" ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUCCESSFULLY COMBINE AI-POWERED OPERATIONAL TOOLS WITH EMPATHY, COACHING, FLEXIBILITY, AND EMPOWERMENT WILL BE BEST POSITIONED TO RETAIN AGENTS AND DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CXs."
FEATURE
• Provide better real-time agent assistance during interactions.
• Support flexible scheduling and intraday workforce management( WFM).
• Create better knowledge management systems.
• Enable voice-of-employee programs.
• Assess more with AI-assisted QM.
This last one is important and could be a game-changer. Organizations should use AI not only to monitor agents but to understand the operational environment as a whole, including emerging customer issues, process problems, and training deficiencies; it’ s not always the agent.
There are plenty of organizational issues that could be leading to emotionally charged, difficult conversations with little hope of a positive resolution. Agents want to help. Humans feel a sense of worth when they are able to accomplish their jobs. But struggling from call to call to help others can be draining.
With AI-powered QM and conversation analytics with solutions like SuccessKPI, companies can review 100 % of interactions instead of that small sample, allowing organizations to identify patterns, coaching needs, and emerging compliance risks in near real time.
More data leads to a greater understanding of customer and agent needs, which leads to improved training and coaching, ultimately benefiting both the agent and customer.
A:
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST PRACTICES RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTACT CENTER LEADERS TO ENSURE A PRODUCTIVE, ENGAGED, EMPOWERED, AND LOYAL AGENT WORKFORCE, ESPECIALLY IN THE AGE OF AI?
Treat AX as a strategic KPI
Organizations should begin measuring and managing AX with the same seriousness traditionally applied to CX metrics.
Invest in coaching and personalized development
Generic coaching is becoming obsolete. AI now enables more individualized training, contextual feedback, and targeted performance improvement plans. If it’ s helpful, AI or not, agents will accept it.
Listen to the voice of the employee
Agents often know exactly where operational friction exists. Successful organizations actively incorporate agent feedback into technology deployment and process design.
Automate intelligently, not aggressively
Not every interaction should be automated. Organizations must carefully determine which tasks are appropriate for AI and where human empathy remains essential.
Use AI to augment, not replace
The most effective AI deployments reduce cognitive overload, eliminate repetitive work, surface knowledge faster, and provide real-time guidance. AI should help agents feel more confident and capable.
" ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUCCESSFULLY COMBINE AI-POWERED OPERATIONAL TOOLS WITH EMPATHY, COACHING, FLEXIBILITY, AND EMPOWERMENT WILL BE BEST POSITIONED TO RETAIN AGENTS AND DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CXs."
Modernize QM
AI-driven QM allows organizations to evaluate all customer interactions instead of relying on tiny samples. This creates more accurate coaching, better operational visibility, and greater trust between agents and leadership.
Pace change carefully
Don’ t overwhelm employees with too much information or too many simultaneous changes. AI adoption works best when companies introduce improvements incrementally and support employees throughout the transition.
Ultimately, the future contact center will depend on a careful balance between advanced automation and human-centered management.
Organizations that successfully combine AI-powered operational tools with empathy, coaching, flexibility, and empowerment will be best positioned to retain agents and deliver exceptional CXs.
Linda Harden is President and Founder of Pipeline Publishing Group and Contact Center Pipeline magazine.
10 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE