STAFF DEVELOPMENT
BY BRENDAN READ, CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE; Q & A WITH LAURA SIKORSKI
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE IMAGES
RETHINKING TRAINING AND COACHING STAFF DEVELOPMENT MUST NOW INCORPORATE AND USE AI.
Contact center training and coaching methods and tools are undergoing both a technological transformation and a rethink of how best to help leadership and staff feel well trained and skilled in helping customers, according to consultant and Advisory Board member Laura Sikorski.
Contact centers are seeing a shift of repetitive skills from agents to AI and to having a hybrid mix of remote and in-office workers, she says. Leaders then need to be more comfortable with AI and with managing higher-skilled agents coming to work and enjoying speaking with customers regardless of their physical location.
These are important observations and recommendations. So, we decided to virtually chat with Laura to further explore these developments and others.
LAURA SIKORSKI
WHAT TRENDS THAT YOU HAVE SEEN EMERGE IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS DO YOU EXPECT TO CONTINUE AND CHANGE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?
A: My research has indicated the following trends for 2025 that will continue through 2026:
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