Metrigy has revealed that most contact centers are fully staffed for the first time since its records began seven years ago.
The US-based customer experience research firm shared the finding in an infographic – which highlights how 58 percent of service operations now have the necessary staffing.
That represents a massive ten percent jump from 2022.
Interestingly, Metrigy notes that the "biggest driver" of this trend is the rise in AI-powered agent-assist technologies, revealing that contact centers leveraging the technology are 20 percent more likely to be fully staffed.
This year, these agent-assist technologies have received lots of TLC from contact center vendors, augmenting them with generative AI and inspiring new, exciting use cases.
That said, other forms of AI are likely helping out, including virtual agents and RPA. As Robin Gareiss, CEO of Metrigy, said:
Companies didn't suddenly find new agents. Rather, AI is making existing agents more productive, reducing the need for new hires.
Gareiss also suggests that companies not using AI will hire 2.3 times the number of new agents throughout 2023.
Yet, many other significant factors have contributed to the staffing uptick.
One excellent example is rising salaries, with fully staffed contact centers paying – on average - $3 to $4 an hour more than those understaffed.
Meanwhile, Metrigy also revealed how contact centers have widened their recruitment pools.
Indeed, 55 percent of companies are hiring agents with new skill sets. Those range from product-specific knowledge to tech experience and sales backgrounds.
According to Metrigy, the most significant drivers of this change include new products requiring new expertise, a desire to improve customer ratings, and the increasing complexity of contact center work. Much of that stems from a rise in AI and bots handling many of the most basic questions.
However, perhaps most interestingly, the "agent" definition has expanded in line with the trend. Indeed, 47 percent of companies allow employees outside the contact center to support agents in solving issues. Among those companies, nearly 30 percent of employees are helping when needed.