Asked 200 People in Charge! Where is the Burden of Inquiry Handling? Survey on Tasks Field Staff Want to Delegate to AI (Survey by Altam Ease Inc.)
Altam Ease Inc. conducted a survey of 200 inquiry handling staff. Roughly half feel burdened by inquiry handling, with judging urgency, organizing content, and inconsistent quality being key challenges. This survey aims to provide insights for improving operational efficiency through AI utilization.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 06:00 (17h 28m after Collected)
Inquiry handling is a crucial task that supports contact points with customers and within the company. As communication channels diversify, including phone, email, and chat, not only speed and accuracy but also polite responses that do not cause anxiety to the other party are required.
On the other hand, in many inquiry handling settings, daily responses rely heavily on the experience and judgment of the staff in charge. To continue these operations sustainably, it is essential to understand the burden on the frontline staff and to distinguish between areas that require human intervention and those that can be supplemented by AI and systems.
Therefore, ALTAM EASE (https://altam-ease.jp/), which provides consistent support from system development to AI utilization, conducted a survey targeting 200 people primarily responsible for inquiry handling. The survey investigated the perceived burden of inquiry handling, challenges faced on the ground, and tasks that respondents wish to delegate or automate through AI and systemization, analyzing where the frontline of inquiry handling feels its limits.
We hope this survey serves as a hint for understanding the burden and challenges faced in inquiry handling on the ground, and for considering AI utilization and operational efficiency improvements.
Table of Contents
Survey 1: Degree of burden in workplace inquiry handling (phone, email, chat, etc.)
Survey 2: Points of burden and challenges felt in inquiry handling
Survey 3: Tasks to "delegate/automate" if AI and systemization can improve them
Summary: The burden of inquiry handling lies in the accumulation of daily detailed tasks
Q1. How much burden do you generally feel from inquiry handling (phone, email, chat, etc.) in your workplace?
Regarding the burden of inquiry handling, "somewhat burdensome" was the most common at 27.5% (55 people), followed by "not very burdensome" at 21.0% (42 people), and "very burdensome" at 19.0% (38 people).
Combining "very burdensome" and "somewhat burdensome" results in 46.5% (93 people), indicating that nearly half of the respondents feel a certain level of burden or more from inquiry handling. In workplaces that handle multiple channels such as phone, email, and chat in parallel, it is not just the sheer volume of inquiries but also the accumulation of detailed tasks such as confirming content, coordinating with related departments, and drafting replies, that can easily add up.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for work to be interrupted by another inquiry during handling, making it difficult to return to the original task. Therefore, inquiry handling may be placing more pressure on the staff's concentration and working hours than the visible response time suggests.
On the other hand, a certain number of people responded "not very burdensome" or "not burdensome at all." This is likely because the burden is reduced in workplaces with relatively few inquiries or where response flows are well-established. Also, if answers to frequently asked questions are standardized or responsibilities are clearly divided, the daily workload may not feel significant.
Additionally, "neither can be said" was 15.0% (30 people) and "don't know" was 4.5% (9 people), suggesting that the perceived burden of inquiry handling varies greatly depending on the industry, number of channels, and the level of establishment of response rules.
Q2. Which of the following points do you feel are burdensome or challenging in inquiry handling? Please select all that apply. (Multiple selections allowed)
Regarding the burden and challenges felt in inquiry handling, "no particular issues" was the most common result at 24.0% (48 people). On the other hand, specific challenges included "difficulty in judging urgency/priority" at 23.0% (46 people), "trouble in organizing/listening to content (difficulty summarizing key points)" at 22.5% (45 people), and "variation in response quality among individuals (difficulty standardizing replies)" at 20.5% (41 people).
Looking at the top-ranked items, it can be seen that the burden of inquiry handling is not merely about the "task of replying." In many cases, the preceding stages, such as accurately understanding the inquiry content, judging its importance, and leading to an appropriate response, are time-consuming. In particular, the task of determining whether an urgent response is needed is often influenced by the staff's experience and judgment, and can easily lead to psychological stress.
