The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals, today unveils “The State of the Contact Center in 2024: Research into the Transformative Forces Shaping the Industry” report.
This year, the report finds contact centers in the crosshairs of change. Adapting to meet customer expectations, opening support for new channels, accommodating a hybrid workforce and laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence (AI) tools are a few of the major forces shaping this moment.
Key highlights:
- Fifty-five percent of respondents expect to see increases to compensation in the next 12 months.
- Nearly seven in ten respondents have chosen to retain a hybrid workforce model allowing teams to alternate between home and office.
- Sixty-six percent of respondents support AI’s use in the contact center, and 27% believe it will have a major or extreme impact on operations in the next five years.
- Fifty percent of respondents believe AI will reduce overall workloads in the next two years and predictions of subsequent mass layoffs appear to be overblown and 87% of respondents say the plan is to create new positions or fill existing vacancies as they come open.
- Fifty percent of respondents said agents left their positions to search for better positions, with the lack of career growth cited as a major reason.
To learn more about “The State of the Contact Center in 2024: Research into the Transformative Forces Shaping the Industry” report, click here.
“Each year our report provides contact center management and customer service leaders with the essential insights and knowledge needed to make data-based decisions,” said Tara Gibb, Senior Director, ICMI. “One of the things that stood out in our research is that many respondents expressed a desire for additional training such as how to use AI tools and more exposure to leadership principles and coaching. Our proven and highly rated training can help any organization improve their customer service and help customer service professionals advance in their careers.”
ICMI Contact Center Course Lineup 2025
ICMI today announces the 2025 contact center course lineup. The curriculum has been created to educate contact center professionals looking to advance their knowledge, skills and career.
ICMI offers highly interactive courses including new and updated curriculum:
- Advanced Workforce Management
- An Agent’s Role in Contact Centers
- Artificial Intelligence in the Contact Center
- Certified Trainer Program
- NEW: Contact Center Management: Leading Contact Center Operational Excellence
- Contact Center Quality Workshop
- NEW: Contact Center Senior Leadership: A Strategic Roadmap for Planning and Innovation
- Customer Service Representative
Experience Foundation
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NEW: ICMI Elevate: The Contact Center Supervisor Training Series
- Supporting Operational Excellence
- Building an Engaged Workforce
- Maximizing Team Performance Metric
- Unlocking Potential Through Coaching
- Managing Difficult Customers
- Metrics and Data for Supervisors
- Multichannel Communications for Agents
- Trainer Development Workshop
- Workforce Management Bootcamp
- Workforce Management Principles
Courses are available via live virtual instruction. Customized content and private group training is also available.
Learn more about the ICMI contact center courses here.
AI in the Contact Center Course Now Supports Certification
ICMI has added certification to its highly rated AI in the Contact Center course. The certification has been designed to transform an organization’s customer experience at all levels by improving a team’s knowledge surrounding AI and automation. In the course, attendees will learn the core concepts of AI and automation; how to align AI with your customer experience strategy and service level commitments; how to build a case for funding; how to design the right architecture; and how to deliver measurable results that transform your organization. Attendees will leave the course with a refreshed sense of what the contact center of tomorrow will look like, including best practices, real examples and a structured plan for moving business strategies forward. Learn more about AI in the Contact Center here.
ICMI Top 25 Thought Leaders List
Each year, ICMI asks the contact center and customer experience community to nominate their choices for ICMI’s Top 25 Thought Leaders list. The deadline for submissions is December 18. Click here to make a submission.
ICMI’s Contact Center Expo 2025
ICMI’s Contact Center Expo, which brings contact center industry professionals together to tackle the challenges and opportunities that will enable positive growth and change in the industry, takes place October 27-30, 2025 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando in Orlando, FL. Get notified here.
For more information, contact Todd Piccuillo at Todd.Piccuillo@informa.com.
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ABOUT ICMI
The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals — from frontline agents to executives — who wish to improve customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact center. Since 1985, ICMI has helped more than 50,000 organizations in 167 countries through training, events, consulting, and informational resources. ICMI’s experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, trainers, and consultants are committed to helping you raise the strategic value of your contact center, optimize your operations and improve your customer service. ICMI is brought to you by Informa Connect.
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