"... CONTACT CENTERS WILL NEED TO BROADEN THEIR RECRUITING STRATEGIES, APPEAL TO NEW TALENT POOLS, AND INVEST IN RESKILLING."
-- STEPHANE RIVARD
FEATURE
WHAT ABOUT THE SUPERVISORS?
Most of the attention on hiring and retaining contact center staff has focused on the agents, and understandably so, as they engage with customers and users directly and are the most numerous of the contact center employee types.
But it is the supervisors who help to ensure productive contact centers and who are on the front lines to develop and, critically, retain excellent agents. In doing so, they indirectly help attract high-quality new agents through current agents’ word-of-mouth and social post recommendations.
So, we asked whether there are changes in recruiting and retaining supervisors.
LIZ GRIFFIN:
Absolutely. The traditional“ supervisor” role is evolving into a coach-analyst hybrid. With access to real-time data, leaders are expected to guide both performance and wellbeing.
We’ re also seeing flatter structures and higher agent-to-leader ratios, requiring better leadership training and digital fluency. Organizations that pair AI insights with human coaching are seeing the strongest engagement and retention results.
MARK PEREIRA:
I think we’ ll definitely see changes in how supervisors and managers are hired and retained.
As AI continues to become smarter and more integrated, the ratio of agents to leaders may shift. Many of the manual tasks leaders used to handle— such as logging into multiple systems to track performance— can now be streamlined as technology starts“ talking” to each other.
However, here’ s the catch: leaders require proper training to effectively utilize these tools, which helps companies attain ROI much faster. Handing them a 200-page manual and saying“ good luck” isn’ t realistic. Most leaders are already overloaded, so the focus should be on making their jobs easier, not harder.
When it comes to hiring, I strongly believe in promoting from within whenever possible. Internal promotions send a powerful message that an agent’ s role isn’ t a dead end.
Additionally, those who are already promoted understand the company’ s products, services, and culture, meaning less time is spent on onboarding. That said, there will be times when external hires are necessary, especially for specialized skills such as automation or AI governance.
We also cannot ignore the importance of digital literacy. Providing leaders( and even agents) with opportunities to upskill in areas such as people analytics, AI, and automation will prepare them— and the business— for the future.
Soft skills will always matter, but pairing them with digital expertise is what will set great leaders apart in the next generation of contact centers. A future-ready team means a future-ready company.
SR: Absolutely. While automation will continue to take on a growing share of transactional work, human agents will remain essential for delivering empathy, creativity, and nuanced service: qualities that technology still can’ t replicate effectively.
However, the composition of the workforce may shift. The BLS projects that fewer women will participate in the workforce by 2034, reversing a long-standing trend, which could have a significant impact on contact centers, where women have historically comprised a large portion of agents.
In response, contact centers will need to broaden their recruiting strategies, appeal to new talent pools, and invest in reskilling.
At the same time, AI-enabled soft skill assessments will play an increasingly central role in identifying candidates who are resilient, empathetic, and adaptable. These are key traits for thriving in hybrid or AI-augmented environments.
LG:
"... CONTACT CENTERS WILL NEED TO BROADEN THEIR RECRUITING STRATEGIES, APPEAL TO NEW TALENT POOLS, AND INVEST IN RESKILLING."
-- STEPHANE RIVARD
WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTACT CENTERS TO ENSURE THEY HAVE THE NEEDED STAFF, BOTH AGENTS AND SUPERVI- SORS, AS WE HEAD INTO 2026?
• Invest in adaptive learning. Upskilling and reskilling can’ t be one-time events; they must evolve with the tech.
• Prioritize onboarding and mentorship. Our research shows strong onboarding improves retention by 82 %.
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