In an industry racing toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and analytics, it is worth pausing to consider the legacy we have inherited—and the thinking we may need to leave behind. To understand where Contact Centers are going, it helps to remember where they have been and what we have stubbornly carried with us.
A Look Back
My own journey into what was then the “Call Center” industry began in 1979 through the telecommunications world. At the time, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) technology was just emerging. The industry was on the brink of massive transformation from analog to digital systems and from regional to centralized support. It was fueled by toll-free numbers and sweeping deregulation.
In the 1980s, we owned an “interconnect telephone company” during a time when ACD systems were in high demand. The ability to intelligently distribute calls was revolutionary at the mass market level, but collecting data was just the beginning. Making sense of that data and using it to improve operations required a new kind of thinking. Even then, many leaders clung to outdated management models that were militaristic and within rigid environments that gave Call Center work a bad name.
The telephone itself had a surprisingly fast adoption curve—one that would make any modern entrepreneur jealous. Alexander Graham Bell was granted his patent in 1876, and by 1877, the first telephone exchange opened in New Haven, Connecticut. These exchanges, run by human operators using cord boards, allowed users to be connected by request. This practice laid the foundation for early Customer Service operations.
Interestingly, the first operators were teenage boys. That didn’t last. They were quickly replaced—deemed too unruly, unreliable, and impatient for a job that demanded patience and calm. By 1885, the now-iconic “bustle-clad ladies” became the new face of telephony. They were expected to be polite, silent, obedient, and nearly invisible.
These women were held to exacting standards, constantly monitored by supervisors using “listening boards,” and penalized for infractions as minor as laughing or smiling. One tragic headline from 1899 reported the suicide of a young San Francisco operator. The coroner blamed the phone company— citing relentless surveillance, impossible standards, and inhumane working conditions.
As the number of telephones in the United States multiplied, so did the demand for operators. In 1910, there were 88,000 female telephone operators in the U.S. By 1920, that number had doubled to 178,000, and by 1930, it had grown to 235,000. At its peak in 1970, there were 420,000 operators. Today, it is estimated that there are fewer than 4,000.
This is the origin story of our industry. While technology has evolved, some of the attitudes and management practices have not. Many of the operational metrics, performance standards, and control-based models that shaped early telephone service still linger in today’s Contact Centers. That brings us to now, where too many Contact Centers operate under the shadow of legacy thinking.
Today’s Reality
Yes, we have modernized Contact Center tools, but not always the mindset. We cling to metrics, rigid hierarchies, and the obsession with compliance over competence. Isn’t it all a bit of a throwback?
We owe it to ourselves and to our organizations to stop managing like it is 1995. It is time for a shift in focus, in purpose, and in what we believe Contact Center operations can deliver when set free from outdated playbooks.
If we want Contact Centers to be seen as “Value Centers,” we have to act—and speak—like it.
Looking back has its value. And yes, nostalgia has its charm. But at some point, it is wise to turn around and ask, What is ahead? And more importantly, What is next for your Contact Center?
The future of Contact Center operations will not be defined by fond memories of headsets past. It will be shaped by clarity, curiosity, and a healthy refusal to accept “That is how we’ve always done it” as a strategy.
Achieving Your Operational Destiny
It is time to unlock the operational potential that has long been underestimated. Take Workforce Management (WFM), for example. With fresh thinking and new priorities, WFM can become a powerful engine of performance, innovation, and strategic value. The same is true for Quality Assurance (QA). Both functions are poised for transformation, that is if we let them.
There are three key focus areas that define the next generation of Contact Center operations.
Focus: What Actually Matters Now
Start now by examining our current identity crisis. Contact Centers have lived too long under the label of “Cost Centers.” Maybe that term made sense in 1985, but today it is like trying to launch an app with a rotary phone. It simply doesn’t connect.
