Will AI replace Counter and Rental Clerks?

AI can do 87% of the work Counter and Rental Clerks do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 4 of their 16 tasks, while 9 more are ready but barely used so far. Robots can technically handle 2 physical tasks. 1 still needs a person.

AI is already doing this4 · 19% of time

People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.

  • Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures.Mostly automated6% of time
  • Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description.Mostly automated6% of time
  • Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.Mostly automated3% of time
  • Advise customers on use and care of merchandise.Mostly automated3% of time

AI could do this next9 · 69% of time

AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.

  • Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.20% of time
  • Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.8% of time
  • Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.8% of time
  • Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.8% of time
  • Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.8% of time
  • Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.6% of time
  • Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment.5% of time
  • Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented.5% of time
  • Allocate equipment to participants in sporting events or recreational activities.2% of time

Robots can technically do this2 · 8% of time

Physical tasks that today's robots can perform in at least some settings. Robots are cost competitive for very few tasks so far, so this change moves slower.

  • Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.Robots: purpose built settings3% of time

Still needs a person1 · 5% of time

No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.

  • Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.5% of time

Your week is not the average

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What this means

AI can already do almost all of this work at least twice as fast. Real use is still behind at 17 out of 100, so the change here is only getting started. Expect the role to shift toward deciding what to do, checking AI's work and owning the result.

What to do next

  • Do the 4 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
  • Get ahead on the 9 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
  • Keep an eye on the 2 physical tasks robots can technically do. Cost keeps most robots out of work today, so this shift is slower.
  • Build on the 1 task that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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