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1、FUTURE OF CONTACT CENTER EMPLOYEESMARKET STUDYJANUARY2024CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMERCONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMERCONTACT WEEKDIGITAL2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees2CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|IntroThe bi

2、ggest cost of universality is a lack of intense questioning.This reality has long been evident when it comes to the contact center employee experience.Few contact center leaders dismiss the importance of the employee experience.Few doubt the impact empowering atmospheres have on agents ability to su

3、pport customers.But as we celebrate broad ideas around the employee experience and trumpet concepts like“happy agents equal happy customers,”we do not always ask ourselves what it truly means to generate agent happiness.Equally importantly,we do not always question whether supposed“employee empowerm

4、ent”initiatives will actually deliver short-term happiness,let alone spur long-term improvements in performance,engagement,and retention.This lack of questioning is particularly notable and concerning when it comes to the impact of artificial intelligence(AI).As we embrace concepts like“AI for simpl

5、e issues,agents for complex work”as employee-centric initiatives,we may not sufficiently question whether agents want to do the work,have the skills and capacity to do the work,or have the leadership support to do the work.As a result,we may not be taking the necessary steps to cultivate a next-gene

6、ration workforce that is ready,willing,and eager to delight ever-demanding customers in an ever-complicated customer experience landscape.To help the contact center community overcome these challenges,CCW Digital is thrilled to share this market study on the Future of Contact Center Employees.The pr

7、oduct of exclusive,in-depth research,it reveals how the role of the agent will evolve in the era of AI.More importantly,it reveals the questions leaders must ask and the steps leaders must take in their effort to prepare and motivate agents for the new,AI-driven normal.It closes with a look at how t

8、he supervisor experience must concurrently evolve to create managers who can become coaches and bosses who can become visionary leaders.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees3CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Table of Contents2 Intro4 Methodology&Demographics4 About the Author5

9、Key Findings6 Is Employee Happiness Still An Objective?8 Fired or Empowered?What Does AI Really Mean For Agents?10 Are Agents Ready(and Eager)For The New AI-Driven Normal?15 Are Supervisors Ready For The Contact Center Of The Future?18 Four Factors That Will Impact Contact Center Employees in 202421

10、 From Stress To Success:Reducing Complexity With AI-Powered Contact Center Solutions30 How Customized Strategies Drive Dependable Sales Performance&Outcomes36 Appendix37 2024 Editorial Calendar38 Meet the Team2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees4CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGIT

11、AL|About the AuthorBrian Cantor Principal Analyst,CCW Digital Customer Management Practice CUSTOMERMANAGEMENTPRACTICEBrian Cantor is the principal analyst and director for CCW Digital,the global online community and research hub for customer contact professionals.In his role,Brian leads all customer

12、 experience,contact center,technology,and employee engagement research initiatives for CCW.CCW Digitals articles,special reports,commentaries,infographics,executive interviews,webinars,and online events reach a community of over 150,000.A passionate advocate for customer centricity,Brian regularly s

13、peaks on major CX conference agendas.He also advises organizations on customer experience and business development strategies.Methodology&DemographicsTo understand the future of contact center employees,CCW Digital conducted an extensive survey in January 2024.The survey uncovered perspectives from

14、an audience of contact center,customer experience,marketing,and operations leaders.Respondents represented organizations of most industries and all size ranges.Example job titles included director of client experience,manager of member of experience,chief customer officer,head of customer care,vice

15、president of customer engagement,vice president of customer service,senior vice president of operations,head of client care,senior director of customer experience,vice president of contact center operations,and senior director of customer success.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Cente

16、r Employees5CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Key Findings1 Employee engagement remains a top priority,with 95%of contact center leaders still faithfully subscribing to the idea that“happy agents equal happy customers.”2 Top employee experience focuses for 2024 include satisfaction and retention,training

17、 and coaching,and performance management.Though still on the radar,rethinking compensation and career pathing represent comparatively less popular priorities.3 The fear of AI replacing jobs is palpable,with 70%of acknowledging the existence of such concern within their teams.4 Granted,many leaders d

18、o not feel the fear is warranted.Only one-fifth presently worry that AI will lead to significant contact center job reduction.5 But even if it does not eliminate jobs,it will likely change the nature of the agent role.Many contact center leaders expect AI to remove at least some simple issues from t

19、he typical agents job,thus shifting them to more complex,high-value work.6 Nearly 90%are confident agents would be willing to take on this more complex work,although a non-trivial percentage believes this eagerness is contingent upon improving compensation and career path opportunities.7 Once they a

20、re willing,agents will need to develop skills related to product mastery,emotional intelligence,multichannel fluency,and knowledge management.More than eight-in-ten contact center leaders believe their teams will require at least six months to cultivate such competencies.8 Beyond providing the requi

21、site training,contact centers will have to eliminate inefficiencies that inhibit successful performance.At present,high volumes of simple issues,ineffective knowledge management solutions,insufficient customer data,and burdensome non-interaction work create undue effort for agents.9 Despite trumpeti

22、ng the importance of providing more personalized,consultative support,only 6%of contact centers actually grant agents complete freedom to go off-script and provide“above and beyond”care.10 To empower the next-generation agent experience,successful brands must cultivate a team of next-generation supe

23、rvisors.Crucial competencies for the manager of the future include the ability to coach for product mastery,comfort with modern contact center systems,adeptness at managing customer and employee feedback,and a flair for managing based on big picture outcomes rather than traditional efficiency metric

24、s.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees6CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|When it comes to contact center cliches,none trumps“the customer is always right.”There is,however,one with nearly as much ubiquity:happy agents equal happy customers.The mantra has become a driving force

25、 for the contact center community,spurring innovation around everything from automation solutions,to office culture initiatives,to workforce management strategies.Of course,when a cliche becomes so universal,it is worth questioning the extent to which the message still resonates.Is the“happy agents

26、equal happy customers”phrase lingering due to familiarity and complacency,or is it enduring because contact center leaders truly and actively swear by the concept?The latter answer is the correct one.A whopping 95%of contact center leaders acknowledge a crucial link between employee and customer exp

27、eriences.Is Employee Happiness Still An Objective?Nearly two-thirds continue to take the phrase at face value,believing confidently that emotionally happy employees deliver better experiences for customers.Thirty percent(30%),meanwhile,take a less literal approach to the phrase.They see the adage no

28、t necessarily as a call to focus on emotional happiness but instead as a reminder to empower overall agent performance.But regardless of whether one focuses on emotional happiness or operational empowerment,one thing is abundantly clear:the employee experience still matters greatly to todays contact

29、 center leaders.Befitting this reality,contact center leaders plan to prioritize numerous employee experience initiatives in 2024.Particular priorities include satisfaction and retention(93%),training and coaching(90%),performance management and measurement(88%),and empowerment through better tools,

30、technology,and/or data(86%).2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees7CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Granted,not all employee experience measures are commanding the same degree of attention.Though on the radar,initiatives like re-evaluating compensation(54%),rethinking career pa

31、thing(68%),and accommodating more flexible scheduling models(70%)rank as comparatively less common priorities.Will brands that avoid addressing pay,career trajectory,or work flexibility substantially bottleneck their ability to achieve universal objectives like satisfaction and retention?Given the a

32、nticipated evolution of the agent role,that question will gain new relevance as contact centers look to the future.Does your contact center/CX team subscribe to the idea that“happy agents=happy customers”?65%Yes-we truly believe that emotionally happier agents will deliver better customer experience

33、s 30%Somewhat-we see a connection between CX and EX,but its more about empowering agent performance than literally making them“happy”5%No-we see the CX and EX as two separate thingsOver the past year,do you feel your contact center has improved in the following areas?Improving employee satisfaction

34、and retentionImproving employee training and coachingImproving performance measurement/management practicesEmpowering employees with better tools/technologies/dataImproving collaboration and team-buildingHiring higher caliber talentImproving contact center cultureBalancing at-home vs.on-site workEnc

35、ouraging frontline employees to think critically,go off-script,etcManaging the impact of AI and automation on employee performance&satisfactionAccommodating more flexible schedule/shift modelsProviding clearer/more valuable careerpathingRe-evaluating employee compensation and/or perks7.5%10.00%11.88

36、%14.37%15.00%21.88%24.38%25.62%25.62%28.75%30.00%32.50%46.25%92.50%90.00%88.13%85.63%85.00%78.13%75.63%74.38%74.38%71.25%70.00%67.50%53.75%Yes No2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees8CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Though not quite as recognizable as“happy agents equal happy

37、customers,”the notion that“AI will augment rather than eliminate agents”has become rather popular among contact center professionals.Of course,the notion was far easier to blindly accept when AI contact center solutions were still in their infant stages.When chatbots were terribly unhelpful and agen

38、t assistance tools were disappointingly robotic,there was little immediate reason to see AI solutions as a threat to agent jobs.In that era,the question was not whether AI tools would eliminate agents but whether they could even handle enough simple issues to meaningfully augment performance.AI tech

39、nology has,however,come a long way.Generative AI projects like ChatGPT prove that AI is capable of automating meaningful contact center work,while demonstrating that Fired or Empowered?What Does AI Really Mean For Agents?selfservice can be more dynamic,conversational,and personalized than the convol

40、uted IVRs and static FAQ pages of yesterday.As confidence in AIs transformative potential grows,so too does concern over its impact on human contact center work.Nearly 71%of contact center leaders acknowledge that fear of AI-driven job loss exists within their organizations.Is that fear warranted?To

41、days contact center leaders have mixed feelings.A non-trivial 16%still doubt AI will meaningfully impact the contact center,while 26%believe its impact will be limited to only the most basic tasks thus having little consequence for the role of the agent.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contac

