Human contact center agents aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, half of all businesses will abandon plans to shrink their customer service teams.
Cavell goes even further, forecasting that global human contact center roles will grow from 15.3 million in 2025 to 16.8 million by 2029.
Such statistics underscore how live agents remain a contact center’s most valuable asset.
Yet, they’re also a contact center’s most costly asset. Indeed, people typically account for up to 80 percent of their expenses.
These costs rise whenever an agent leaves, as the business pays for recruiting and training replacements. Meanwhile, the contact center also loses efficiency. That impacts customer satisfaction (CSAT).
Additionally, understaffing creates stress for remaining agents, which often leads to more turnover. It snowballs quickly, and that cycle is costly.
As such, agent retention is critical to improving not just business outcomes but also cornerstone customer and employee engagement outcomes.
While improving retention is tricky, there is a tonic: an effective agent empowerment strategy. Such a strategy starts by acknowledging a hard truth…
The Hard Truth
Here’s the hard truth: very few people aspire to be a contact center agent. It’s not typically on anyone’s vision board. Most people land in customer support roles by circumstance, not because it was a lifelong goal.
That reality can create resentment over time. Agents start questioning whether their work matters, whether they’re making an impact, or if they’re meant for something “better” – and, honestly, they might be.
Contact center leaders can’t fight this. But they can reframe the agent role, so instead of seeing the contact center as a dead end, agents see it as a catalyst for the future.
Think of it this way: this is a role where people learn communication, problem-solving, empathy, and resilience. These skills apply everywhere.
So, leaders must ask themselves: where does this person want to be, and how can we help them get there? By thinking this way, the job becomes more about development and growth, and less about performance metrics.
As such, the job isn’t just tolerable; it’s meaningful.
Focus on how this experience shapes them for what’s next, and accept that “next” might be outside the contact center.
That empowers the agent; they become the boss of their own future and are determined to stay with the business, as long as they perceive that they’re moving forward.
As Paul Hughes, Head of Customer Experience for the UK/I/SA at Mitel, explained: “Agents should feel they’re learning and adding value.
“Involve them in designing training and coaching programs. It’s not just a matter of adding tools, it’s about building new habits, roles, and expectations.”
Yet, a comprehensive agent empowerment strategy has three more essential elements.
These are all about giving agents more control over: when they work, where they work, and what they do. Here’s a closer look at each.
1. When They Work
Agents will stay longer if they can fit their work around their outside lives.