MANAGING THE WORKFORCE
"... IF THERE IS ONE ATTRIBUTE MOST NEEDED IN OUR AGENTS TODAY, IT IS THEIR ABILITY TO BE COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVERS..."
In a tight labor market, where roles remain unfilled longer and competition for talent drives up wages and hiring costs, these replacement expenses are amplified even further. Both groups are essential and when developed intentionally, they complement each other in powerful ways.
Consider a customer who reaches out not with a simple request, but with a layered concern such as,“ I’ ve tried resolving this three times already. What’ s actually going on, and how do we fix it for good?”
That kind of interaction demands the ability to interpret context and the skill to navigate multiple systems and policies to uncover the real issue. These are the moments that define a customer’ s perception of the brand.
This is critical. Contact centers remain the face of their companies, often representing the highest number of customer touchpoints. One thought to consider is customers rarely remember the exact words exchanged but they remember how the interaction made them feel.
AI cannot evoke that feeling. But a skilled CSR can. That’ s why hiring must focus on the human capabilities that create connection.
This shift is reflected in the new skill expectations for modern agents. They must demonstrate emotional intelligence and de-escalation, which have become essential as difficult interactions rise by 61 %( Calabrio / Verint), as I cited earlier.
Agents must be comfortable working alongside automation tools that surface knowledge or guide next steps. They need to communicate seamlessly across omnichannel environments: voice, chat, email, and social.
And if there is one attribute most needed in our agents today, it is their ability to be complex problem solvers because automation has already removed the easy tasks from their queue.
Longer-tenured agents, meanwhile, bring knowledge and they can be role models for the new hires in understanding the nuances of processes and customer sentiment in ways that no system can fully capture.
The question isn’ t whether they can learn new skills because as a learning company we firmly believe everyone can learn new skills.
The real issue is that most organizations lack the structure to help them do it. Organizations often miss the opportunity to offer upskilling pathways to help both new and experienced CSRs reach their full potential.
ARE THERE FEWER SUITABLE APPLICANTS? WHAT SKILLS ARE MISSING? ARE CENTERS HIRING LESS QUALIFIED CANDIDATES AND TRAINING THEM MORE?
A: Recently, I’ ve been deeply involved in researching how to attract stronger candidates into the contact center labor pool, and the experience has been eye opening.
There are absolutely fewer suitable applicants today, and much of that decline stems from a fundamental shift in what younger generations want from work.
Think about the traditional contact center role— tethered to a headset for eight hours, following strict schedules, and managing a constant stream of emotionally charged interactions— and then compare that to what we know recent graduates value.
These prospective employees want flexibility, autonomy, variety, and work that feels meaningful. At least, that’ s exactly what my own recent college graduate tells me.
A“ butt in seat” job with rigid structure and high emotional labor simply doesn’ t align with those expectations, which naturally shrinks the pool of applicants who are both interested in and prepared for the realities of the role.
As a result, many candidates lack the core skills needed today: critical thinking, resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate technology-enabled workflows.
Because of this, contact centers are hiring less qualified candidates more frequently, but they’ re compensating with stronger training programs, better onboarding, and more structured development pathways.
My recent graduate also pointed out how much culture matters on Day 1 of a new job. When people join a company, they want to be welcomed into a clear vision and connected to people who make them feel part of the brand.
The solution isn’ t to lower the bar; it’ s to change how we help people reach it.
That means designing onboarding experiences that accelerate skill development and create opportunities that make the role feel like a stepping stone rather than a dead end. It also means building a culture where agents feel supported rather than monitored.
SEPTEMBER 2026 25