42、t Center Employees9CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|On the other hand,7%feel AI will definitely lead to significant job reduction.The balance of leaders subscribe to the idea that AI will absorb many current agent tasks,thus enabling them to pivot to more complex work.They do,however,have conflicting pe

43、rspectives about what this ultimately means for headcount.Nearly 38%of contact center leaders are taking an upbeat view of the“AI for simple issues,agents for complex ones”mantra,noting that there will be enough new work to keep most agents around.Just over 13%are taking the pessimistic perspective,

44、fearing that there will not be enough complex work to avoid headcount reduction.Which best describes how your contact center/CX team addressing the fear that“AI may replace employees”?29.38%No need-there is no fear of AI replacing humans within our team 26.25%Broadly discussing the future of AI and

45、how it may or may not impact headcount during team meetings,coaching sessions,etc 24.38%Not actively addressing it,but the fear/concern does at least somewhat exist 20.00%Actively highlighting specific ways AI will empower employees/lead to a better agent experience 37.50%Somewhat-AI will absorb man

46、y current agent tasks,but well have enough new work to keep most agents around 26.25%Not really-AI will only absorb very simple/repetitive tasks,so well still need almost all agents 16.25%No-we are not currently convinced AI will meaningfully impact contact center workflow/needs 13.13%Probably-AI wi

47、ll absorb many current agents tasks,and there is not enough complex work to avoid headcount reduction 6.88%Definitely-AI will lead to a significant reduction in headcountIn your personal opinion as a leader,do you expect AI to lead to headcount/team reduction within the contact center/CX function?20

48、24 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees10CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Although they have not yet reached a consensus on whether AI will definitely lead to meaningful job loss,the majority of contact center leaders accept that it will at least meaningfully transform the role of

49、 the agent.As AI solutions help brands automate traditional contact center tasks,agents will pivot to more challenging,less predictable work.This pivot may entail focusing on more complicated customer interactions,taking on more analytical tasks,or moving outside the contact center.The point,however

50、,is that transformation appears inevitable.And if the role of the agent is changing,so too will the associated workflows,competencies,coaching strategies,and career trajectories.Are Agents Ready(and Eager)For The New AI-Driven Normal?DO AGENTS ACTUALLY WANT“COMPLEX”WORK?“AI will automate simple issu

51、es so that agents can focus on complex ones”has historically been presented as an employee-centric notion.The argument was that because agents dislike performing rote tasks and addressing repetitive customer inquiries,they would be much happier handling more difficult and complex interactions.Many c

52、ontact center leaders still subscribe to this mindset,albeit with a caveat in some cases.Whereas 49%believe their agents are already eager to take on more complex work,40%feel that willingness is conditional upon receiving better compensation and/or career opportunities.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY

53、|Future of Contact Center Employees11CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|The distinction underscores a long-standing philosophical discrepancy.Despite constantly trumpeting the importance of contact center agents with phrases like“happy agents equal happy customers,”businesses generally do not treat them a

54、s high-value,irreplaceable parts of their business.Compensation is rarely spectacular,career paths are often murky,and turnover tolerance is generally high.The pivot to more complex work will only amplify this discrepancy,as agents will not only be told they are important but explicitly asked to han

55、dle high-stakes,mission-critical work.Shouldering this burden at the same time they are receiving external advice to be more assertive in setting boundaries(and more direct in seeking incentives for going“above and beyond”),agents are more likely than ever to initiate compensation discussions.In man

56、y cases,to think otherwise would be to indulge in a significant fantasy.After all,61%of contact center leaders believe a lack of employee buy-in inhibits their ability to train team members.If agents do not feel immersed enough in the business vision to fully commit to a few extra coaching sessions,

57、are they really going to take on more daunting day-to-day work without incentives?Given this context,the fact that compensation and career pathing are the two lowest-ranking employee experience priorities seems especially alarming.CAN AGENTS ACTUALLY HANDLE NEXT-GENERATION WORK?Granted,it is certain

58、ly possible that some agents detest repetitive work so much that they would take on challenging tasks without extra compensation.It is also possible that many brands will introduce new incentives and career opportunities as the agent role evolves.In these cases,agents will eagerly embrace the evolut

59、ion of their workflow.This willingness will be of little consequence,however,if agents lack the capability to perform new,more challenging tasks.Moving forward,95%believe all agents will require the ability to handle complex or unique customer inquiries.Nearly 89%say the same of the ability to handl

60、e emotional customer conversations;multichannel fluency(86%)and a flair for collecting and sharing knowledge and feedback(84%)will also rank as important competencies.Other essential skills will include comfort working with modern AI tools(83%),going off-script(83%),working autonomously(68%),and eng

61、aging in sales and revenue-generation conversations(65%).Is the idea of“automating simple tasks so agents can focus on more complex work”appealing to your contact center/CX employees?49.38%Yes,they are eager to handle more complex work in their current roles40.00%They will be eager as long as it com

62、es with better compensation,career trajectories,etc10.63%No,they are content with the tasks they presently handleMoving forward,do you feel the following skills will be essential for most contact center/CX agents?Ability to handle complex and/or unique customer inquiriesAbility to handle more emotio

63、nal customer conversationsAbility to successfully engage in multiple channelsAbility to collect and share more knowledge and/or customer feedbackAbility to work with modern AI tools(helping to train bots,etc)Ability to comfortably go off-script/policy when making support decisionsAbility to work rem

64、otely without as much face-to-face coaching/supportAbility to sell/generate revenue during interactions5.00%11.25%13.75%15.72%16.88%17.50%32.50%35.00%95.00%88.75%86.25%84.28%83.13%82.50%67.50%65.00%Yes No2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees12CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|W

65、hat the“AI will automate simple issues so that agents can focus on complex ones”adage ignores is that many contact center agents do not yet possess these skills.Only 16%of contact center leaders,in fact,believe their agents will be ready to demonstrate these essential competencies within the next si

66、x months.More than 28%actually believe it will take until next year to showcase these abilities,with another 17%worried it could take more than two years to close the competency gap.As distant as they are,these timelines may actually prove optimistic.Todays contact center leaders identify myriad tra

67、ining challenges,all of which could lengthen the time it takes for agents to cultivate the necessary skills and take on the complex work for which AI is unsuitable.A lack of time and resources represents the most notable training challenge,with 68%of leaders calling it an inhibitor to agent developm

68、ent.Other key challenges include technology issues(67%),managing diverse agent personalities and existing skill sets(61%),and achieving employee buy-in(61%).Whereas contact center leaders can technically eliminate the former two challenges by devising better workforce management strategies and inves

69、ting in better systems,personality diversity is actually essential to the next-generation contact center.If contact centers want to deliver more personalized,human-centric experiences,they will require agents who can appeal to customers with different sensibilities.Overcoming this hurdle,therefore,w

70、ill not be about finding ways to minimize diversity between agents but instead about empowering them to perform their tasks without compromising their unique identities.Agent buy-in is essential not only for making training more effective but for fostering more productive,off-script conversations.If

71、 agents do not fully know,let alone care,about a companys brand vision,what chance do they have of properly representing corporate values when dealing with unexpected customer inquiries?ARE AGENTS FREE TO TACKLE NEXT-GENERATION WORK?Eager,capable agents may have the potential to thrive in the contac

72、t center of the future,but there is still no guarantee all organizations will be able to tap into that power.If existing systems,strategies,and practices prevent agents from sufficiently focusing on high-value work,they will be forced to choose between delivering inefficient or insufficient performa

73、nce.And insofar as the stakes of their work will be unprecedentedly high,the cost of this ineffective performance will be unprecedentedly great.When do you feel agents will have the necessary training and support to demonstrate those competencies?38.75%6-12 months-they should be demonstrating these

74、areas by end of year 28.13%12-24 months-we expect agents to excel at these areas next year 16.88%24+months-preparing agents for this evolution is a long-term process 16.25%0-6 months-they are or are already very close to excelling at these areasWhen it comes to successfully training and coaching you

75、r agents,do the following represent challenges/inhibitors?Not enough time and resources(need agents interacting with customers,not in training sessions)Technology issues(old systems too hard to train,were moving to new solutions and not ready to train,etc)Our agents have different personalities/comp

76、etenciesEmployee buy-in(employees arent eager to spend time immersing themselves in business)Limited ways to measure/assess training performanceAgents/supervisors/trainers are working in remote/disparate locationsGenerational changes(previous training practices may not apply to newer workers)Uncerta

77、inty about types of issues agents will need to handle moving forwardContact center/CX knowledge is limited or out-of-date32.50%33.13%38.75%38.75%67.50%66.88%61.25%61.25%Yes No40.88%42.77%43.75%45.00%47.50%59.12%57.23%56.25%55.00%52.50%2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees1

78、3CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Given the significant effort to which they presently subject their agent,the typical contact center should be very concerned about this reality.At present,a whopping 83%feel agents exert too much time and effort on simple customer interactions.Nearly 73%of contact cente

79、rs require agents to waste too much energy looking up knowledge,while a similar amount lament the inefficiency of customer authentication.Completing non-interaction work(71%)and using crucial contact center systems(61%)also represent undue effort sources in the clear majority of organizations.On the

80、 one hand,the idea of using AI for simple issues represents an immediate solution to the former problem.If high-quality chatbots absorb basic customer inquiries,agents will automatically gain more time and opportunity to focus on higher-value issues.It is for this reason that 89%see investing in AI-

81、driven self-service as an important employee satisfaction and performance initiative.Nearly 68%,meanwhile,are evaluating ways to use AI for proactive customer outreach.On the other hand,shifting agents to more complex work exacerbates the impact of the other inefficiencies.Since agents will be asked

82、 to address and analyze more complex inquiries while meeting higher thresholds for personalization and empathy,they will be especially reliant on product knowledge,customer data,and supportive tools.If accessing these resources remains difficult,the impact on the customer experience,not to mention a

