‘TIS THE SEASON for reflection. There is something about the end of a year that gives us pause to look back and assess our successes and challenges.
Contact Center Pipeline had a very good 2025. Navigating the challenges of a contact center can be perplexing. I am proud of and appreciate the hard work of our Pipeline staff and writers. They break down the tough operational and technological issues to help us offer the best customer and staffing experiences we can.
Also, I thank our sponsors who support us. We appreciate their efforts to continue to provide leading-edge products and services.
Finally, I thank our readers for your loyalty and support. You are the hub that makes this an exciting industry.
I hope you enjoy this time with family and friends. I wish you all the best for the holiday season.
Gratefully,
Linda
Table of Contents, December 2025
FEATURE ARTICLE
Staffing Amidst the Storm
By Brendan Read; Q&A with Expert Panel
How, in the face of it all, centers can attract and keep their employees.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
A Blueprint to Achieve High-Performing Contact Center CX
By Gerry Barber and Mark Russell
A step-by-step guide for a solid CX foundation.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The AI-Human Balancing Act
By Dina Vance
Reimagining the CX with best practices.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Tapping The Power of Knowledge – Part 2
By Mark Pereira
How to use KM to empower agents and elevate CX.
NEW HIRES
How to Build An Amazing Onboarding Experience
By Tiffany N. Harris
Why it can help you retain your stars!
ONBOARDING
The First 90 Days Decide Everything
By Kathryn E. Jackson
A people-first staffing playbook for the contact center.
COGNITIVE LOAD
The Secrets to Efficiency (and Agent Retention)
By Troy Plott
Balancing cognitive load generates smarter schedules.
HR TECHNOLOGY
Smarter Contact Centers With a Human Touch
By Stephane Rivard
How agentic AI can improve agent use, staffing, and training.
INSIDE VIEW
Ferrying Excellent Customer Service
By Brendan Read; Q&A with BC Ferries’ Customer Care
How Canada’s BC Ferries contact center helps customers to get where they are going.
RESILIENCE
Ensuring Reliable AI Applications
By Ankush Gangwani
Harnessing the latest AI tools while preserving access.
AGENT EXPERIENCE
Your Employees Are Your Greatest Asset
By Laura Sikorski
How to keep and grow them.
TRAINING
Turning Customers into Advocates
By Dr. Joseph Riggio and Henrik Wenøe
A revolutionary approach to training teams.
RETAIL
Helping Retail Agents
By Matt Whitmer
AI can assist agents in coping with burnout and stress.
A special thank you to our authors this month for sharing their insights and wisdom: Gerry Barber, Ankush Gangwani, Tiffany N. Harris, Kathryn E. Jackson, Mark Pereira, Troy Plott, Brendan Read, Joseph Riggio, Stephane Rivard, Mark Russell, Laura Sikorski, Dina Vance, Henrik Wenøe, and Matt Whitmer.
Sincere appreciation to our vendor community: CallMiner, Centrical, Cognigy, dents Israel, Forethought, Human Numbers, MediaShark, MediaSmith, NiCE, NP Digital, Strategic Contact, TransUnion, Verint, WalkerSands, and Webex.
