Insight 5
Your dream team will need specialized skills
2035 requires a specific set of skills to fill the high-order work in the contact center.
Guided by humans, each person you hire should have cognitive skills of judgment, insight, moral reasoning and innovation to maintain, monitor and improve the performance of generative AI.15
That said, let's take a look into the skill sets you should look for in the hiring process.
15 Harvard Business Review, “Generative AI will enhance – not erase – customer service jobs,” hbr.org.
What to look for in the hiring process
Emotional intelligence Coping with the world’s broader changes will take mindfulness, physical and emotional self-regulation, adaptability and growth, decisiveness, and optimism.
A “bionic skill set” A high level of comfort in AI and robotics will be key.
Human creativity This is critical, especially in forms of expression such as arts, video and text.
Collaboration and communication An individual’s success hinges on their ability to participate productively in teams, communities and brands. Relevant skills include the ability to empathize and work with others.
An entrepreneurial mindset This is extremely important for rebuilding economies and creating new job opportunities.
Top 5 skills ranking 2010-2020-2035
Skills prevalence measure, linear skills projection16
16 NFER, “An analysis of the demand for skills in the labour market in 2035, revised,” nfer.ac.uk.
How to train employees for success
Leaders must cultivate skills and mindsets to build strong, dynamic teams.
Thorough training in how to work with robots Implement hands-on workshops that familiarize employees with robotic systems and automation tools. This includes understanding the technology, maintenance and troubleshooting processes, ensuring they can operate alongside robots efficiently and safely.
Team-building exercises Organize regular team-building activities that promote collaboration and trust among employees. These can include problem-solving challenges, outdoor adventures or workshops that focus on enhancing communication and interpersonal skills, encouraging a cohesive work environment.
Emphasis on security training Provide comprehensive training on cybersecurity protocols and data protection measures. Employees should be aware of potential threats and how to safeguard company information, including regular updates on best practices and emerging security risks.
Ongoing communication training Offer continuous development programs focused on effective communication skills, including active listening, feedback mechanisms and conflict resolution. This can be done through workshops, role-playing scenarios and utilizing communication tools that enhance team interactions.
Prioritize their needs Regularly assess and address employees' professional development needs through surveys or one-on-one meetings. Create personalized training plans that align with their career goals and the organization’s objectives, ensuring that employees feel valued and supported in their growth.
Point of view
As we move to more and more self-service, it’s clear that our processes and language must evolve. Gone are the days of corporate jargon; we need to simplify our communication and truly place the customer at the heart of every conversation.
The learning curriculum will also transform significantly. It won't just be about taking what robots say — it must also involve honing critical thinking skills to assess what information is relevant and if it correlates with other data points.
This shift is especially important for a generation that may feel isolated. Engaging them in team-building exercises and collaborative problem-solving will be challenging, but a crucial step in bridging this gap.
As with the CX journey, the learning and development paths will also be highly individualized, and the majority of which will need to focus internally. The big differentiator in managing teams and complex queries will be empathy — a massive impact for further learning institutes that focus a lot of learning around STEM being logical, formulaic and predictable.
We must remember that as information becomes more accessible, it will be even more critical to have the ability to scrutinize the data, articulate what it is telling us and make decisions based on the facts.
True success in the future of CX teams will lie in the ability to create an environment where learning is a collaborative journey, one that values human connection and critical insight.
Martin Wilkinson-Brown
Chief Marketing Officer at Foundever
As discussed above, by 2035, training and support will be critical. Both of these areas will be super specific, data driven and personalized — down to the tone any of this training is delivered in, aligning with the preferences of the person being trained.
This level of support will be needed, as a contact center employee role will be similar to that of a fraud analyst of today. Resolution of most issues will require problem solving abilities, as well as a heightened level of empowerment and employer trust not usually associated with today’s contact center workers.
As discussed earlier, the company challenge of working with six or seven generations simultaneously is a daunting prospect. Adding to that, working with various forms of AI will make this an interesting area to discuss further from a people perspective.
Firstly, we have to ensure that our people are helped and not hindered by these new technology deployments. This isn’t always a given. Just ask your employees today. Hint, hint: they usually hate it when we change things.
Secondly, we need to collaborate with our people to understand their unique work styles and provide tailored training to build on specific employee weaknesses, while not hindering unique working styles. This approach is one of the ways AI will help create a more personalized work environment, enabling our people to flourish. Keeping our employees happy will be critical, as it will be harder than ever to find the right workers in this ever increasingly complex and AI-augmented environment.
Wayne Butterfield
Partner, Global Lead Contact Center Transformation at ISG
How to prepare
Walk the talk now and arm your contact centers with robust tech and security.
Do the heavy learning now and start employing people with these skills.
Employ continuous learning practices for teams to get comfortable with new technologies.