83、gent satisfaction,will be greater than ever.Fortunately,brands are prioritizing AI as a solution to many lingering agent experience challenges.In addition to the obvious self-service opportunity,the overwhelming majority of brands are exploring AI-driven solutions for Agent Assist(92%),customer sent

84、iment analysis(82%),and post-call work(79%).AI solutions for training(74%),translation(74%),and call quality(58%)are also on the typical contact centers radar,underscoring the desire to not only reduce agent effort but actively improve their ability to perform at a high level.If they are successful

85、in sourcing and introducing these solutions,contact centers will not simply remove inhibitors to agent performance.They will also change the narrative around AI.By providing a frontrow seat to how AI can help agents perform higher-value work at a higher-level,contact centers take a meaningful step t

86、oward proving that AI truly is about augmenting rather than replacing their employees.DO CONTACT CENTERS TRULY WANT AGENTS TO HANDLE NEXT-GENERATION WORK?At the end of the day,do contact center leaders really want agents to change the way they support customers?Do they really support an environment

87、in which agents ditch scripts as they work to deliver more personalized,human-centric support?Do they really seek a contact center operation that prioritizes customization and empathy at the expense of process and simplicity?Or,are the calls to automate simple tasks so that agents can focus on compl

88、ex work an exercise in empty rhetoric?Do you feel the typical agent spends too much time and/or effort on the following?Simple and/or repetitive customer interactionsLooking up knowledge about the issue theyre addressingAuthenticating and gathering data about the customer theyre supportingCompleting

89、 non-interaction work(note-taking,post-call summaries,data logging,etc)Accessing/using necessary contact center/workforce systems16.88%27.04%27.50%29.38%38.99%83.13%72.96%72.50%70.63%61.01%Yes NoDo you feel the following AI opportunities are important for empowering employee satisfaction and perform

90、ance?Agent Assist/AI for knowledge management(to help agents avoid cumbersome searches and lookups)AI for self-service(to help agents focus on more complex interactions)AI for customer/sentiment analytics(to help agents personalized and adapt interactions to specific customers)AI for post-call work/

91、note-taking(to help agents focus on the actual interaction)AI for training(to help agents gain more relevant,actionable expertise)AI for translation(to help agents easily interact with more customers)AI for customer outreach/follow-up(to help agents pre-qualify customers,improve future conversations

92、)AI for noise cancelling/call performance(to help agents avoid quality issues)8.13%10.63%18.13%91.88%89.38%81.88%Yes No21.38%25.79%25.79%32.50%41.88%78.62%74.21%74.21%67.50%58.13%2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees14CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|The answer to this line of

93、 questioning is certainly not straightforward.Contact center leaders are not totally insincere in their pursuit of more empowered,dynamic,empathetic agents.A substantial 88%of leaders are emphasizing soft skill training to achieve this exact outcome.The overwhelming majority of contact center leader

94、s are also taking numerous other measures from reducing agent effort(77%),to providing more customer data and context(77%),to recalibrating metrics(71%)with the explicit intent of fostering more human connections.If contact center leaders really wanted all agents to deliver generic service in adhere

95、nce with a strict average handle time,these initiatives would not be on the radar.But as they pursue these initiatives and make these investments,many contact center leaders remain prisoner to a sense of caution.They remain hesitant to go all-in on the notion of truly personalized,dynamic support.A

96、staggering 82%of contact center leaders offer agents minimal freedom to go“above and beyond”when issuing make-goods and compensation to customers;41%provide no freedom whatsoever.By contrast,just 6%grant agents complete autonomy to make their own off-script support decisions.Already disappointing,su

97、ch risk aversion will only become more troubling as the contact center undergoes the AI transformation.As self-service options become more available and robust,customers will already have instant,on-demand access to the“standard answer.”They will already know what corporate policies and knowledge ba

98、ses say when it comes to getting answers and compensatory gestures.If they escalate to an agent,it will be because they either do not feel their issue fits into the standard process or do not feel content with the typical support outcome.They will thus expect agents who can swiftly and meaningfully-

99、tailor the support experience to their unique issue and provide their desired resolution.If agents fail to adapt accordingly,customers will be doubly dissatisfied first because they did not get what they wanted,and second because they wasted time escalating to a representative who was of no more hel

100、p than the chatbot.This dissatisfaction will manifest as hostility,ultimately leading to an unsatisfying agent experience.Obviously,the idea of giving agents total freedom to provide magical experiences for every customer will prove untenable in certain organizations.If even permissible legally and

101、logistically,such an approach will not be popular financially.Leaders will,however,have to begin thinking intently about what human-centric support actually means in the context of their organization.They will subsequently have to determine whether they are truly empowering agents to meet that stand

102、ard.Is your organization doing the following to help agents achieve stronger human connections with customers?Training on soft skills and empathyReducing sources of effort and distraction(low-value work,difficult systems,etc)so that agents can focus on customerProviding more personalized data/contex

103、t about the customers theyre supportingRethinking metrics/performance to accommodate more meaningful interactionsCollecting and sharing more personalized agent feedbackProviding real-time sentiment analytics and guidance during interactionsEliminating scripts/mandatory language so that agents can co

104、mmunicate in own words12.50%23.13%23.27%28.75%31.25%43.75%48.13%87.50%76.88%76.73%71.25%68.75%56.25%51.88%Yes NoDo your employees have the freedom to provide make-goods,gifts,refunds,and/or policy exceptions without supervisor approval when supporting customers?41.88%Agents can make their own decisi

105、ons about simple refund requests and policy exceptions,but“going above and beyond”typically requires approval 41.25%No,all such requests must follow our stated policy and/or receive approval 10.63%Agents receive a budget to make their own decisions about special compensation for customers;additional

106、 requests require approval 6.25%Agents have complete freedom to“go above and beyond”when issuing compensation to customers2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees15CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|When thinking about the employee experience,many contact center thought leaders equ

107、ate“employee”with“entry-level agent.”Blogs,reports,webinars,and whitepapers exclusively focus on how to empower happiness and excellence on the front lines.To succeed in practice,business leaders cannot exclusively focus on the frontline.They must also consider the supervisor experience.After all,su

108、pervisors are seasoned,high-value employees whose knowledge and experience are both essential to success and difficult to replace.Failing to properly satisfy,retain,and motivate supervisors will prove immensely costly.Supervisors,moreover,play a crucial role in empowering the frontline.If they lack

109、the right skills,motivation,and tools,any desire to elevate the agent experience will go unfulfilled.Are Supervisors Ready For The Contact Center Of The Future?The latter point is particularly important,given the fact that the typical contact center is expecting agents to adapt to significant change

110、 and develop significantly new skills.Without strong supervisors to help agents navigate this evolution,the contact center will ultimately struggle to meet ever-changing customer expectations.What competencies are most essential for managing agents in this new normal?Unsurprisingly,the ability to tr

111、ain agents on next-generation skills like product mastery and empathy represents the#1 answer.A whopping 93%of contact center leaders view that competency as essential for the supervisor of the future.Other crucial skills include the ability to train and coach on new technology(91%),the ability to e

112、licit,capture,and leverage feedback(91%),and the ability to manage with an emphasis on outcomes rather than traditional metrics(90%).2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees16CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|The consensus around these competencies is the antithesis of surprising.

113、Given that many of todays agents are 6-24 months away from developing the skills needed for complex,high-stakes work,they will rely on supervisors to impart the requisite wisdom and guidance.Given that contact centers are exploring a plethora of AI-driven solutions,technology-savvy supervisors will

114、be essential for harnessing the power of these tools and maximizing the return on investment.Given that contact centers will be emphasizing higher degrees of personalization and customization,customer and employee feedback will become the paramount barometer for refining strategy.Given that contact

115、centers want agents to build deeper connections with customers,the ability to calibrate performance based on a vision rather than immediately quantifiable metrics will enable scalable success.Though obvious,these competencies are not yet omnipresent.Only 14%of contact center leaders believe their ma

116、nagers and supervisors will demonstrate these competencies within the next 6 months.Just over 50%feel it could take at least 1 year,with a non-trivial 16%anticipating a development phase of at least two years.Moving forward,do you feel the following skills will be essential for most contact center/C

117、X managers,supervisors,and/or leaders?Ability to train and coach for evolving agent needs,like complex product mastery and empathyAbility to train and coach on new contact center technologyAbility to elicit,capture,and leverage customer and employee feedbackAbility to manage with an emphasis on outc

118、omes(customer satisfaction)rather than traditional metrics(AHT,call count,etc)Ability to foster collaboration/culture within teamAbility to connect with different personality types,work generations,etcAbility to understand greater business impact of contact center/CX operationsAbility to train,coach

119、,and manage performance in a remote/hybrid/flex settingAbility to implement new workforce/time management principles amid AI transformationAbility to identify,recruit and onboard talent with modern,AI-compatible skillsets6.88%8.75%9.38%93.13%91.25%90.63%Yes No10.00%90.00%10.69%14.37%15.00%18.13%21.8

120、8%23.13%89.31%85.63%85.00%81.88%78.13%76.88%When do you feel supervisors will have the ability to sufficiently demonstrate those competencies?35.63%6-12 months-they should be demonstrating these areas by end of year 34.38%12-24 months-we expect supervisors to excel at these areas next year 15.63%24

121、months-preparing supervisors for this evolution is a long-term process 14.38%0-6 months-they are or are already very close to excelling at these areasFUTURE OF CONTACT CENTER EMPLOYEESPRACTICALITY GUIDE CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONT

122、ACT WEEKDIGITALCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees18CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|AI is here,and while the move to use it will continue to gain momentum over the next 2-3 years,current trends are already pushing the contact center to focus even

