In the past 30 years, few professions have changed as dramatically as the contact center agent.
Previously centered around handling simple, repetitive inquiries by phone, the role has evolved into managing complex, high-stakes interactions via a range of digital channels.
More recently, advancements in AI and analytics have introduced new tools designed to make things easier for agents, but they also come with their own complexities.
So where does this leave agents in 2025?
Following the release of the company’s Voice of the Agent study, VP of Solution Engineering, Ed Creasey, spoke to CX Today about the need for contact centers to streamline and simplify the agent experience.
Simplifying the Agent Experience
One of the key findings from Calabrio’s report was the feeling that contact center work is becoming more complex.
Indeed, the study revealed that 31 percent of agents have experienced increased difficulty in their roles over the past year.
For Creasey, this occurrence was inevitable.
Since the introduction of AI and automation in the contact center space, the argument has been that the technology will not be used to replace agents. Instead, it will be deployed to handle basic requests, allowing agents to concentrate on more intricate tasks.
While this is largely a positive for agents, the byproduct is that agents are having to handle more and more difficult cases, without the straight forward enquiries that allow a chance to recharge.
Creasey explains how when he worked as an agent, he “used to love a change of address because it was like a little break.
“All this AI, all this progression, surely life should be getting easier for the contact center?”
“But more complicated problems are coming into environments that are already really complicated.”
Creasey advocates for conversation intelligence tools to be used to better understand why customers are reaching out and the upstream factors driving demand for agents downstream.
He admits that while this isn’t a new concept, it remains one of the most valuable use cases.
By using conversation intelligence to analyze contact drivers and their root causes, departments like marketing and product teams can identify how their decisions impact the contact center.
This insight allows them to recognize when they create unnecessary challenges for agents and take steps to improve the overall experience.
Is Scheduling a Secret Weapon?
Another way in which Creasey believes contact centers can enhance the agent experience is through a more traditional tool.