January 27, 2026
Support Beats Pay in Agent Happiness, New Report Finds
Contact centres have treated pay as the main lever for keeping agents in their seats, hoping that increasing salaries and adding bonuses will make people stay. Calabrio’s latest Voice of the Agent report reveals that money is no longer what really keeps agents engaged. Instead, it’s support.
At Contact Centre Expo 2025 in November, Calabrio’s Ed Creasey first presented this message, saying that the desire for a supportive manager was one of the key reasons that agents chose their career in the first place.
Based on the latest research, support from management tops the list at 59%, followed by positive team culture at 54%, while pay trails behind. In a role that is characterised by constant pressure, emotional labour, and rapid change, feeling backed day to day now matters more than an extra line on a payslip.
Power Is Disappearing
This is really a story about diminishing returns. When workloads rise, customers arrive frustrated, and AI tools quietly alter how work gets done, pay alone cannot compensate for a lack of trust, clarity, or human connection.
When it comes to what helps agents cope, regular one-to-one check-ins with managers have become the norm for 67% of respondents. These conversations are where expectations are reset, problems surface early, and agents feel seen rather than monitored.
Around 70% of agents receive regular coaching, and most say it improves how they do their jobs. Development is no longer a “nice to have.” It is part of what makes the role tolerable, and in many cases, sustainable.
Support Shows Up When Calls Get Hard
Practical wellbeing support significantly helps agents regain their strength, particularly after difficult calls. These changes reflect a growing recognition that contact centre work carries a real emotional cost and cannot be treated as endlessly absorbable.
Dave Rhodes, CEO, Calabrio, said: “Agents are finding their rhythm again. They’re proud of the work they do, and that tells us investments in leadership and development are paying off. But this evolution brings new pressures too. Sustaining progress now means rethinking what ‘support’ looks like—pairing human empathy with smarter tools, clearer training and a genuine emphasis on wellbeing, so technology empowers people rather than exhausts them.”
Even though new tech has entered the daily routine of many agents, the job itself has not become easier. As automation takes over repetitive tasks, agents are left handling the conversations that technology cannot handle, which are complex, emotional, and often high-stakes. This work demands judgement and resilience, not just availability. Without support built into daily operations, no pay rise is large enough to offset the strain.
AI Raises the Stakes
With AI being part of the contact centre, many agents remain unsure how it affects them. Only 30% knows which systems actually use AI. Forty percent have received no training at all.
In that environment, leadership behaviour matters more than compensation. When managers explain how tools work, invest in training, and frame AI as support rather than surveillance, agents are more likely to trust the change.
Despite hybrid work and ongoing disruption, team connection is slowly recovering. Fewer agents say their teams never socialise, and more feel a sense of belonging. Culture is doing the invisible work that pay cannot: absorbing pressure, smoothing change, and keeping people engaged when conditions are imperfect.
