{"id":72117,"date":"2025-07-09T10:18:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T09:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cxtoday.com\/?p=72117"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:58:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T09:58:27","slug":"93-of-contact-center-leaders-are-reevaluating-the-agent-role-five9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cxtoday.com\/contact-center\/93-of-contact-center-leaders-are-reevaluating-the-agent-role-five9\/","title":{"rendered":"93% of Contact Center Leaders Are Reevaluating the Agent Role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nowadays, when a customer needs human help, they\u2019re already a bit frustrated. Either something has gone wrong, or they need reassurance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, human service touchpoints are more critical than ever to ensure customer loyalty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizing this, contact center leaders are rethinking how they support their teams, with only seven percent saying agents\u2019 roles haven\u2019t changed, as per the <\/span>2025 Business Leaders CX Report<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 88 percent of leaders have increased their focus on the agent experience over the past year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These leaders understand that, while empathy matters, agents need to be equipped to go beyond: “I\u2019m sorry you feel that way.” They must engage in active listening, validation, and effective follow-ups in these moments that matter. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After all, if the same issue happens again next time, the business will have lost customer trust.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are Contact Centers Doing to Improve Agent Experiences?<\/h2>\n

Contact centers have always struggled to empower their teams. Yet, ultimately, that\u2019s what they must do for agents to engage in open, meaningful conversations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible scheduling is part of the empowerment conversation, so agents can work when and where they want. That includes developing shift patterns that align with preferences and offering staff the ability to adjust their availability.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are tangible objectives. As such, it\u2019s little surprise that flexible scheduling is the number one initiative contact centers have adopted to improve agent experiences, according to the aforementioned report.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second and third most adopted initiatives are AI-powered assistance and providing access to subject matter experts, likely through <\/span>a Microsoft Teams integration<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Such support mechanisms are crucial, as they allow agents to feel more comfortable going off script, knowing they have something to fall back on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As <\/span>Steve Blood, VP of Market Intelligence and Evangelism at Five9<\/a><\/span><\/b>, said: \u201cWe need to give staff the skills and authority to shape the customer experience\u2014not just follow a script. The old “computer says no” mindset has to go.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe also need to move beyond \u201cnext best action\u201d to \u201cnext issue avoidance.\u201d Don\u2019t just resolve the issue\u2014fix the underlying cause. Encourage agents to be curious, form tiger teams, and drive real improvement across the business.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this sense, contact centers must still further empower their employees. One idea touted by Zappos is to give agents a list of five or six things they absolutely cannot do, so they understand where the boundaries lie and feel more confident in finding creative solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What More Can Contact Centers Do?<\/h2>\n

Ultimately, as contact centers leverage new AI solutions, they\u2019ll automate simpler contacts that agents often use to take a breather. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As that transition happens, agents may face a barrage of tricky contacts, and contact center leaders could face an uphill battle to release the pressure valve.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if it\u2019s not just the most troublesome contacts that filter through to agents?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this: customers won\u2019t be loyal unless they associate a positive memory with the business. Customer service agents are the best-placed employees to deliver those memories.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what if the contact center can \u2013 instead of automating transactional but highly emotional contacts \u2013 deliberately pass them through to an agent?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That agent may follow a carefully orchestrated process designed to offer human guidance and reassurance that results in a positive memory, boosting loyalty.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact centers can also compose human-led conversations for contacts that are possible to automate but offer an opportunity for an upsell.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Doing so raises the contact center\u2019s value, and service leaders avoid overburdening agents.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, this involves careful consultation with the powers beyond the contact center, who will likely say: \u201cAutomate, automate, automate!\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this approach takes customer service toward becoming a value center rather than a cost center, as it\u2019s so often viewed. \u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also smaller steps that service teams can take. For instance, Blood shared the example of switching from schedule adherence to schedule compliance. He said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of forcing breaks at exact times, give agents the flexibility to finish the call properly, then take a slightly later break. That creates better experiences without losing productivity.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More Key Findings from the 2025 Business Leaders CX Report<\/h2>\n

Like other industry studies, the report found that voice remains supreme as consumers\u2019 preferred channel for contact center conversations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it shows that generational channel preferences are more nuanced.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, these studies segment preference by age, making claims like: \u201cPeople over 50 prefer voice.\u201d But that\u2019s not always accurate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the Business Leaders CX Report underscores the need to understand customer preferences on an individual level so the contact center can serve them better across the right channels at the right times.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building on this point, Blood stated:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re managing all channels equally, but the next step is managing them intelligently based on actual behavior and context.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other thought-provoking takeaways from the study include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n