Furthermore, "initial response takes time (from reception to understanding requirements)" was 19.0% (38 people), "same inquiries repeatedly occur (many routine questions)" was 17.5% (35 people), and "difficulty in assigning to relevant department/person in charge (bouncing around)" was 17.0% (34 people). A considerable number of people also feel challenged in the flow from reception to requirement understanding and assignment, indicating that significant time is spent on initial organization after an inquiry arrives.
In addition, "recording response history (notes/input) is burdensome" was 16.5% (33 people), "
On the other hand, in many inquiry handling settings, daily responses rely heavily on the experience and judgment of the staff in charge. To continue these operations sustainably, it is essential to understand the burden on the frontline staff and to distinguish between areas that require human intervention and those that can be supplemented by AI and systems.
Therefore, ALTAM EASE (https://altam-ease.jp/), which provides consistent support from system development to AI utilization, conducted a survey targeting 200 people primarily responsible for inquiry handling. The survey investigated the perceived burden of inquiry handling, challenges faced on the ground, and tasks that respondents wish to delegate or automate through AI and systemization, analyzing where the frontline of inquiry handling feels its limits.
We hope this survey serves as a hint for understanding the burden and challenges faced in inquiry handling on the ground, and for considering AI utilization and operational efficiency improvements.
Table of Contents
Survey 1: Degree of burden in workplace inquiry handling (phone, email, chat, etc.)
Survey 2: Points of burden and challenges felt in inquiry handling
Survey 3: Tasks to "delegate/automate" if AI and systemization can improve them
Summary: The burden of inquiry handling lies in the accumulation of daily detailed tasks
Q1. How much burden do you generally feel from inquiry handling (phone, email, chat, etc.) in your workplace?
Regarding the burden of inquiry handling, "somewhat burdensome" was the most common at 27.5% (55 people), followed by "not very burdensome" at 21.0% (42 people), and "very burdensome" at 19.0% (38 people).
Combining "very burdensome" and "somewhat burdensome" results in 46.5% (93 people), indicating that nearly half of the respondents feel a certain level of burden or more from inquiry handling. In workplaces that handle multiple channels such as phone, email, and chat in parallel, it is not just the sheer volume of inquiries but also the accumulation of detailed tasks such as confirming content, coordinating with related departments, and drafting replies, that can easily add up.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for work to be interrupted by another inquiry during handling, making it difficult to return to the original task. Therefore, inquiry handling may be placing more pressure on the staff's concentration and working hours than the visible response time suggests.
On the other hand, a certain number of people responded "not very burdensome" or "not burdensome at all." This is likely because the burden is reduced in workplaces with relatively few inquiries or where response flows are well-established. Also, if answers to frequently asked questions are standardized or responsibilities are clearly divided, the daily workload may not feel significant.
Additionally, "neither can be said" was 15.0% (30 people) and "don't know" was 4.5% (9 people), suggesting that the perceived burden of inquiry handling varies greatly depending on the industry, number of channels, and the level of establishment of response rules.
Q2. Which of the following points do you feel are burdensome or challenging in inquiry handling? Please select all that apply. (Multiple selections allowed)
Regarding the burden and challenges felt in inquiry handling, "no particular issues" was the most common result at 24.0% (48 people). On the other hand, specific challenges included "difficulty in judging urgency/priority" at 23.0% (46 people), "trouble in organizing/listening to content (difficulty summarizing key points)" at 22.5% (45 people), and "variation in response quality among individuals (difficulty standardizing replies)" at 20.5% (41 people).
Looking at the top-ranked items, it can be seen that the burden of inquiry handling is not merely about the "task of replying." In many cases, the preceding stages, such as accurately understanding the inquiry content, judging its importance, and leading to an appropriate response, are time-consuming. In particular, the task of determining whether an urgent response is needed is often influenced by the staff's experience and judgment, and can easily lead to psychological stress.
Furthermore, "initial response takes time (from reception to understanding requirements)" was 19.0% (38 people), "same inquiries repeatedly occur (many routine questions)" was 17.5% (35 people), and "difficulty in assigning to relevant department/person in charge (bouncing around)" was 17.0% (34 people). A considerable number of people also feel challenged in the flow from reception to requirement understanding and assignment, indicating that significant time is spent on initial organization after an inquiry arrives.
In addition, "recording response history (notes/input) is burdensome" was 16.5% (33 people), "