26% of contact center agents have considered quitting because of AI
While the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) creates significant opportunities to automate areas like customer service, organizations may need to balance deploying the technology with efforts to prevent contact center attrition, based on research published by Artavo Connect.
The provider of business process outsourcing services and digital transformation solutions surveyed 1,000 contact center agents across the U.K. to produce its report, Turning Attrition to Retention.
Artavo Connect found that even among those who aren’t thinking about quitting their job, 30 per cent are concerned about how AI is being implemented in their business. This not only includes job insecurity but patchy training, slow progression and opaque communications.
Contact center agents suggested that despite agentic AI’s benefits, there are still gaps they need to fill. For example, 60 per cent said they need to provide customers emotional support, and more than half cited issues with high-value customer interaction and even complaint resolution.
“The AI transition has prompted culture change and not every business has brought their people along with them, which is having a detrimental impact on how they feel about their roles,” the report’s authors write. “Put simply, the brands that will win the next decade of customer experience are those that treat AI not solely as a substitute, but as a trusted co-pilot.”
360 Magazine Insight
Artavo Connect’s report didn’t lead with the sentiments of those it describes as AI “detractors.” In fact, the first sections highlight widespread usage (94 per cent), and 69 per cent expressing positive feelings about working with the technology.
Contact center agent retention has always been a difficult challenge for organizations, of course. The difference now is that you have the CEOs of large tech companies suggesting those roles can easily be handled by agentic AI, and that the future will see most such staff eliminated.
That may not come to pass as quickly as predicted, if at all. In the meantime, there are enough glitches in how the tools work that many organizations are no doubt aware they will need to rely on human agents to continue overseeing many everyday service and support issues.
The key stat in this report is really the 37 per cent who said they believe there should be greater clarity around AI’s role. Any attempt to introduce automation tends to draw suspicion, and contact center leaders should be transparent about their hopes and expectations over the long term.
This needs to go beyond an employee memo or a post on a company’s intranet. A quarter of those surveyed also said there need to be more team discussions about AI. This should be a lead item on any weekly meetings, or even in the daily stand-up briefings that happen at the start of a contact center’s shifts.
Artavo Connect’s ungated 10-page report offers some helpful guidelines that customer experience (CX) leaders should consider as they continue to roll out AI in the contact center, along with details about its own services and approach.
