If you run a business that outsources customer service, you’ve probably noticed more talk lately about the Call Centers in America Act. Officially titled the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, this bipartisan bill could shake up how companies use both offshore teams and AI in their call center operations.
And while it sounds like a purely “U.S. policy thing,” if you partner with a BPO or run call center work overseas, this could very much affect your strategy in the months ahead.
Let’s break down what’s going on, what this bill means for call center jobs, and how you can adapt without losing the service quality your customers expect.
Call Center Rules Are About to Get Stricter
The Call Centers in America Act isn’t a random one-off regulation. It’s part of a broader conversation in the customer service industry about job security, transparency, and how artificial intelligence is changing the way we handle customers.
The bill aims to do two big things:
- Protect U.S.-based call center jobs from being moved overseas without notice.
- Ensure customers know where their customer service agent is located and whether they’re talking to a human or a bot.
If passed, the bill would require call center operators to notify the Department of Labor 120 days before relocating a call center or offshoring jobs. This includes contract call center work and federal call center work.
Fail to comply, and your business could:
- Remain on the list of companies that offshored jobs (publicly available).
- Be ineligible for new federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for up to five years.
- Face restrictions on federal contracts.
Keep Call Centers in America – What the 2025 Bill Says
The America Act of 2025 isn’t just a political move, it’s a practical one for lawmakers responding to job losses in customer service jobs.
Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced the bill, highlighting concerns from the Communications Workers of America about companies using AI and offshoring to avoid paying good union wages and benefits.
The centers in America act would:
- Require disclosure of the physical location of the call center.
- Let customers request a U.S.-based human customer support representative.
- Track the use of artificial intelligence in customer service.
- Have the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on how AI impacts call center jobs overseas.
This means customer experience and job security are at the core of the bill.
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AI in the Customer Service Industry – Friend or Foe?
We can’t talk about call center work in 2025 without mentioning AI.
The bill doesn’t ban AI, but it would require businesses to clearly tell customers whether AI is being used. That means no more quietly routing callers through an AI bot without letting them know.
Critics say companies are using AI to deskill and speed up work, reducing the emotional intelligence of customer contact and potentially hurting service quality for consumers.
On the flip side, cx winners are already seeing success by combining AI with the emotional intelligence of customer contact professionals, proving that improving CX and protecting jobs are not mutually exclusive.
Why the Bill Aims to Protect Call Center Jobs
The bill aims to protect both service quality and employment. It’s designed to stop companies from quietly relocating a call center overseas, only to leave customers frustrated by long wait times or scripted interactions.
Supporters say it will:
- Reduce offshored customer service jobs.
- Encourage hiring more U.S.-based staff.
- Improve service quality for consumers.
However, for companies that rely on call center work performed overseas, it raises questions:
- Will you lose federal contracts if you outsource?
- Will customers prefer U.S.-based agents over offshore ones?
- Will disclosure of location of the call center affect brand trust?
What This Means for Offshoring
If your customer service operations depend on offshoring, the call center bill could mean you’ll need to rethink your call center work overseas strategy.
It’s not just about compliance, it’s about customer perception. The moment you have to tell callers, “I’m in Manila” or “I’m an AI bot,” they’ll form an opinion.
That opinion can work for or against you, depending on how your customer experience is managed.
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The U.S.-Based Advantage – But Not the Only Way
The bill’s obvious preference is for U.S.-based work. But many companies simply can’t afford to move all call center jobs back to the U.S..
Here’s the thing, you don’t have to choose between:
- Paying premium rates for 100% U.S. labor, or
- Risking your reputation with pure offshore customer service jobs.
The smartest move is a hybrid model:
- U.S.-based customer service agents for sensitive or high-value accounts.
- Overseas call center workers for scale, cost efficiency, and 24/7 coverage.
- Strategic AI integration for speed, but with human customer support always an option.
How Businesses Can Stay Ahead
If this new bipartisan bill passes, it’ll take about a year before enforcement kicks in. That gives you time to:
- Audit your call center operations now for compliance gaps.
- Map out customer service jobs to avoid potential penalties.
- Train staff on whether AI is being used and how to disclose it.
- Strengthen service quality for consumers through better emotional intelligence of customer contact professionals.
- Prepare communication plans for customers if your location of the call center is overseas.
The Bill Aims to Protect, But You Can Still Outsource Smart
The bill aims to protect jobs and the customer service industry, but it doesn’t close the door on outsourcing. It simply makes it more transparent and that can be a good thing if you manage it well.
The customer experience will remain the deciding factor. Whether your team is in Phoenix, Manila, or supported by artificial intelligence, customers will forgive location if they feel valued and understood.
Partner with a Compliance-Ready Call Center
The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 will change the game for anyone in customer service operations, especially businesses relocating a call center or relying on call center work overseas.
But it’s not the end of outsourcing — it’s the start of smarter outsourcing. The winners will be the companies that:
- Stay compliant with the America Act of 2025.
- Use AI with the emotional intelligence of trained professionals.
- Balance cost efficiency with service quality.
At iScale Solutions, we’ve built our reputation on exactly that balance. Our hybrid call center model can combine U.S.-based talent with our Philippines hub, ensuring compliance with evolving U.S. regulations, including the call center bill without compromising customer experience.
If you want to protect your customer service jobs, keep your customers happy, and be ready for any bipartisan bill that comes your way, we’re the partner you can trust.
Let’s make your customer service industry presence compliance-ready, cost-effective, and genuinely human. Contact us here to get started!