123、 more heavily on employees and their experience,specifically on training,empowerment,and performance management.The contact center of the future will need to rely on employees who are empowered,engaged,and knowledgeable.Given there is a direct link between an improved employee experience and an impr

124、oved customer experience,companies will need to invest in their employees.As technology drives changes in the contact center,how should executives think about the employee experience and what actions should they take that will result in greater customer loyalty,an increase in revenue,and greater ope

125、rational efficiency?We have identified 4 major trends occurring in contact centers now,how they affect the employee,and how to use these to create a better employee experience.Four Factors That Will Impact Contact Center Employees in 2024WHAT ARE THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONTACT CENTER AND HOW IS I

126、T CHANGING HOW EMPLOYEES WORK?1.Proliferation of AI and AutomationExecutives are increasingly focused on how technology can move the needle on their customer experience,but many may not realize the powerful effect it can have on the employee experience which in turn will allow full realization of th

127、e benefits of a digital transformation.A recent NRG Survey revealed that 60%of executives prioritized AI and automation for investment while training and coaching came in a distant second at 27%.The key to remember is that to maximize the ROI on any technology investment,companies will need to focus

128、 on and invest in training and change management.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees19CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|In a recent NRG survey,responses revealed that 70%of digital transformation efforts fall short of meeting the targets.But why?According to a study completed

129、 by McKinsey,on average,large IT projects run 45 percent over budget and 7 percent over time,while delivering 56 percent less value than predicted1.In fact,the sentiment of the study was that large IT efforts can put a whole organization in jeopardy because they often cost more than planned and dont

130、 fully capture the change management requirements.The companies that achieve success are the ones that understand how to align the technology to the business value and bring its employees along throughout the process with training and change management.This is not to say that AI cannot provide huge

131、gains for the contact center,but the key will be to view the possible AI solutions from the lens of the employee.Northridge has developed a framework that views and measures the impact of AI across three key areas:pre-call,in-call,and post-call.Pre-call typically achieves improvements through call d

132、eflection and focuses on implementing self-service solutions,omnichannel solutions,and knowledge-base solutions.In-call typically focuses on how to assist agents and includes things like guided next-best action solutions and conversational AI alert solutions.Finally post-call really focuses on busin

133、ess insights and automation including automated notes and dispositioning solutions,post-interaction analytics solutions,and business intelligence solutions.A great AI solution should be making your employees better at their jobs,and the most successful contact center leaders understand that the succ

134、ess of one element is inextricably linked to the other.2.Growing reliance on the need for data both for operational purposes and to help empower employeesThe data boom is happening.We heard someone say recently:“In God we trust,all others must bring data.”Its cheeky but underscores a move that decis

135、ions are not made based on gut feeling or hypothesis.Not only do operational leaders need and use more data,but for agents to be at their best,they need to have access to the right data at the right time.In comes the power of Knowledge Management.Knowledge management tools and other technologies lik

136、e Agent assist tools are going to empower employees to become super employees.And this is where many companies struggle;they believe that the solution is implementing AI technology,without first designing the appropriate data strategy and adopting a knowledge base solution.The result?Effective machi

137、ne learning never occurs,resulting in the exact opposite of what you hoped for.Recently Northridge worked with a major retailer to implement an improved Knowledge Management tool.The technology selected was one that the client already had in the contact center,so the key to success was creating the

138、base of data and articles.Articles needed to be small,and bite-sized so they were easily consumed while on a call with a customer.The team collaborated on a format and began drafting articles using data to drive decisions on where the biggest need was based on customer interaction types and call rea

139、sons.In addition to the customer experience improvements and operational efficiencies this created,our client saw an 8%increase in employee engagement on this particular team from the previous year to this year.The biggest win for this company came from the employee feedback itself.The Knowledge Man

140、agement tool made it so much easier to better serve their customers and empowered them to make the right decisions.“NRG took the plethora of information that the Consumer program had and made it easier to digest for agents and easier to teach as trainers”.-Client Training LeaderThis adds weight to t

141、he premise that well-trained employees,when given all the tools they need,can increase CX while improving their productivity and happiness.3.Employees want hybrid-and employers need to know how to manage that.In a 2021 survey conducted by Gartner,results revealed that seventy percent of customer ser

142、vice and support employees want to continue to work from home(WFH)at least once a week after the pandemic ends.Supporting these responses is a report from McKinsey&Company,where employees stated they want to work from home at least three days a week2.In stark contrast,NRGs State of the Customer Expe

143、rience report found that 64%of Fortune 500 executives prefer a traditional in-office set-up.The solution could lie in a hybrid model,but only if teams are prepared to manage the performance of their agents.In a traditional setting,walking by someones desk and providing short feedback could count as

144、a coaching session,but in the hybrid model,supervisors and managers need to formalize their coaching processes.This is hard because the best agents often become supervisors and managers,but they do not always know how to coach and will shy away from the task.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of C

145、ontact Center Employees20CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Teaching supervisors how to effectively coach and providing a framework for how to do it can drive great returns even when unexpected.NRG rolled out a large-scale coaching program to a large healthcare insurance company to drive an improved custo

146、mer experience.While there was a direct correlation between the behaviors being coached and a better customer experience,the biggest surprise was in the other metrics the program impacted.Frontline employee attrition declined between 1%-1.5%which allowed the company to reduce their hiring model by a

147、 sizable number of agents resulting in savings for the company of more than 50 million dollars.4.Contact Centers are moving to become Loyalty Centers where brand trust is built.Contact centers are under more pressure to demonstrate the business outcomes that they are providing,they need to move away

148、 from being a cost center and be seen as a loyalty center that is a hub of communication serving many different areas of the business.As digital transformation takes place and customers become more empowered to self-serve and solve easy problems,the contact center becomes a place where companies can

149、 create emotional connections with their customers and build trust.They need to be happy in these interactions.When this happens,the result is greater customer satisfaction and greater loyalty.This may seem obvious,but studies show that loyal customers are willing to spend 67%more than new customers

150、.To turn your contact center into a loyalty center there are two keys to success trust building and storytelling.Companies must coach and train employees to build that trust and be more personable,not just solve problems.But also,Executives need to have the right data and story-telling abilities to

151、show the value they are creating to the rest of the business.Contact centers have always needed to operate efficiently and with operational excellence,and in the last 5 years or more,the push for the customer experience has become engrained in so many organizations.As technology changes,the digital

152、experience is driving much of the conversation,but to succeed in driving positive business outcomes,companies need to put Employee Experience into their roadmaps.The Northridge Group sees Operational Excellence(OpEx),Customer Experience(CX),Employee Experience(EX),and Digital Experience(DX),which ar

153、e The Northridge Four,as inextricably linked to achieving success.If you want to learn more about any of these trends and how we are helping our clients be successful by proactively getting in front of them,then contact us or check out these case studies where we have helped our clients improve the

154、employee experience.1 Training Redesign Helps Leading Healthcare Insurance Provider Improve Member and Provider Experiences,Increase First Contact Resolution,and Decrease Average Handling Time2Contact Center Assessment Redesign Leads to Big Changes in Employee Experience3Optimizing CX with Data Anal

155、ytics Webinar-The Northridge Group4The Crucial Connection Between CX Tech&Training()To learn more about us and what an NRG Assessment can do for your business,visit our website and ask to speak with one of our experts.Click HereSOURCES Contact Center Assessment Helps a Leading Global Digital Marketp

156、lace Improve ROI with Enhancements to Employee Retention,Technology,Operational Efficiency,and CX State of Customer Service Experience 20232024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees21CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|INTRODUCTIONContact centers arent passing the stress test.Both con

157、tact center agents and supervisors are facing rising levels of complexity and stress in the workplace,as well as increasing workloads.In an industry where customer experience is everything,work stress leads to many undesirable outcomes,including unhappy agents,rising attrition and frustrated custome

158、rs.To further explore trends in contact center complexity and stress,NICE,in partnership with CMSWire Insights,conducted a survey of 366 contact center supervisors and 356 contact center agents across EMEA,India and the United States in September 2023.These findings allowed us to understand recent c

159、hanges in the contact center From Stress To Success:Reducing Complexity With AI-Powered Contact Center Solutionsworkplace and how theyve contributed to the trend of rising complexity.Automation,for example,has partially improved the agent experience by taking some repetitive tasks off their plate,bu

160、t its also introduced a new challenge.While agents find their work more satisfying and interesting when theyre focused on complex customer problems,this very complexity also increases their stress levels.With this in mind,supervisors and CX leaders have a huge challenge to face in the contact center

161、.How can they ease the stress of agents jobs while keeping their work interesting and meeting the growing expectations of customers?The answer lies in a common misconception supervisors have Stress is on the rise in contact centers.How can these organizations utilize the latest technology solutions

162、to make the experience better for supervisors,agents and customers?2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees22CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|about agents.While most supervisors believe agents are very resistant to using AI,agents are generally more open to AI than supervisors be

163、lieve.In this paper,we will dig into the causes of contact center stress,explore the complexity of agents jobs and look into the types of technology solutions that contact centers need to decrease stress while keeping an agents job complex and interesting.KEY FINDINGSAn increase in omnichannel custo

164、mer communication has increased difficulty according to agents(53%)and complexity according to supervisors(69%).Most agents(81%)agree that they manage more complicated interactions than they used to.As a result,work stress is increasing.Most agents(72%)say their work stress has increased by 30%or mo

165、re.Both supervisors and contact center agents are very likely to say that agents work stress is negatively impacting the customer experience(supervisors 78%,agents 63%).Contact centers can use AI solutions to address complexity.Most agents(83%)say they want to see AI used to provide real-time assist

166、ance when theyre solving problems.INSIDE RISING WORK STRESSWorkloads and work stress are rising throughout contact centers,for both agents and supervisors an unsurprising trend given how quickly digital experiences rose to prominence in recent years.As customers become more comfortable forgoing phys

