Behind Every Great Brand With Longevity Is a Great Contact Center—And Behind Every Great Contact Center Are Motivated, Empowered Teams
By Raz Dar, CEO of Elvee
Companies invest millions in product development and marketing campaigns to build a strong brand identity that resonates with consumers. Marketing teams spend countless hours perfecting every detail, from crafting compelling messages to carefully selecting influencers and brand ambassadors to represent the company to target audiences. Yet, one critical aspect often gets overlooked in this branding equation: the contact centers.
A single bad experience with a contact center representative can tarnish a brand’s reputation within minutes. Conversely, a positive and empathetic interaction can increase brand loyalty and boost the likelihood that a customer will repurchase, even if they initially experienced a problem.
A costly, brand-endangering status quo
Turnover in contact centers is almost always at least 30% and can exceed 100% in some cases. The revolving door of team members translates to inexperienced staff handling customer interactions instead of seasoned employees who are familiar with the products. Longer handle times, unresolved issues, and frustrated customers become the norm, creating long-term brand damage in addition to recurring costs of rehiring, retraining, lack of institutional knowledge and reduced morale, all of which create a perfect storm with a price tag of millions of dollars annually.
The cost of frequent turnover is steep and not just financially, but also in lost customer trust and brand reputation. A study by Gallup finds that a team’s engagement can vary by 70% based on its management. Yet many supervisors are promoted from top-performing frontline employees with little formal management training. While they are expected to replicate their previous success, many find themselves overwhelmed by the flood of data from multiple platforms, processes, and programs, compounding the laundry list of contact center issues. Moreover, when data is delivered without actionable and measurable insights, it does not provide value and can be disregarded.
This highlights an important truth: investing in the teams that operate contact centers can save companies millions each year, bolster revenue, and strengthen brands. Investing in the employee lifetime value of these teams is a direct investment in the customer lifetime value, since they are on the front lines of customer experience, ensuring consumers remain satisfied. While AI may be increasingly incorporated into their workflow, readily available AI will never be a true differentiator. Contact centers must actively support their employees and embrace AI in the process to empower, not replace them.
Invest in Training and Tools
Poor management remains a leading reason employees leave their jobs, yet many companies still promote top performers into management roles without providing the necessary training. According to Deloitte Digital, organizations that invest in career development for their agents achieve 23% more of their strategic goals than those that merely plan to do so. Equipping managers with targeted training not only strengthens their leadership capabilities but also supports their teams’ productivity and efficiency, as well as their own professional growth, which is critical to improving retention.
AI-driven software purpose-built for contact centers can significantly reduce the burden on contact center managers, specifically as the sheer amount of data becomes overwhelming. With the AI contact center solutions market expected to exceed $10 billion by 2032, these technologies are more essential than ever. By automating routine tasks and delivering real-time insights, AI enables managers to focus on a single stream of data-rich insights that enable them to truly understand which team members are top performers, and which are in danger of not being retained, along with why they may leave and how to remedy the issue.
Create Clear Career Pathways
Career visibility is essential to retention. LinkedIn’s 2024 Workforce Report found that 70% of employees feel more connected to their organization when they’re learning and growing. Yet, many contact center agents feel stuck. Structured promotion programs and internal mobility opportunities allow them to advance or explore new roles without leaving the company.
Prioritize Mental Health and Burnout Prevention
Contact center managers face intense pressure, juggling customer expectations, performance targets, and team dynamics. According to the 2023 APA Work in America™ Survey, 77% of workers experienced work-related stress in the past month. Burnout among agents leads to absenteeism, lower productivity, and turnover. To combat this, organizations should implement comprehensive mental health initiatives such as:
- Counseling and EAPs to offer confidential support,
- Flexible scheduling to help agents maintain work-life balance,
- Workload management to prevent overwhelm.
These efforts promote resilience, well-being, and organizational stability.
Contact centers are the backbone of customer experience. When the teams operating them are supported with training, AI-driven tools, career growth, and mental health resources, including at the often-overlooked managerial level, they thrive. Happy, empowered managers lead to lower turnover, stronger cultures, and better customer satisfaction. While there is plenty of talk about AI simply replacing those in contact centers, the reality is that with automated solutions becoming ubiquitous, it’s AI that enables service that enables humans to go above and beyond. Together, they will ensure brands stand out.