If we want Contact Centers to be seen as “Value Centers,” we have to act—and speak—like it. This means aligning with business strategy, understanding financial objectives (yes, it is time to read the Annual Report), and documenting your relevance. Growth from mergers? New products? Expanded services or locations? If you do not know what is coming, you are not able to support it.
…stop waiting for an invitation to the table. Bring your own chair. And a list. Show up with your operational impact documented and your wish list in hand.
One Credit Union’s Contact Center was told to “reduce calls,” even though it was not the one creating them. Other departments launched initiatives without warning, yet expected the Center to absorb the fallout. That is not strategy. That is chaos. And it is time to gently, professionally, and confidently operationalize these kinds of unsustainable expectations out of existence.
Visibility: You Can’t Influence What You Don’t Know
Too many Contact Centers find out about major initiatives the same way customers do—after the launch. One e-commerce company unveiled a new mobile loyalty app without informing the Contact Center. The team had already seen rising call volume from issues with the existing program. They could have helped prevent the chaos. But no one asked.
Visibility is not just about being in the loop. It is about building partnerships and where being consulted is the norm, not the exception. If you are supporting multiple departments, start acting like an outsourcer. Draft expectations, define deliverables, and make the invisible visible. A few raised eyebrows now are a small price to pay for operational alignment later.
Metrics: More Than Just Math
Let’s talk metrics—that is, metrics with meaning.
We love data, but like fine chocolate, it can be overindulged and misused. Handle time, call counts, and talk time still dominate dashboards as if we are stuck in 1990. These are not Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); they are environmental indicators. Their true value lies in helping WFM craft accurate forecasts, not as performance report cards.
So don’t ask, “Why did that call take eight minutes?” Ask, “Why are all our calls taking longer this month, this day, this hour?” That is where real improvement lives. System bottlenecks, clunky interfaces, conflicting password protocols, and poor voice quality—these are silent saboteurs. Find them, fix them, and every call gets better.
Modern operations are not just about monitoring. They are about mining for insight and meaning and not just about metrics.
Getting Granular
To move from firefighting to future-proofing, Contact Centers must sharpen their focus in three operational areas that shape performance and potential every day.
Demand: Tracing the Source
Don’t just count calls—connect them. What prompted the contact? Who owns the outcome? What support did the Contact Center commit to, and what did the business commit in return?
If you support multiple departments, formalize those agreements. Draft an Internal Service Charter. Don’t wait for permission. Present it as an operational update. You will either gain allies or spark useful conversations. Either way, you win.
Capacity: Sustainability Isn’t Optional
Agents are not rubber bands. If your utilization consistently hovers above 90%, you are not maximizing efficiency—you are flirting with burnout. Overused agents become disengaged, then disillusioned, and finally gone. The revolving door exhausts everyone, especially leadership.
Sustainable operations require breathing room. WFM must monitor utilization, build in buffers, and treat capacity planning as a strategic function—not as a panic response.
Technology: Partnerships and Pulling Up a Chair
If your agents juggle six apps, five logins, and a mid-call timeout, of course handle times go up. And no, it is not their fault. But don’t just shrug it off. Track it. Prove it. Use the data to show what is slowing you down. Only then can you make your case for change.
And as for your internal partners—Marketing, IT, Product—stop waiting for an invitation to the table. Bring your own chair. And a list. Show up with your operational impact documented and your wish list in hand. Even if nothing changes right away, you will be remembered for showing up prepared.
Claiming Your Operational Destiny
Contact Centers do not need another motivational poster. They need a seat at the table, a say in the strategy, and a structure that supports their full potential. That starts with stepping up, speaking out, and showing what is possible when operations are informed, aligned, and respected. In closing, consider these thoughts:
- Your destiny is to lead, not react.
- To inform decisions, not just implement them.
- To shape the Customer Experience, not just salvage it.
- Now is the time to redefine the role of the Contact Center.
- Pull up your chair. Bring your data. Bring your vision.
- And claim your Operational Destiny!
