In a technology landscape increasingly dominated by automated agents and chatbots, the humble telephone call was predicted to become obsolete. However, as we settle into 2026, South African businesses are finding the opposite to be true.
According to Nic Laschinger, technical director at Euphoria Telecom, local organisations are continuing to invest heavily in voice infrastructure alongside their digital tools.
“The role of the phone call has fundamentally changed,” he says. “It is no longer the default mechanism for simple queries, like checking an account balance or confirming a delivery time. Those tasks have successfully migrated to apps and self-service bots. Instead, voice has evolved into a premium VIP channel reserved for high-stakes, sensitive, or complex interactions.”
This shift is confirmed by recent industry data. Despite the hype surrounding digital-only channels, the 2024 ICASA State of the ICT Sector Report indicates that voice traffic remains a cornerstone of the sector, although it has shifted from analogue voice to digital, specifically VoIP.
Data from the GlobalData South Africa Fixed Communications Forecast (Q3 2025) reveals that fixed voice service revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2,8% through 2030, driven specifically by the adoption of high-quality VoIP services which support complex business communications.
Laschinger says this investment is driven largely by a renewed need for trust. “While artificial intelligence handles volume efficiently, consumer comfort with AI has dipped regarding privacy and the lack of human connection. Voice now acts as a ‘trust anchor’ for customers.”
Qualtrics 2026 consumer trends research highlights that as digital interactions multiply, the human element becomes a differentiator. With 50% of consumers worried that AI will stop them connecting with a human, and only 29% trusting companies to use AI responsibly, the voice channel has become a critical ‘trust anchor’ for sensitive or complex issues.
Beyond trust, there is a practical argument for the telephone. While text and chat interfaces are excellent for simple, linear tasks, they often fall into an efficiency trap when dealing with nuance.
Typing out a complex problem often results in endless back-and-forth messaging that frustrates the customer and ties up agents, says Laschinger. Voice offers a high-bandwidth channel where tone, urgency, and complex details can be conveyed in seconds rather than minutes.
Research from the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2024 confirms that for complex issues, voice remains the fastest path to resolution, with customers often abandoning chat for a call when frustration mounts.
Modern VoIP platforms have also transformed voice from a data black hole into a rich source of business intelligence. Previously, a phone call left no record other than its duration. Today, telephony platforms can transcribe and analyse calls in real-time.
This turns every conversation into searchable data, allowing businesses to track sentiment, identify market trends, and ensure compliance without a manager having to listen to hours of recordings.
The verdict for 2026 is that the phone is not dead; it has just been promoted. Smart businesses are using AI to clear the noise of repetitive queries so that human agents can focus on the conversations that matter most.