In the ever-evolving world of customer experience (CX), the human element remains paramount. Happy, engaged agents are the backbone of exceptional service. But how do we ensure our agents thrive amid rising customer expectations and rapidly advancing technology?
Metrigy’s recently published Workforce Engagement Management: 2025-26 global research study with 316 companies offers answers, particularly around the crucial topic of agent experience. Our findings paint a clear picture: Workforce engagement management (WEM) is fundamentally improving the daily lives of agents.
WEM’s Direct Impact on Agent Well-being
The numbers speak for themselves: Almost 75% of companies agree that WEM measurably improves agent experience. This positive sentiment is even stronger among the study’s Research Success Group, comprising those companies that show average or better-than-average improvements in revenue, costs, and CSAT (those measuring success but falling below average on improvements go into the non-success group). Nearly every company in the success group—96.2%—said WEM boosts agent experience. These aren’t just minor tweaks; WEM is driving tangible improvements in how agents feel about their work.
What’s the biggest catalyst for this improvement? AI assistance. Nearly two-thirds of companies credit AI tools as the primary reason agent experience has gotten better. This highlights AI’s role not as a replacement for humans, but as a powerful co-pilot, helping agents be more efficient and effective.
However, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Of the small percentage of companies that saw agent experience worsen with WEM, most said the reason was poor management. This serves as a vital reminder that technology is only as good as the leadership guiding its implementation. Human factors, like effective management, remain critical.
Expanding WEM’s Reach: Beyond the Contact Center
While WEM’s home has traditionally been the contact center, its potential usefulness stretches much further. Almost 72% of companies believe WEM applications should be used for employees in business units outside of the contact center. Think sales, account management, and internal help desks—more than half of companies are already exploring WEM in these areas.
Despite this recognized potential, only 27.2% are currently using WEM beyond the contact center, though another 47.5% plan to do so in the future. The primary hurdle for 56.0% is that implementing WEM outside the contact center isn’t a strategic IT priority, while 52.0% indicate a lack of interest from business leaders. This suggests a need for greater awareness and advocacy for WEM’s enterprise-wide benefits.
For those breaking the mold, the rewards are clear: Companies using WEM outside the contact center are seeing big business metric gains—including increased employee efficiency, higher customer ratings, better revenue, and even decreased costs. It’s a win-win.
The Critical Role of Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
In today’s dynamic work landscape, factors like remote work and scheduling flexibility are no longer perks; they’re essential. Our study found that these elements are extremely important to agent experience and an important means of reducing attrition.
Three-quarters of companies allow scheduling flexibility, though midsized (250 to 2,500 employees) and larger organizations (more than 2,500 employees) tend to do so less than smaller companies (250 or fewer employees). The top benefit? A resounding 71.9% of respondents pointed to better work-life balance. This underlines the profound impact flexible scheduling has on agent well-being.
Technology is supporting this: 62.2% of companies that allow scheduling flexibility use a self-service scheduling portal. For those that don’t support scheduling flexibility, the main concern (52.9%) is understaffing during shifts, indicating a need for more intelligent, flexible scheduling solutions.
Coaching Remains King, Even with AI
Even with AI assistance, the human element of coaching is irreplaceable. Our data shows that 34.2% of companies have a dedicated coach for managing agent skills and development, and this role remains important. AI can provide data and insights, but a human coach offers personalized guidance, motivation, and skills development that an algorithm simply cannot replicate.
Elevating Your Agent Experience
Metrigy’s Workforce Engagement Management: 2025-26 study makes it clear: Prioritizing agent experience through comprehensive WEM strategies, embracing AI as an assistant, fostering flexibility, and investing in human coaching is not just good for your employees—it’s good for your entire business.
