Lisbon, March 13, 2026 (Lusa) - Deco warned on Friday of the risks of digitising customer service, having assessed most digital support systems of 24 companies in essential sectors and found them to be negative.

The association assessed the digital customer support systems of 24 companies from eight sectors, ranging from electronic communications to energy, banking, mobility, health, e-commerce, digital services and tourism, concluding that, on a scale from Very Poor to Very Good, most companies fall between Poor and Fair, according to a statement.

At issue are mechanisms such as chatbots, computer programs with which one can converse, with virtual assistants present in more than half of the companies analysed, and online forms, which have become the main channel of contact.

In this analysis, ‘complex paths, successive menus and systems that limit the free exposure of the problem’ were found, and ‘in several cases, chatbots essentially function as screening tools, directing consumers to frequently asked questions or new forms, without allowing the complaint to be formally recorded in the flow of the conversation itself,’ noted Deco.

The association thus issued a warning about the digitisation of customer service, which it considers to be ‘becoming an increasingly difficult system to use’, arguing that access to a human interlocutor should remain the basis of customer support, and not a residual possibility, particularly at a time when Artificial Intelligence still has ‘limited capacity’.

Among the proposals suggested by Deco is, for example, the legal enshrinement of the consumer's right to contact a human interlocutor when requested, as well as the obligation to provide a clearly identifiable email and telephone contact.

MES/ADB // ADB.

Lusa