Average Handle Time vs. Human Time – Part 3
In today’s call and contact centers, agents are caught in the middle of a quiet - but constant - tug-of-war.
Leadership wants faster calls, tighter...
Average Handle Time vs. Human Time – Part 2
In today’s call and contact centers, agents are caught in the middle of a quiet - but constant - tug-of-war.
Leadership wants faster calls, tighter...
Average Handle Time vs. Human Time – Part 1
In today’s call and contact centers, agents are caught in the middle of a quiet - but constant - tug-of-war.
Leadership wants faster calls, tighter...
When the Voice Isn’t Human
In 2026, contact centers operate at the intersection of two seismic forces reshaping customer engagement: hyper-scaled AI communications and an equally rapid rise in...
What Contact Centers Should Know About MCP
AI has quickly become an integral component of modern contact centers, playing a central role in interpreting customer intent and guiding real-time decisions.
Virtual...
Why Behavioral Analytics Matter
In today’s volatile economy, contact centers face heightened pressure. Valuable customers — whose spending power is increasingly concentrated at the top — demand flawless...
The Human Touch Paradox
The contact center industry is experiencing a fascinating contradiction in 2026. While enterprises race to deploy AI agents and automation at unprecedented scale, a...
Unlocking the Cloud’s Value
Contact centers are among the most infrastructure-intensive operations in any organization, with applications including voice and chat channels, AI assistants, analytics engines, and workforce...
Evolving Threats, Evolving Responses
One of the constants of the human experience is coping with disasters. And as their nature changes (which is also a constant), so must...
How to Make Contact Centers Smarter
No matter the industry, just about every brand is trying to navigate a real-world dilemma. That is, to meet (and exceed) rising customer expectations...
Contact Center Pipeline Magazine: Inside Our August 2026 Issue
Our August issue centers around two ongoing management issues. First, training: making time for training, your training program and AI, the impact of social...
Top 5 Posts in July
This month's top 5 has a strong focus on our people and how we can best support them.
Jens guides us through updating our...
Why Screening Harder Won’t Win – Part 1
Contact centers must deliver more than they ever have before. Interactions are more complex, customers are less patient, products are more configurable, and channels...
QA Through the Agents’ Eyes
We’ve analyzed quality assurance (QA) from every possible angle: scoring models, calibration sessions, and compliance metrics. But how often do we look at QA...
Is WFH Really DOA?
The headlines over the past 12 months appear to give the impression that remote work/work-from-home (WFH) is dying as employers seek to gain more...
How to Make Remote Work Actually Work
Remote agents have become the standard operating model for contact centers across North America. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was the only viable...
Which Road to Take in Site Selection?
Contact centers help guide customers on their journeys, including the twists, turns, and obstacles they face. At the same time, centers are on their...
Turning Acquisition Chaos into Clarity
If you have ever lived through a merger or acquisition (M&A), you know the feeling. Systems do not talk, processes overlap, and everyone insists...
The Neurodiversity Disconnect
I’m starting from a few assumptions. That diversity and inclusion matter. That neurodiversity is real. And that listening is one of the most important...
Contact Center Pipeline Magazine: Inside Our July 2026 Issue
Our July issue touches on many contact center topics. We discuss agent burnout, finding the right balance with CX, contact center strategy, AI agents,...
Beyond the Accent
In today’s global economy, call and contact centers handle inquiries from a diverse range of customers. This diversity reflects the richness of a global...
Top 5 Posts in June
John starts this month's list by detailing four strategic actions contact center leaders can take to optimize their operations, beginning with reducing unnecessary contacts....
Why Traditional Screening Misses Your Biggest Retention Risk
The profit engine of any successful call center rests on two cornerstones: retaining skilled agents and minimizing sick leave. These aren’t peripheral metrics; they...
FCC NPRMs Target Near/Offshore Call Centers
For years, companies - including many in the business process outsourcing (BPO) space - have relied on nearshore and offshore call center staffing to...
The U.S. – Canada Compliance Gap
Email sits at the center of customer service in Canada. Renewal notices, account updates, service alerts, appointments, and payment reminders all depend on it.
Email...
Bullying, Burnout, and Interpersonal Breakdowns
Contact centers are uniquely vulnerable to bullying and harassment, a critical set of issues which this article will explore.
The consequences are clearly seen...
Your Metrics Are Accurate…and Misleading
For decades, contact centers have been managed by the same familiar scorecard.
Average handle time (AHT)
Service levels
CSAT
Cost per contact
NPS
There’s a reason 85% of contact centers...
What Contact Centers Can Learn from ATMs
When automated teller machines (ATMs) first showed up in the late 1970s, many predicted a steady decline in bank tellers.
I can remember working...





























