:49 – Practical AI adoption in citizen services

24:13 – “AI should make voice more human, not less”

32:00 – The moral responsibility of AI in protecting staff wellbeing

48:35 – Why user-centred design is non-negotiable