The Keep Call Centers in America Act: What It Means for Startups and Scaling Businesses

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A New Era for Call Centers

The U.S. Senate recently introduced the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill designed to curb the offshoring of call center jobs and regulate the use of artificial intelligence in customer service. With projections of losing 150,000 U.S. call center jobs by 2033, lawmakers are moving to protect American workers and address consumer frustration with chatbot-only support systems.

But for startups and scaling businesses, the big question is: How do you balance compliance, cost savings, and high-quality customer engagement in this new environment? And do small businesses even need to worry about the legislation at all?  Good news!  If your business doesn’t exceed 50 employees, now or in the future, this bill won’t affect you at all.

The Problem with “Cheap Fixes”

Too many companies have relied solely on chatbots or overseas call centers to cut costs. While this reduces payroll, it comes at the expense of customer experience:

• 70% of Americans report frustration with automated phone systems over live representatives.
• Regulatory changes may soon penalize businesses that move call center jobs offshore or fail to disclose when AI is being used.

Startups that rely too heavily on these “cheap fixes” risk having to add cost into their business once it reaches a critical milestone: 50 full time employees or 50 employees who in aggregate work 1,500 hours per week.  If your company is built on an offshore team infrastructure, you could be required to onshore that team, at great cost, once you exceed reach the 50 employee mark.  Failure to disclose offshore call center team members could cause you to lose federal benefits such as grants or federally guaranteed loans like those facilitated by the SBA.

Why the Hybrid Model Wins

Instead of choosing between expensive U.S.-based staff or fully automated bots, businesses now have a third option: the AI + offshore SDR hybrid model.
At Sales Leopard, we:

• Use AI-powered lead generation and CRM integration to automate repetitive outreach tasks.
• Deploy trained offshore sales development reps (SDRs) who handle real conversations—providing the human touch customers demand.
• Align outreach and engagement with compliance standards, ensuring transparency about when AI is being used.

This model combines cost efficiency (up to 60% savings) with the personalization regulators and customers expect.

What This Means for Growing Businesses

If you’re scaling in the U.S., here’s how to prepare for the changes this Act may bring:

1. Audit your customer engagement channels – Know where and how AI is being used.
2. Analyze your team size, now and in the future.  50 employees is the key number.
3. Add human touchpoints back into your process – Blend automation with live reps for better conversions and compliance.
4. Future-proof your CRM – Ensure it can track disclosure requirements, location data, and AI use.
5. Consider offshore + AI staffing – A smarter path than full offshoring or high-cost in-house hiring.

Don’t Wait for Regulation to Catch Up

The Keep Call Centers in America Act is a signal: businesses can’t rely on faceless automation or low-cost outsourcing alone. Customers want real conversations, and lawmakers are reinforcing that demand.

🗓 Ready to scale smarter with AI and offshore talent—without risking compliance or customer trust? Book a discovery call with Sales Leopard and let’s build a system that keeps your pipeline full and future-proof.