RETAIL
BY MATT WHITMER, WESTCX
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK
HELPING RETAIL AGENTS AI CAN ASSIST AGENTS IN COPING WITH BURNOUT AND STRESS.
Retailers are under increasing pressure to meet customer demands for seamless, 24 / 7 service, as noted in a recent report by Mintel,“ US Evolutions in Online Customer Service Report 2025”.
From instant order updates to personalized recommendations, customers expect fast interactions from retail employees, whether the salespeople are helping them in a store or when they’ re calling a contact center for support.
However, the human cost of delivering this level of service is becoming a business risk for contact centers. These teams sometimes manage an overwhelming volume of inquiries while maintaining high customer satisfaction, which leads to high burnout rates.
Burnout is also a business challenge. With it as one of the top-cited reasons for customer care employees leaving their jobs, employers must grapple with the effects, including rising operational costs and declining service quality.
While this cited report was released in 2022, from what we’ ve gathered in the contact center industry there is every reason to believe this reason for agent attrition continues to be strong.
The constant cycle of hiring and training new agents is unsustainable. When more experienced employees leave, teams shoulder even heavier workloads.
THE... CYCLE OF HIRING AND TRAINING NEW AGENTS IS UNSUSTAINABLE. WHEN MORE EXPERIENCED EMPLOYEES LEAVE, TEAMS SHOULDER EVEN HEAVIER
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WORKLOADS.