167、ical experiences in favor of quicker,more convenient digital experiences,contact centers face a new,more demanding reality.Supervisors were much more likely than agents to report an increase in workload over the past two years(81%vs.69%)(Figure 1).Similarly,they were much more likely to report an in

168、crease in work stress.Most supervisors(62%)say their jobs have become more stressful(Figure 2),and 47%of agents say they have more work stress since starting their current role(Figure 3).In addition to their own stress,supervisors must take agent work-related stress very seriously.While its not risi

169、ng as quickly as supervisor stress,72%of agents said that their work stress has increased by 30%or more over the past two years a significant increase.How has your workload changed over the past two years?Figure 1AgentSupervisorHow has your workload changed over the past two years?Figure 1Is it beco

170、ming more stressful to be a supervisor as contact center jobs become more complex?(Supervisors)Figure 2Its become more stressfulNo changeIts become sligtly less stressfulOne reason that supervisors could be experiencing more of these impacts is that their role requires them to take a higher mental w

171、orkload.Not only do they experience their own stress,but they also take on the work stress of their agents.Interestingly,theres a gap between how much agents say their stress is increasing compared to how much supervisors think its increasing.More than half of supervisors(54%)said the job of a conta

172、ct center agent has become more stressful(Figure 4),compared to less than half(47%)of agents who said their work stress 2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees23CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|has increased.While this does not negate the fact that work stress is rising,the situ

173、ation is not quite as bad as supervisors believe.One reason that supervisors could be experiencing more of these impacts is that their role requires them to take a higher mental workload.Not only do they experience their own stress,but they also take on the work stress of their agents.Interestingly,

174、theres a gap between how much agents say their stress is increasing compared to how much supervisors think its increasing.More than half of supervisors(54%)said the job of a contact center agent has become more stressful(Figure 4),compared to less than half(47%)of agents who said their work stress h

175、as increased.While this does not negate the fact that work stress is rising,the situation is not quite as bad as supervisors believe.Since you started your current role,has your stress related to work changed?(Agents)Figure 3I have more work stressNo changeI have less work stressOne reason that supe

176、rvisors could be experiencing more of these impacts is that their role requires them to take a higher mental workload.Not only do they experience their own stress,but they also take on the work stress of their agents.Interestingly,theres a gap between how much agents say their stress is increasing c

177、ompared to how much supervisors think its increasing.More than half of supervisors(54%)said the job of a contact center agent has become more stressful(Figure 4),compared to less than half(47%)of agents who said their work stress has increased.While this does not negate the fact that work stress is

178、rising,the situation is not quite as bad as supervisors believe.Since you started your current role,hasyour stress related to work changed?(Agents)Figure 3I have more work stressSince you started your current role,has your stress related to work changed?(Supervisors)Figure 4They have more work stres

179、sNo changeThey have less work stressBiggest Stressors in a Contact CenterAgents cited many reasons for stress in their jobs.Their major stressors include too many incoming contacts,dealing with difficult customers,and tech problems(Figure 5).Beyond this,the rise of omnichannel plays a role in their

180、changing stress levels.More than two thirds of agents(67%)and supervisors(72%)say theyre using more channels for customer communications.And more than half(53%)of agents said that the adoption of multichannel customer communication has increased the difficulty of their jobs.To counteract this comple

181、xity,contact centers need to find a solution that allows agents to both receive fewer contacts and more effortlessly communicate with the customers that they do interact with.Supervisors most common stressors include forecasting contact volumes a task likely made much more difficult with the rise of

182、 omnichannel.A majority of supervisors(69%)said that multichannel communications has increased complexity in their jobs.Omnichannel would likely make forecasting more difficult for supervisors because customers can inbound from any direction and multiple channels must be covered simultaneously.Major

183、 stressors for agentsFigure 5Figure 6Biggest Stressorsin a Contact CenterAgents cited many reasons for stress in their jobs.Their major stressors include too many incoming contacts,dealing with difficult customers,and tech problems(Figure 5).Beyond this,the rise of omnichannel plays a role in their

184、changing stress levels.More than two thirds of agents(67%)and supervisors(72%)say theyre using more channels for customer communications.And more than half(53%)of agents said that the adoption of multi-channel customer communication has increased the difficulty of their jobs.To counteract this compl

185、exity,contact centers need to find a solution that allows agents to both receive fewer contacts and more effortlessly communicate with the customers that they do interact with.Supervisors most common stressors include forecasting contact volumes a task likely made much more difficult with the rise o

186、f omnichannel.A majority of supervisors(69%)said that multichannel communications has increased complexity in their jobs.Omnichannel would likely make forecasting more difficult for supervisors because customers can inbound from any direction and multiple channels must be covered simultaneously.Majo

187、r stressors for agentsFigure 5Figure 6Biggest Stressorsin a Contact CenterAgents cited many reasons for stress in their jobs.Their major stressors include too many incoming contacts,dealing with difficult customers,and tech problems(Figure 5).Beyond this,the rise of omnichannel plays a role in their

188、 changing stress levels.More than two thirds of agents(67%)and supervisors(72%)say theyre using more channels for customer communications.And more than half(53%)of agents said that the adoption of multi-channel customer communication has increased the difficulty of their jobs.To counteract this comp

189、lexity,contact centers need to find a solution that allows agents to both receive fewer contacts and more effortlessly communicate with the customers that they do interact with.Supervisors most common stressors include forecasting contact volumes a task likely made much more difficult with the rise

190、of omnichannel.A majority of supervisors(69%)said that multichannel communications has increased complexity in their jobs.Omnichannel would likely make forecasting more difficult for supervisors because customers can inbound from any direction and multiple channels must be covered simultaneously.Maj

191、or stressors for supervisorsImpact on Customer ExperienceRising stress levels threaten the health and well-being of supervisors and agents.Beyond that,it also has adverse effects on the customers experiences.Most agents(63%)agree that increasing work stress has a negative outcome on customer outcome

192、s,and 78%of supervisors agree that agent work stress negatively impacts CX.(Figure 7).In this way,its important to address the major stress factors in 2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees24CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|a contact center and offer solutions that help supervi

193、sors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.This creates the potential to make everyone happier supervisors,agents and customers.Impact of stress on customers outcomesFigure 7They have more work stressDisagreeImpact on Customer ExperienceRising stress levels threaten the health an

194、d well-being of supervisors and agents.Beyond that,it also has adverse effects on the customers experiences.Most agents(63%)agree that increasing work stress has a negative outcome on customer outcomes,and 78%of supervisors agree that agent work stress negatively impacts CX.(Figure 7).In this way,it

195、s important to address the major stress factors in a contact center and offer solutions that help supervisors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.This creates the potential to make everyone happier supervisors,agents and customers.Its important to address the major stress facto

196、rs in a contact center and offer solutions that help supervisors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.Figure 7They have more work stressNo changeon customer outcomesSupervisor:Work stress for contact center agents is negatively impacting the customer experience AgreeDisagreeImpa

197、ct on Customer ExperienceRising stress levels threaten the health and well-being of supervisors and agents.Beyond that,it also has adverse effects on the customers experiences.Most agents(63%)agree that increasing work stress has a negative outcome on customer outcomes,and 78%of supervisors agree th

198、at agent work stress negatively impacts CX.(Figure 7).In this way,its important to address the major stress factors in a contact center and offer solutions that help supervisors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.This creates the potential to make everyone happier supervisors,

199、agents and customers.Its important to address the major stress factors in a contact center and offer solutions that help supervisors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.on customer outcomesSupervisor:Work stress for contact center agents is negatively impacting the customer exp

200、erience AgreeDisagreeIts important to address the major stress factors in a contact center and offer solutions that help supervisors and agents better deal with stresss main cause:complexity.High Engagement Eases the Challenge of Addressing StressorsLuckily and not obviously contact center agents ha

201、ve relatively high engagement,a fact that can help supervisors unleash their stress reduction efforts on a receptive audience.Almost all the supervisors surveyed(91%)said their agents are somewhat or very engaged(Figure 8),and most agents(89%)said they are motivated to do their best work for their c

202、ompany(Figure 9).Further,most agents(75%)indicated they intend to stay at their current job for over a year(Figure 10).This is a significant finding given that intention to stay is a strong indicator of engagement.Agents who say they expect to stay less than three months tend to be actively looking

203、for a new job,and only 7%of agents surveyed fit this group.How would you rate the level of engagement of your agents?(Supervisors)Figure 8Very EngagedSomewhat disengagedSomewhat engagedVery disengagedFigure 10More than 2 years3 months-1 year1-2 yearsLess than 3 monthsHigh Engagement Eases the Challe

204、nge of Addressing StressorsLuckily and not obviously contact center agents have relatively high engagement,a fact that can help supervisors unleash their stress reduction efforts on a receptive audience.Almost all the supervisors surveyed(91%)said their agents are somewhat or very engaged(Figure 8),

205、and most agents(89%)said they are motivated to do their best work for their company(Figure 9).Further,most agents(75%)indicated they intend to stay at their current job for over a year(Figure 10).This is a significant finding given that intention to stay is a strong indicator of engagement.Agents wh

206、o say they expect to stay less than three months tend to be actively looking for a new job,and only 7%of agents surveyed fit this group.How would you rate the level of engagement of your agents?(Supervisors)Employee engagement:I am motivated to do my best work for my company.Figure 9Strongly agreeSo

207、mewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeStongly disagreeSomewhat engagedVery disengagedFigure 10More than 2 years3 months-1 year1-2 yearsLess than 3 months2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees25CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|How would you rate the level of engagement of your agents?(Su

