The use of automated self-service tools in call centres has surged over the past decade, to the point that only 50 per cent of users ever interact with a human being.

In 1997, 90 per cent of contact centre calls were handled by an operator but today that figure has fallen by almost half. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and web-based systems now respectively account for 15.5 per cent and 13.7 per cent of all transactions.

Cost savings have been a primary driver behind the switch, according to Dimension Data's global benchmarking report for the sector. The average self-service operation costs a business £2, compared with £17 for one handled by a human agent.

The level of automation and the versatility of handling tools will grow to match the rise of unified communications, said Paul Scott, director customer interactive solutions at Dimension Data. As time passes, standalone call centres will become effectively obsolete.

"There are people in every part of a business who will be interacting with customers in some way – either by the web, email and voice," he said. "In 10 years time, we won't be talking about contact or call centres anymore.

"Individuals will interact with organisations through a range of different media and handheld devices. Most of these channels will be totally interoperable, so you'll be able to switch between them as you need."

In the meantime, Dimension Data's report indicates that the level of customer care offered by call centres has fallen over the past 10 years.

It now takes and average 39 seconds for centres to respond to a call, compared with 23 second in 1997. And the time taken to respond to messages left by customers has almost doubled from 11 to 20 hours.