" AS WE FACE ONGOING PRESSURES TO DO MORE WITH LESS— AND AS AI AUTOMATES ROUTINE TASKS— WE MUST BE DELIBERATE IN FOSTERING THE HUMAN CONNECTION."
" AS FOR THE FUTURE OF AI, IT’ S BECOMING MORE INTERESTING TO READ A LIST OF THE THINGS IT CANNOT DO, RATHER THAN THE THINGS IT’ S SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO."
FEATURE
3. METRICS AND THEIR LIMITS
Time is money and we track it closely. However, relentless focus on metrics like call handling time in a contact center can backfire. Lowering targets too far may drive behaviors that harm both customer and employee experience.
It ' s important to recognize when efficiency goals begin to erode the quality of interactions. You then need to adjust accordingly, a lesson reinforced by past experiences in contact center management.
4. BUILDING NETWORKS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Professional and personal networks are vital for success and mental health. Think of relationships as a bank account: regular deposits— check-ins, genuine conversations, and support— build a balance you can draw on when needed.
Scheduling intentional time to connect helps maintain these relationships, keeps you informed, and supports overall wellbeing.
" AS WE FACE ONGOING PRESSURES TO DO MORE WITH LESS— AND AS AI AUTOMATES ROUTINE TASKS— WE MUST BE DELIBERATE IN FOSTERING THE HUMAN CONNECTION."
-- DR. DEBRA BENTSON
THE PATH FORWARD: PRIORITIZING EACH OTHER
Ultimately, we must make a conscious effort to prioritize each other as we navigate busy days. Therefore, prioritizing people isn’ t just a nice-to-have; it’ s a strategic imperative for resilient, high-performing teams.
By blending efficiency with authentic connection, we create workplaces where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to excel.
TIFFANY LAREAU
HUMAN NUMBERS, LLC
THE FUTURE MAY BELONG TO AI …
But it Also Belongs to the WFMers Who Know How to Fix What AI Breaks. An unfortunate trend that we are seeing in WFM right now is the fallout from AI.
For early adopters, the exponentially fast growth and change, combined with lack of governance, have produced new problems in our field.
Overpromised as a miracle cure-all, the AI-generated“ workslop” is producing more than its fair share of distorted results along with the good stuff.
We used to make fun of AI-generated pictures showing people with extra limbs, but it’ s not so funny when it’ s generating misshapen forecasts and unworkable schedules. The lack of accountability is driving a gap in our workforce and aggravating our customers.
AI continues to struggle with cause-and-effect modeling, which we always knew would be a big weakness because it was never an“ Intelligent Being.”
I’ m still worried about AI and machine learning taking over our forecasts because even though all that historical data already lives inside its software, full of patterns that should be way easier for a machine to spot, it still doesn’ t recognize it.
We’ ve served up giant databases full of history on a silver platter but without a proper framework of human behavior, so it doesn’ t know the difference between signal and noise.
THE HUMAN OPPORTUNITY IN REPAIRING AI ISSUES
It’ s not all bad news; it’ s just that our role has changed. AI has become the new normal, so it’ s up to us to fix what AI breaks.
First, we must understand what generative AI( Gen AI) really is, and fortunately, schools like Harvard and MIT have opened up their catalogs of free online courses to the public, regardless of background, allowing anyone to become AI-fluent!
Then, for us WFMers, knowing what to fix means a trip back to basics, starting with how contact center math works, because ultimately that’ s how we know if our software is doing it correctly.
It’ s what we should have done from the beginning; start with the WFM fundamentals, then add AI acceleration. Gen AI is still evolving, and it absolutely has the power to improve upon an existing WFM forecasting process, getting us there faster and easier.
As for the future of AI, it’ s becoming more interesting to read a list of the things it cannot do, rather than the things it’ s supposed to be able to do. For the career-WFMer that translates to Human Opportunity!
" AS FOR THE FUTURE OF AI, IT’ S BECOMING MORE INTERESTING TO READ A LIST OF THE THINGS IT CANNOT DO, RATHER THAN THE THINGS IT’ S SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO."
-- TIFFANY LAREAU
JANUARY 2026 9