208、pervisors)Employee engagement:I am motivated to do my best work for my company.How long do you expect to work in this job?(Agents)Figure 10More than 2 years3 months-1 year1-2 yearsLess than 3 monthsEngagement data also revealed other useful findings for supervisors interested in using technology to

209、improve the agent experience.We wanted to see if there were differences between the most engaged agents and those who are less engaged.Separating agents between those who plan to stay at their current job for at least two more years(49%of respondents)and those who plan to stay less than two years(51

210、%of respondents)allowed us to create a more engaged group and a less engaged group.When asked if their organization makes a serious effort to make their job easier with updated technology,61%of the more engaged group strongly agreed,versus only 42%of the less engaged group.Agents with the most inten

211、t to stay are 19 percentage points more likely to say they strongly agree that their organization makes a serious effort to make their job easier with updated technology.In other words,updated technology that makes agents lives easier is linked to improved engagement and retention at contact centers

212、.My organization makes a serious effort to make their job easier with updated technology.Figure 11Strongly agreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeStongly disagreeEngagement data also revealed other useful findings for supervisors interested in using technology to improve the agent experience.We wanted

213、to see if there were differences between the most engaged agents and those who are less engaged.Separating agents between those who plan to stay at their current job for at least two more years(49%of respondents)and those who plan to stay less than two years(51%of respondents)allowed us to create a

214、more engaged group and a less engaged group.When asked if their organization makes a serious effort to make their job easier with updated technology,61%of the more engaged group strongly agreed,versus only 42%of the less engaged group.Agents with the most intent to stay are 19 percentage points more

215、 likely to say they strongly agree that their organization makes a serious effort to make their job easier with updated technology.In other words,updated technology that makes agents lives easier is linked to improved engagement and retention at contact centers.This finding is key because it shows a

216、 connection between feeling supported at work and access to the right technology.It seems likely that agents who intend to stay longer are influenced by the fact that their organization puts effort in continually making their job easier.It also seems likely that organizations that provide agents acc

217、ess to better,more modern technology also try to make the workplace better in other ways,helping them retain agents for longer.Whatever the reason,the connection between technology and feeling supported is significant.This finding is key because it shows a connection between feeling supported at wor

218、k and access to the right technology.This finding is key because it shows a connection between feeling supported at work and access to the right technology.It seems likely that agents who intend to stay longer are influenced by the fact that their organization puts effort in continually making their

219、 job easier.It also seems likely that organizations that provide agents access to better,more modern technology also try to make the workplace better in other ways,helping them retain agents for longer.Whatever the reason,the connection between technology and feeling supported is significant.This fi

220、nding is key because it shows a connection between feeling supported at work and access to the right technology.THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPLEXITY AND SELF-SERVICEWhen analyzing agent stress,its important to explore trends in how contact centers are operating.One recent trend has been the growing a

221、pplication of self-service to solve customer issues.Self-service is not yet the norm for many contact centers,but supervisors indicated that contact centers are quickly moving in that direction.While only 27%of contact centers have already transitioned to using self service,more than half(54%)are st

222、ill in the process of transitioning(Figure 12).To what degree does your contact center use self-service to simplify customer interactions?Figure 12Weve already transitioned to using aelf service.Wevenot transitioned to self service yet,but plan to in the next 2 years.Weveun the process of transition

223、ing to self service.We have not transitioned to self service yet,and have no plans to.When analyzing agent stress,its important to explore trends in how contact centers are operating.One recent trend has been the growing application of self-service to solve customer issues.Self-service is not yet th

224、e norm for many contact centers,but supervisors indicated that contact centers are quickly moving in that direction.While only 27%of contact centers have already transitioned to using self service,more than half(54%)are still in the process of transitioning(Figure 12).The Relationship Between Comple

225、xity and Self-serviceSelf-service has many positive impacts on a contact center.For example,customers can avoid wait times,message a chatbot immediately and easily solve simple issues.More basic chatbots will mostly be able to resolve the most simple customer queries,but bots enabled with AI capabil

226、ities such as natural language processing and sentiment analysis will be able to understand customers better and give them a more effective experience.Theyll also be able to improve the workload of agents.Self-service has many positive impacts on a contact center.For example,customers can avoid wait

227、 times,message a chatbot immediately and easily solve simple issues.More basic chatbots will mostly be able to resolve the most simple customer queries,but bots enabled with AI capabilities such as natural language processing and 2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees26CUST

228、OMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|sentiment analysis will be able to understand customers better and give them a more effective experience.Theyll also be able to improve the workload of agents.A Fine Line Between Good Complexity and Bad ComplexitySelf-service allows agents to receive less simple,repetitive i

229、nteractions and more complex,interesting interactions.Most agents(81%)say they manage more complicated customer interactions than they used to.Interestingly,this reality is a double-edged sword.It creates both more stress and more engagement in agents.Seventy-six percent of agents said complex inter

230、actions make their job more stressful,and nearly as many(73%)said these complex interactions make their job more exciting(Figure 13).Despite the confusion created by this situation,it is ultimately better for agents.Most agents(64%)said they spend too much time on repetitive tasks,and most superviso

231、rs(63%)agree that agents spend too much time on this type of work that should be automated.Both supervisors and agents generally want more automation to decrease the amount of simple,repetitive work for agents.Most agents(81%)say they manage more complicated customer interactions than they used to.T

232、he Connection Between Complexity,Self-service and StressSelf-service increases complexity for contact center agents,and complexity increases stress.This introduces a unique situation for contact centers that want to glean the benefits of self-service while also reducing stress.They need to find a te

233、chnology solution that specifically targets stress-inducing aspects of complex interactions while maintaining the aspects that add excitement to peoples jobs.Self-service also relates to stress in the way it can impact levels of customer frustration.Most(86%)of agents said that when self service fai

234、ls to solve a customer issue,it makes customers frustrated which also contributes to their rising stress levels.In fact,58%of agents say that 30%or more of their interactions are with customers not able to resolve their issue through self-service.Whats needed here is a way to improve self-service so

235、 its more effective.58%of agents say that 30%or more of their interactions are with customers not able to resolve their issue through self-service.Agents attitudes on simplicity and complexityFigure 13Very EngagedSomewhat disengagedDespite the confusion created by this situation,it is ultimately bet

236、ter for agents.Most agents(64%)said they spend too much time on repetitive tasks,and most supervisors(63%)agree that agents spend too much time on this type of work that should be automated.Both supervisors and agents generally want more automation to decrease the amount of simple,repetitive work fo

237、r agents.A Fine Line Between Good Complexity and Bad ComplexitySelf-service allows agents to receive less simple,repetitive interactions and more complex,interesting interactions.Most agents(81%)say they manage more complicated customer interactions than they used to.Interestingly,this reality is a

238、double-edged sword.It creates both more stress and more engagement in agents.Seventy-six percent of agents said complex interactions make their job more stressful,and nearly as many(73%)said these complex interactions make their job more exciting(Figure 13).Most agents(81%)say they manage more compl

239、icated customer interactions than they used to.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees27CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS THAT REDUCE COMPLEXITYComplexity is on the rise,but contact centers can address it by choosing the right technology strategy.Agents gener

240、ally feel engaged and supported by their organizations,and in this environment,supervisors have a solid opportunity to improve both the employee and customer experience.Supervisors cited what changes theyre making in the next year to ease the challenges of agents jobs,and in general,the most common

241、answers related to training and access to resources(Figure 14).While it is true that improved training can be helpful for agents,these more traditional solutions arent necessarily taking advantage of the most up-to-date technology.Supervisors planned changes dont line up with the most common changes

242、 agents said theyd like to see.These tend to be more in-the-moment solutions driven by modern technology like AI.One of agents big challenges is that most(66%)say they often cannot find the information they need to address customer issues.Powerful knowledge management in search is one of their top a

243、sks from their employer(Figure 15).In comparison,only 35%of supervisors said they plan to adopt a more efficient way to search for information in the next year.Similarly,while 53%of agents said they want real-time assistance for the next best action,only 38%of supervisors said they plan to adopt mor

244、e real-time assistance for successful interaction handling in the next year.This disconnect in answers here can perhaps help supervisors understand more accurately the more immediate needs agents want met.Supervisors planned changes dont line up with the most common changes agents said theyd like to

245、 see.These tend to be more in-the-moment solutions driven by modern technology like AI.One of agents big challenges is that most(66%)say they often cannot find the information they need to address customer issues.Powerful knowledge management in search is one of their top asks from their employer(Fi

246、gure 15).In comparison,only 35%of supervisors said they plan to adopt a more efficient way to search for information in the next year.Similarly,while 53%of agents said they want real-time assistance for the next best action,only 38%of supervisors said they plan to adopt more real-time assistance for

247、 successful interaction handling in the next year.This disconnect in answers here can perhaps help supervisors understand more accurately the more immediate needs agents want met.What changes are you planning to make in the next year to ease the challenges of agents jobs?(Supervisors)Which of the fo

248、llowing innovations would you like to see in your workplace to make your job easier?(Agents)Supervisors planned changes dont line up with the most common changes agents said theyd like to see.These tend to be more in-the-moment solutions driven by modern technology like AI.One of agents big challeng

249、es is that most(66%)say they often cannot find the information they need to address customer issues.Powerful knowledge management in search is one of their top asks from their employer(Figure 15).In comparison,only 35%of supervisors said they plan to adopt a more efficient way to search for informat

250、ion in the next year.Similarly,while 53%of agents said they want real-time assistance for the next best action,only 38%of supervisors said they plan to adopt more real-time assistance for successful interaction handling in the next year.This disconnect in answers here can perhaps help supervisors un

251、derstand more accurately the more immediate needs agents want met.What changes are you planning to make in the next year to ease the challenges of agents jobs?(Supervisors)Employee Attitudes Toward AIReal-time assistance and knowledge management are great examples of places where AI can be used to i

