Running a call center in today’s landscape? You’re likely grappling with rising operational costs, high turnover rates, and the constant pressure to maintain service quality. Add in the complexities of hybrid work models and emerging technologies, and the challenges can seem overwhelming.
Here are seven staffing trends that can help you address these challenges and strengthen your operations. We’ll explore practical ways to implement each trend, from using AI effectively to building better retention strategies.
What’s New: Staffing Industry Trends to Apply
Do you want to refresh your staffing processes and build a thriving workplace? These trends hold the answer.
1. Navigating the RTO Reality
The workplace landscape continues to evolve. Recent ResumeBuilder data shows 70 percent of companies plan to maintain or increase office requirements in 2025, with half currently requiring 4-5 days of in-office work. Yet this push for RTO has led to talent loss for 8 in 10 companies.1
What does this mean for your call center? Instead of following blanket policies, consider your specific needs:
- Which functions truly benefit from in-person collaboration?
- Where could hybrid or remote arrangements maintain productivity?
- How can you balance team cohesion with flexibility?
Success in any work arrangement starts with having the right foundation. Implement technology that enables seamless collaboration across all locations, and establish regular check-ins to assess what’s working. Structure can coexist with flexible work – consider core hours with flexible start times, and focus your performance metrics on outcomes rather than location.
This approach lets you maintain productivity while giving your remote and in-office teams the flexibility they value.
2. Bringing AI into Workforce Management
The conversation about artificial intelligence in call centers has moved beyond “if” to “how effectively.” While basic AI already handles routine customer inquiries, the real opportunity lies in workforce management. Leading call centers are now using AI to make smarter staffing decisions – from predicting peak call volumes to identifying skill gaps before they impact service quality.
Looking ahead, success isn’t just about having AI tools – it’s about having a team that can work alongside them. This means upskilling your current staff and hiring for new hybrid roles. Your agents need to understand not just customer service, but also how to interpret AI insights and when to override automated recommendations.
Consider a team lead who uses AI forecasting to staff efficiently while applying human judgment to handle unexpected situations.
The competitive edge will go to call centers that strike this balance: using AI to handle data-heavy decisions while empowering their teams to focus on complex problem-solving and relationship building. Start by identifying where AI can take on repetitive tasks in your workforce management, then invest in training your team to become skilled AI collaborators rather than mere users.
3. Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is important for making contact centers fair and welcoming, ensuring everyone has equal opportunities, no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or other characteristics.
One way to promote DEI in contact centers is by using inclusive hiring practices. This means looking for diverse candidates, using fair screening methods, and giving everyone a chance to apply. A diverse team brings different ideas and experiences, which can lead to better solutions and improved customer service.
Equity is another important part of DEI. You need to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities to grow in their roles. You can do this by reviewing pay fairness, offering equal promotion opportunities, and making sure all employees have access to training and support.
4. Making Employee Reviews More Personal
Traditional performance evaluations often miss the individual strengths and improvement areas of customer service agents. Now, contact centers recognize the need to customize their review systems to better align with the unique needs and goals of each employee.
One way to personalize reviews is by adapting them to specific roles within the contact center. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, you can create customized evaluation criteria that reflect the skills and expectations of various positions, such as sales agents, technical support staff, or customer service representatives.
This ensures that employees are assessed fairly based on relevant factors, leading to more accurate evaluations. Involving employees in the review process is also important. Encouraging self-assessment allows agents to reflect on their performance and share their thoughts on their successes and areas for growth.
Managers can conduct regular check-ins and gather ongoing feedback throughout the year, creating a more supportive environment. Personalizing the review system also means considering each agent’s career goals and aspirations. When you incorporate these objectives into the review process, you can create a more meaningful experience for employees.
Managers can work with agents to identify areas for development and create individualized plans that align with their long-term career paths, whether that involves moving into leadership roles or specializing in certain aspects of customer service.
5. ESG Compliance
Research shows that 88 percent of consumers are more likely to remain loyal to companies that actively support social or environmental causes.² Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance shows you commitment to environmental, social, and governance standards. Focusing on ESG can improve you reputation and build stronger relationships with customers, employees, and investors.
Environmental compliance in a contact center context involves reducing energy consumption and minimizing waste. Implementing energy-efficient technologies and encouraging flexible work can help lower the carbon footprint. Adopting sustainable practices, such as recycling programs and reducing paper usage, can further support environmental goals.
Social compliance ensures fair labor practices while promoting diversity and inclusion within the workforce. Contact centers should follow labor laws, provide safe working conditions, and foster a workplace culture that values diversity. Engaging with local communities through outreach programs or partnerships can enhance the center’s social impact.
Governance compliance involves maintaining transparency and ethical business practices in all operations. This includes ensuring accurate reporting, preventing fraud, and having clear channels for employee feedback. You can promote ethical behavior by establishing strong policies and procedures that align with corporate governance standards.
ESG compliance helps you create a more sustainable and responsible operation, benefiting both the organization and the wider community.
6. Reskilling for Retention
This means teaching your employees new skills to help them do their jobs better or prepare for future roles within the company. As the workplace changes quickly, reskilling is important for contact centers to keep your best workers and stay competitive.
Contact centers need reskilling because of new technologies, changing customer needs, and different ways people communicate. When agents feel their skills are outdated or unused, they might look for jobs elsewhere.
To reskill effectively, you should identify what skills their teams are missing and create training programs to fill those gaps. This might include workshops on new software, customer service training, or pairing new agents with experienced ones for mentorship. Involving employees in this process is important, as it helps ensure the training aligns with their career goals.
Investing in reskilling helps create a skilled team that can adapt to changes and keeps employees engaged and motivated. As agents learn new skills, they are likely to be more productive and innovative.
7. Creating a Future-Ready Workforce
The rapid evolution of call center technology, from AI tools to omnichannel platforms, demands a new breed of agent. Traditional customer service skills, while still crucial, are no longer enough. Your future teams need to be tech-savvy problem solvers who can smoothly transition between AI-assisted tasks and complex customer interactions.
Start reshaping your workforce now by prioritizing adaptability in your hiring and development processes. Look for candidates who show aptitude for learning new systems, and invest in training programs that blend technical skills with enhanced customer engagement capabilities. The goal isn’t just to handle today’s challenges, but to build a team that can quickly adapt to whatever comes next.
Step into a brighter staffing future with Salem Solutions
Salem Solutions is always on the pulse of the latest staffing trends. We offer guidance and insights that empower you to make strategic decisions that benefit your organization. We focus on your unique needs, providing personalized staffing strategies that align with industry trends.
Don’t wait for the future to find you—take action today and connect with us!
References
- “1 in 4 Companies Plan To Increase Required Days In-Office in 2025, Despite Majority Losing Talent Due to RTO Policy.” ResumeBuilder, 29 May 2024, www.resumebuilder.com/1-in-4-companies-plan-to-increase-required-days-in-office/.
- “25 ESG Statistics You Need to Know in 2023 -.” Lisam, www.lisam.com/news/esg-statistics/.
