Voice of the Agent
Your complete guide to great AX
Unlocking the true Voice of the Agent: Insights into agent experience (AX)
In recent years, the industry has made significant strides in how we support and manage our employees, particularly agents, who play a crucial role on the front lines. We’ve observed a clear trend: the happier agents are, the more motivated and empowered they feel to deliver exceptional service to your customers. And many have made great headway. We’ve improved processes, adopted hybrid working models, and implemented better tools to support, train, and provide agents with more autonomy over their schedules and work-life balance.
But how well do we really understand the current state of the industry for frontline advisors? Rather than relying on assumptions, Calabrio and Get out of Wrap surveyed 500+ contact centre agents from various European organisations to gain deeper insight into the “Voice of the Agent” and explore what their daily work life truly looks like. And we want to share it with you so together, we can make working in the contact centre something all agents should be proud of.
Keep reading to discover everything we’ve learnt and what you need to know about Agent Experience, including:
Why AX really matters – the impact of bad AX
The Voice of the Agent – What are they really feeling
Common challenges contact centres face and why
Top tips to improve your AX
How Calabrio can help
The world has changed and so has the role of the agent
In recent years, the role of the contact centre agent has undergone a significant transformation. It has become more complex, visible, critical, and strategic than ever before. It’s clear that when agents are supported, empowered, and equipped with the right tools, they deliver superior customer service.
However, with enquiries flooding in from multiple channels, agents are more stretched than ever, facing increased pressure to manage complex and unpredictable customer interactions. This makes it challenging to provide empathetic and expert service consistently.
The impact of bad AX
We know you know, but do you really know the real impact of bad AX?
Increased Attrition
When agents feel overworked, unsupported, or disengaged, turnover rates can spike. High agent churn increases recruitment and training costs while disrupting team dynamics and performance.
Lower Productivity
Poor AX often leads to demotivation, which reduces agent productivity. Unhappy agents are less likely to focus on tasks, leading to inefficiencies and longer handling times.
Decreased Customer Satisfaction
Agents who are unhappy or stressed are less likely to provide high-quality service, which can result in poor customer interactions, lower customer satisfaction, and decreased brand loyalty.
Higher Absenteeism
Burnt-out agents are more prone to taking frequent sick days or being less reliable, which can strain the scheduling and workload balance of the entire team.
Reduced Engagement with Training and Development
Agents with negative experiences are less likely to invest in improving their skills or engage in training programs, leading to stagnation and a lack of innovation within the team.
Reputational Damage
Contact centres with poor agent experiences can develop a negative reputation, making it harder to attract talent and leading to potential service-level issues with clients and customers.
Voice of the Agent
In this report we highlight the realities of today’s contact centre agents by exploring critical aspects such as salary, tools, channels, training and development, scheduling, and more. Highlights etc.
Key takeaways
Focus on targeted, proactive training
Onboarding isn’t enough. You need to give your agents the tools and resources to succeed in a changing environment. Identify where your need is greatest and start your training initiatives there — small, incremental steps can lead to big change.
Refine AI to empower agents
Focus on improving AI to anticipate customer needs and streamline workflows, enabling agents to access the right information at the right time. Purposeful AI deployment enhances efficiency while preserving the human touch, empowering agents to deliver empathetic, personalised support.
Evolve compensation to reflect agent value
Review salaries and policies with purpose, not as a tick-box exercise. As agent roles evolve, so should their pay. Ensure policies for sick leave, family emergencies, and support reflect your commitment to valuing your team and being there when life happens.
Optimise forecasting and scheduling
Give agents a voice in scheduling to improve balance, address understaffing, and plan absences. Offer earlier notifications, flexible options, and transparent holiday booking for fairer, more supportive schedules.
Build careers… not just jobs
Initiate progression conversations early to retain agents who take pride in their work and the industry. Clearly define career pathways, provide regular feedback, and offer development opportunities to show agents their growth is valued and supported.
Foster teamwork in a hybrid world
While remote and hybrid work has proven effective, it’s crucial to encourage social interactions to strengthen team culture. A supportive team environment, often valued more than remote work itself, is key to motivating agents and ensuring long-term success.
Download Voice of the Agent
How Calabrio is leading the way for great AX
Empowering agents with flexible scheduling through WFM
Calabrio’s WFM tools empower agents with flexible scheduling, promoting better work-life balance and long-term well-being. With automated forecasting and self-scheduling capabilities, agents can seamlessly adjust breaks, move lunches, add extra hours, or take time off, creating a more balanced and satisfying work environment.
Driving proactive support with advanced analytics
Calabrio’s analytics tools enable organisations to stay ahead of agent needs by monitoring performance and behaviour in real time. With sentiment and tone analysis, subtle attitude shifts can be detected early, allowing for timely interventions that support agent well-being and foster growth.
Enhancing coaching with automated quality management
Calabrio’s Auto QM transforms coaching by automatically scoring 100% of customer interactions, providing actionable insights so team keaders can focus on delivering meaningful feedback that helps agents thrive and grow.
Elevating training & development with screen recording and desktop analytics
Calabrio keeps agents engaged by integrating seamless, ongoing training, using live screen monitoring and desktop analytics for real-time feedback and best practice sharing, while WFM tools optimise quiet periods for development.
Simplifying performance monitoring with generative BI
Calabrio’s Generative BI tools simplify performance tracking with advanced, easy-to-create reports and weighted scorecards that highlight key KPIs, giving agents clear insights into their progress and driving continuous development.
Fostering agent well-being with real-time insights
Calabrio prioritises agent well-being by providing real-time insights to detect stress or fatigue early and implementing proactive initiatives like personalised schedules, fostering a motivated and empowered workforce ready to deliver exceptional service.
Agents say better than we do
“I believe it’s the best software we’ve had yet!”
Brittany D
Retention Specialist: Capterra Review
“I like the simplicity and user-friendly interface. I like that you have everything you need right in front of your eyes without pushing any buttons.”
Anna Y
Medical Interpreter: Capterra Review
“If I have to say my overall experience in just one work I would say ‘GREAT’ I like the fact that i can change the schedule myself also is easy to swap days”
Anthony S
Call Center Agent: Capterra Review
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