AI is pushing contact centres into a new operating model, and the old metrics are struggling to keep up. In this CX Today roundtable, Rob Wilkinson sits down with Martin Teasdale, Steve Morrell, Sangeetha Rai, and Rebecca Wetteman to explore what “good” looks like when automation absorbs the simple work and agents are left handling the hardest conversations.
A key theme is the decline of speed-first KPIs like average handling time. When customers only reach a human for complex, emotional, high-stakes issues, optimising for shorter calls can quietly damage outcomes and exhaust employees. The panel argues leaders need to refocus measurement around experience, resolution quality, and whether AI is genuinely helping agents in live interactions.
They also warn against repeating past mistakes, scaling volume without addressing root causes, and adopting AI as a cheaper substitute for people rather than a tool to improve decision-making and service design. The takeaway: contact centre leaders should redesign metrics to match today’s reality, protect agents from burnout, and build trust in AI through reliability, relevance, and practical governance.