252、mprove the employee experience.However,theres a common misconception that employees are resistant or,worse,vehemently against the addition of artificial intelligence in their workplace.Interestingly,data from this survey painted a very different picture for contact center agents.Supervisors are unde

253、r the impression that agents are more resistant to AI than they actually are.Most(77%)supervisors say that their agents are resistant to change when it comes to AI,but only 23%of agents say they believe AI is a threat to their job(Figure 16).Many agents(42%)said they think AI will make their job eas

254、ier,and only 23%say it makes them uncomfortable.Interestly,83%of agents say they want to see AI used to provide real-time assistance when theyre solving problems.And 84%of agents want to see AI used to decrease the complexity of daily work and decrease workload.Despite common misconceptions,both sup

255、ervisors and agents want more AI capabilities.Figure 11Strongly agreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeStongly disagreeAI is a threat to my jobAI will make my job easierI feel uncomfortable using AI on the jobIm not sureEmployee Attitudes Toward AI Agents real and assumed attitudes toward AI 2024 JANUA

256、RY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees28CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|AppendixAboutAI is a threat to my jobAI will make my job easierI feel uncomfortable using AI on the jobIm not sureOpportunities to Utilize Technology BetterSeventy-six percent of agents agree that they need to know

257、how to use their organizations technology solutions better,and 52%of supervisors agree that it is difficult to navigate their organizations technology ecosystem to manage their daily work.Theres an opportunity to improve the ease of use of technology solutions for both agents and supervisors.Finding

258、 a technology solution that is instinctive and easy to learn is a great first step.Another opportunity here is further training/coaching for agents on these solutions.Supervisors generally believe that agents need more coaching and are planning on doing something about it.Offering more regular coach

259、ing and feedback is the most common change(54%)supervisors are planning to make to ease the challenges of agents jobs.Agents were asked to explain in their own words what changes theyd like to see to reduce the complexity of their work,and some of the most common answers revolved around improved tec

260、hnology,better training and simplified processes.Concerning training,one agent said,“Proper training should be provided for various digital platforms,as the new ones are difficult to understand.”Another said theyd like to see their employer“enhance ongoing training processes for contact center agent

261、s to reduce complexity.”As AI becomes increasingly more important in the operations of contact centers,agent assist options with training focused on AI will help agents more effectively use the technology.Improving the ease of use of AI technology,for example,by combining it with conversational AI s

262、olutions,can further help humanize the experience and reduce complexity and,therefore,stress.CONCLUSIONComplexity and stress are on the rise,but theres no reason contact centers should fall in a trap of doom and gloom.Comparing agent and supervisor responses allows us to see how agents are respondin

263、g to changes in the workplace and what contact center innovations excite them.With this information,organizational leaders and supervisors can make informed decisions on the technologies that impact their agents work,workloads and stress levels.Ultimately,with the right solutions,contact centers can

264、 keep agents jobs just as interesting while reducing the stressful parts of complex interactions.This in turn engages agents in their work and makes them feel supported by their workplace.And since theyre more enthusiastic about AI than supervisors believe,theres a great opportunity to take advantag

265、e of AI solutions to make agents jobs less stressful.AI helps make agents more engaged and excited about their work.It allows them to focus on more exciting queries rather than getting bogged down in tedious,simple interactions.AI solutions are currently transforming the contact center industry,and

266、forward-thinking organizations are doing their part to keep their technology stack growing with the times.Dealing with the challenging parts of complexity doesnt need to slow your organization down.Investing in AI that simultaneously addresses complexity and stress will make everyones contact center

267、 jobs better both supervisors and agents alike!HOW NICE CAN HELPRecognizing the impact and influence of employee experience on driving strong CX,NICE CXone offers innovative solutions tailored to address the growing complexities and stress faced by contact center staff.CXone offers dedicated workspa

268、ces,real-time assistance,advanced self-service tools for performance and quality management,and self-scheduling.On top of all this,it also offers Enlighten Copilot,a purpose-built AI solution,harnessing the power of large language models(LLM)with NICE Enlighten AI models.Enlighten Copilot for agents

269、 and Enlighten Copilot for supervisors amplifies skilled labor at a reduced cost,promoting efficient work with fewer repetitive tasks and faster access to knowledge.Its a collaborative solution designed for agents and supervisors with advanced tools that promote efficient work with conversational kn

270、owledge,on-demand guidance and task automation.To learn more,visit the NICE website and ask to meet a sales representative.Click here2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees29CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|APPENDIXDemographicsSupervisor Survey:Title:“AI and Contact Center Compl

271、exity,Supervisor Survey”Survey dates:September 2023Respondents:366Number of contact center agents the organization employs:50-199 agents:53%200-999 agents:32%1,000+agents:15%Geography:United States:36%EMEA:27%India:37%Statistics may not total 100%due to rounding.Agent Survey:Title:“AI and Contact Ce

272、nter Complexity,Agent Survey”Survey dates:September 2023Respondents:356Number of contact center agents the organization employs:50-199 agents:36%200-999 agents:33%1,000+agents:31%Geography:United States:42%EMEA:28%India:30%Statistics may not total 100%due to rounding.ABOUTNICEWith NICE(Nasdaq:NICE),

273、its never been easier for organizations of all sizes around the globe to create extraordinary customer experiences while meeting key business metrics.Featuring the worlds#1 cloud native customer experience platform,CXone,NICE is a worldwide leader in AI-powered self-service and agentassisted CX soft

274、ware for the contact center and beyond.Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries,including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies,partner with NICE to transform-and elevate-every customer interaction.CMSWireCMSWire,a native digital publication from Simpler Media Group,serves a global audien

275、ce of sophisticated digital customer experience professionals.Simpler Media GroupSMG is a B2B technology information and research services company serving a 3 million+strong community of global digital business leaders.Our flagship publication,CMSWire,is complemented by our Reworked publication and

276、our CONNECT conference.Our research division produces a range of annual state of the industry reports,quarterly market segment guides and a range of focused industry insights briefs.We offer performance marketing,custom research,content development and custom event production services directly to ou

277、r clients.Our obsessions:next generation digital customer experiences,navigating the r/evolution of work and advancing enterprise learning.2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees30CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Is excelling at sales an art or a science?The unhelpful(but true)a

278、nswer is:its both.Great salespeople are often charismatic and articulate but just as often(perhaps more often),they are methodical and consistent.Without an established blueprint for achieving this balance,how can organizations consistently foster sales success?And just how significant is the divide

279、 between average and top performers?Cresta customer data has found that,in transactional selling environments,theres a 59%performance gap between average and top salespeople.That gap grows to a staggering 200%in particularly complex sales environments.How Customized Strategies Drive Dependable Sales

280、 Performance&OutcomesIt doesnt take more than some quick napkin math to see that this gap has major financial implications.Given this fact,its little wonder that contact center leaders are eager to elevate average performers,and bridge that performance gap across their organization.But on this quest

281、,its important to remember a more artful aspect of the selling environment:theres a direct correlation between agent experience and performance.Happy agents perform better.Agents who perform well are happier and more satisfied in their careers.Sales Performance Gap 2.0:2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|

282、Future of Contact Center Employees31CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|2Is excelling at sales an art or a science?The unhelpful(but true)answer is:its both.Great salespeople are often charismatic and articulate but just as often(perhaps more often),they are methodical and consistent.Without an established

283、 blueprint for achieving this balance,how can organizations consistently foster sales success?And just how significant is the divide between average and top performers?Cresta customer data has found that,in transactional selling environments,theres a 59%performance gap between average and top salesp

284、eople.That gap grows to a staggering 200%in particularly complex sales environments.It doesnt take more than some quick napkin math to see that this gap has major financial implications.Given this fact,its little wonder that contact center leaders are eager to elevate average performers,and bridge t

285、hat performance gap across their organization.But on this quest,its important to remember a more artful aspect of the selling environment:theres a direct correlation between agent experience and performance.Happy agents perform better.Agents who perform well are happier and more satisfied in their c

286、areers.Top salespeopleAverage salespeopleTop salespeopleAverage salespeople59%Performance gap200%Performance gapTransactional selling environmentsComplex sales environmentsToo often,theres a disconnect on the path to achieving harmony between agent performance and agent happiness,even though they ar

287、e inextricably linked.One of the surest ways agents can perform well is by adhering to established best practices we found that salespeople who stick to the script generate 26%more revenue per conversation and have 21%better conversion rates than their peers.However,agents cite the use of scripts as

288、 a top stressor,and one that may even inspire them to leave their role.This leaves contact center leaders with a knot to untangle:encourage adherence without causing agents stress,or otherwise accept a significant(and costly)sales performance gap.So,how can you effectively navigate the art and scien

289、ce of selling to arrive at a strategy with no forced trade-offs?In this eBook,well explore key selling behaviors,the market trends applying pressure,and the importance of a tailored approach in closing the sales performance gap.Youll also hear success stories from four leading businesses across four

290、 distinct industries on how theyre leveraging Crestas generative AI to drive the outcomes that truly impact their business.THE SCIENCE OF SELLING:Existing Formula for Closing the Performance GapIn 2022,Cresta published a landmark report on the Sales Performance Gap in which we identified a massive d

291、isconnect between top and bottom performers.Report findings discovered that organizations leave as much as 48%of potential revenue on the table.Fortunately,we also identified a path to closing that gap by highlighting four key behaviors that top performers follow more closely and consistently than t

292、heir peers:Our 2022 report analyzed 340,000 conversations across industries and ranked agents based on revenue per chat and conversion rate to arrive at these behaviors we intentionally analyzed semantics rather than syntax to provide more flexible behavioral guidance.This line of thinking one that

293、considers sales performance behavior-centric is common.According to Crestas 2023 Business Decision Makers Report,67%of sales leaders in revenue-generating contact centers believe they have identified the key behaviors that drive conversion,and 85%believe that increasing adherence to these behaviors

294、would improve sales execution.But our thinking has evolved since we first published our research on the sales performance gap-and so has the volume of conversations weve analyzed.For this report,weve analyzed over 6 million conversations to deliver new insights.Today,we understand that performance d

295、oesnt hinge solely on sweeping key behaviors no matter how generally impactful those behaviors may be.And in fact,there is no one-size-fits-all guidance that applies to every contact center in every industry.Instead of looking exclusively at the behaviors performed by the best agents,its also import

296、ant to take a much closer look at the outcomes that one can expect as a result of these behaviors,the metrics by which top agents are evaluated,and the context of their wins.This allows for the creation of a more concrete,repeatable,and ultimately,predictable playbook.Its also important to note that

297、 developing this playbook is distinct from expecting agents to follow a rote script;rather,this playbook built on winning behaviors and outcomes allows for a dynamic,2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees32CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|4The Science of Selling:Existing Formul

298、a for Closing the Performance GapOur 2022 report analyzed 340,000 conversations across industries and ranked agents based on revenue per chat and conversion rate to arrive at these behaviors we intentionally analyzed semantics rather than syntax to provide more flexible behavioral guidance.This line

299、 of thinking one that considers sales performance behavior-centric is common.According to Crestas 2023 Business Decision Makers Report,67%of sales leaders in revenue-generating contact centers believe they have identified the key behaviors that drive conversion,and 85%believe that increasing adheren

300、ce to these behaviors would improve sales execution.But our thinking has evolved since we first published our research on the sales performance gap-and so has the volume of conversations weve analyzed.For this report,weve analyzed over 6 million conversations to deliver new insights.Today,we underst

301、and that performance doesnt hinge solely on sweeping key behaviors no matter how generally impactful those behaviors may be.And in fact,there is no one-size-fits-all guidance that applies to every contact center in every industry.Instead of looking exclusively at the behaviors performed by the best

302、agents,its also important to take a much closer look at the outcomes that one can expect as a result of these behaviors,the metrics by which top agents are evaluated,and the context of their wins.This allows for the creation of a more concrete,repeatable,and ultimately,predictable playbook.Its also

303、important to note that developing this playbook is distinct from expecting agents to follow a rote script;rather,this playbook built on winning behaviors and outcomes allows for a dynamic,organic flow that agents can flexibly apply their own style to.In light of current market trends,this tailored a

304、pproach isnt just valuable its vital.In 2022,Cresta published a landmark report on the Sales Performance Gap in which we identified a massive disconnect between top and bottom performers.Report findings discovered that organizations leave as much as 48%of potential revenue on the table.Fortunately,w

305、e also identified a path to closing that gap by highlighting four key behaviors that top performers follow more closely and consistently than their peers:Setting expectations:Discovery:Objection handling:letting the customer know what to expectunderstanding the customers needs and painsusing confide

306、nt and assumptive language to guide the customer to the desired outcomealleviating customer concerns and moving the conversation forwardAssuming the sale:organic flow that agents can flexibly apply their own style to.In light of current market trends,this tailored approach isnt just valuable its vit

307、al.ECONOMIC PRESSURE,EMPLOYEE TURNOVER,AND EMPHASIS ON OUTCOMESWhile economists debate whether the U.S.has entered(or is barreling toward)a recession in 2023,theres no question that businesses are feeling the squeeze of volatility.Across industries,organizations are under pressure to do more with le

308、ss,and contact centers are no exception.Over 50%of contact center leaders say employee turnover and business optimization-doing more with less-are the top challenges they currently face.Taken together,these challenges speak to contact centers need to keep agents happy,and to ensure theyre performing

309、 optimally:two goals we know to be closely connected.Perhaps because it is simpler to identify ways to drive sales than to keep agents satisfied,organizations tend to focus on the former.And while the vast majority of contact center leaders believe adherence to key behaviors drives sales performance

310、,the preferred means of measuring that performance varies.When asked how they measure adherence to the sales playbook process,83%of contact centers said they measure overall team effectiveness against revenue targets,55%said they measure all interactions against the playbook,and 45%said they sample

311、calls to determine if reps are following the playbook.In these responses,we see a clear trend:while contact centers generally measure how closely agents are following prescribed best practices,theyre actually most interested in what comes after those behaviors:the outcomes.Given that agents who feel

312、 adequately supported and who perform well tend to report greater levels of satisfaction in their roles,finding ways to drive outcomes allows contact centers to confront both of their top challenges.So,rather than simply driving adherence to best practices,its time to take a more holistic approach t

313、hat not only accounts for the pressure to perform,but also considers agent experience and how to optimize it.With all of this in mind,Cresta has identified an updated set of steps that drive dependable outcomes.To illustrate the proven value of this three-step approach,well first share success stori

314、es from industry leading customers.THE APPROACH IN PRACTICE:Real-Life Results from Industry LeadersBefore we lay out the details of Crestas three-step approach,well explore results from real customers across four distinct industries who turned tailored insights into dependable outcomes.To do this,Cr

315、esta analyzed over 6 million conversations-up from 340,000 in our first Sales Performance Gap eBook.Crestas proprietary generative AI prompts agents in real time to perform behaviors,and then tracks if those behaviors are performed.Based on the opportunity to perform these behaviors,the agent follow

316、ing through with them or not,and the corresponding business outcome,we calculate the KPI impact of performing these pivotal behaviors at the right opportunity.Read on to learn about how this impacted four leading businesses.A top five bank in the US wanted to increase promises-to-pay(PTP)in highly d

317、elinquent collection claims Powered by Crestas generative AI,one of the five largest consumer US banks had built out processes to guide their 2024 JANUARY CCW MARKET STUDY|Future of Contact Center Employees33CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|collectors through the negotiation and collections process with

318、 customers,but found that oftentimes,collectors were not adhering to the playbook when engaging clients.They further discovered that in cases where claims were three or more cycles past due(highly delinquent),assuming a promiseto-pay-their default behavior-from cardholders for the full amount was fa

319、r less effective than negotiating payment and taking a more nuanced approach.Over the course of 90 days,agents who followed a“negotiate payment”hint by asking“how close can you come?”achieved promises to pay 30%more frequently than agents assuming the cardholder could pay the full amount due.This su

320、btle shift in agent behavior-which also engendered a culture of empathy and relationship-building with clients-had tremendous implications for the business.Now,rather than charging off these highly delinquent claims,the team was able to collect on the claims.One of the largest telecommunications com

321、panies in the US drove higher sales and conversion rates across critical KPIs.The company discovered that agents who follow prompts to assume the sale have average conversion rates nearly 5%higher than those who do not follow the behavior.But the results are even more compelling when exploring a lev

322、el deeper.When agents follow prompts to upsell phone accessories,the average accessory revenue per chat is$9.77,compared to$3.69 if they dont perform the behavior-over 2.5x the revenue.Similarly,when the agents follow hints to cross-sell the organizations home internet offering,home internet sales a

323、re made in 3.3%of conversations;if they do not follow the hints,home internet sales convert only 0.5%of the time.And to ensure that agents face no unnecessary roadblocks in performing this behavior,Cresta includes personalization through an integration to identify who qualifies for home internet bas

324、ed on address eligibility.A Fortune 500 insurance company wanted to capitalize on missed income due to unsold plan premiums.Through Crestas insights,this company discovered that agents who followed upsell hints and asked key discovery questions sold significantly more than agents that didnt.Conversa

325、tions where key discovery questions are performed have 80-200%higher ANBP(annualized new business premium)than conversations where these arent performed in.Specifically,when agents follow hints to upsell both cancer and accidental death premiums,they sell an average of$43.24 and$57.17 in premiums in

326、 these respective categories compared to$2.99 and$12.08 when they dont upsell either.This represents 5-20 x more in upsold plan premiums.This focused information shows the insurance company where to focus their attention and how to do it while quantifying the potential benefit.6The Approach in Pract

327、ice:Real-Life Results from Industry LeadersBefore we lay out the details of Crestas three-step approach,well explore results from real customers across four distinct industries who turned tailored insights into dependable outcomes.To do this,Cresta analyzed over 6 million conversations-up from 340,0

328、00 in our first Sales Performance Gap eBook.Crestas proprietary generative AI prompts agents in real time to perform behaviors,and then tracks if those behaviors are performed.Based on the opportunity to perform these behaviors,the agent following through with them or not,and the corresponding busin

329、ess outcome,we calculate the KPI impact of performing these pivotal behaviors at the right opportunity.Read on to learn about how this impacted four leading businesses.A top five bank in the US wanted to increase promises-to-pay(PTP)in highly delinquent collection claimsPowered by Crestas generative

330、 AI,one of the five largest consumer US banks had built out processes to guide their collectors through the negotiation and collections process with customers,but found that oftentimes,collectors were not adhering to the playbook when engaging clients.They further discovered that in cases where clai

331、ms were three or more cycles past due(highly delinquent),assuming a promise-to-pay-their default behavior-from cardholders for the full amount was far less effective than negotiating payment and taking a more nuanced approach.Over the course of 90 days,agents who followed a“negotiate payment”hint by

332、 asking“how close can you come?”achieved promises to pay 30%more frequently than agents assuming the cardholder could pay the full amount due.Assume performance-based payments for full amount dueAverage conversion rate per conversation Behavior performedBehavior not performedAsk:How close can you co

333、me?46%40%40%30%7One of the largest telecommunications companies in the US drove higher sales and conversion rates across critical KPIsThe company discovered that agents who follow prompts to assume the sale have average conversion rates nearly 5%higher than those who do not follow the behavior.But the results are even more compelling when exploring a level deeper.When agents follow prompts to upse